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Remote Meeting Notice – Wednesday, July 28, 2021 Council Committees & Committee of the Whole

The regularly scheduled Council Committee meetings and the Committee of the Whole meeting on Wednesday, July 28, 2021 will be held remotely via Microsoft Teams, with staff and Councilmembers accessing the meeting from individual locations. This complies with Governor Jay Inslee’s Proclamation 20-28, as extended until further notice.

These are still open public meetings as defined by the Open Public Meetings Act. The City will be using Microsoft Teams to livestream the meeting. Members of the public do not need to download anything to view the proceedings. To join the live events, click on the following links:

The Public Works & Utilities Committee meeting begins at 8:00 a.m.

The Finance & Administration Committee meeting begins at 9:00 a.m.

The Planning & Land Use Committeemeeting is cancelled.

The Committee of the Whole meeting begins at 11:00 a.m.

2021 Summer Unclaimed Property Auction

Start off the Summer by shopping local! You will find items for auction at www.Govdeals.com. These are items that have been unclaimed or found property and left at the Police Department.

Make sure to pre-register in order to participate in the auction. Auction starts on Friday, August 6th! You will find hand tools, Apple products, Compressor, Jewelry, New Sketchers, Star Wars Memorabilia, Luggage, Musical Instruments and Digital cameras.

Click here to access a flyer with complete item descriptions and pictures.

Ferndale Police Seek Missing Person

On 7/17/21, Ferndale Police responded to a report regarding Mr. Bleil being a missing person.  According to family members, Mr. Bleil was last seen on 7/16/21 at about 8:00 am as he left his residence.  He suffers with mental health issues, left without his medication and has been behaving abnormally recently. 

He was last seen wearing a dark colored T-shirt, shorts and was carrying a backpack.  Any information regarding Mr. Bleil’s whereabouts can be reported to the Ferndale Police Department at 360-384-3390 or the Washington State Patrol’s Missing Persons Unit at 1-800-543-5678. 

Ferndale Terrace Closed Morning of Thursday July 22, 2021 for Paving

Ferndale Terrace Closed Morning of Thursday July 22, 2021 for Paving

Drivers should seek alternate routes as Ferndale Terrace will be closed to through traffic between Legoe Avenue and Vista Drive, on Thursday, July 22, 2021, from 7am to noon. Local traffic to/from homes within closure area will be permitted.

The closure is necessary for City of Ferndale Public Works crew to complete paving work associated with a recent utility repair.

Please see the above map of traffic impact area.

For more information about this closure, please contact Ferndale Public Works at (360) 384-4006.

Remote Meeting Notice – Monday, July 19, 2021 City Council Meeting

The City Council meeting at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, July 19, 2021  (note the time change from the regular start time of 6:00 p.m.) will be held remotely via Microsoft Teams, with staff and Councilmembers accessing the meeting from individual locations. This complies with Governor Jay Inslee’s Proclamation 20-28, as extended until further notice.

This is still an open public meeting as defined by the Open Public Meetings Act. The City will be using Microsoft Teams to livestream the council meeting. Members of the public do not need to download anything to view the proceedings. To join the meeting, click here.

Included in Monday’s meeting are two public hearings. Members of the public who wish to  provide comment for either of the public hearings may do so by one of the following methods:

  1. Email City Administrator/Acting Community Development Director Jori Burnett (joriburnett@cityofferndale.org) prior to the meeting.
  2. Phone in when the Mayor announces the opening of the public hearing. 360-685-2373
  3. In person at the City Hall Main Conference Room, 2095 Main Street. There is limited capacity for in-person attendance. Those wishing to offer a comment in person will be required to wear a face mask and observe social distancing requirements.

Members of the public who wish to submit comments on items not on the agenda are encouraged to submit written comments to City Clerk Susan Duncan by emailing susanduncan@cityofferndale.org. Comments received prior to 4:30 p.m. Monday, July 19, 2021 will be read during the public comment period of the meeting and included in the meeting record. For more details on submitting public comments for a remote meeting click here

The Wild Pioneer Life of William “Blanket Bill” Jarman

One of Ferndale’s more colorful settlers, Blanket Bill Jarman is credited as the first permanent white settler in the area when he first put down roots in Whatcom County in 1852. Jarman caused quite a stir earlier when he was kidnapped by tribal members from Vancouver Island and had to be ransomed with a pile of blankets as tall as he stood, earning him his nickname.

In the 1850s, he officially delivered mail by canoe for Fort Bellingham by canoe, and unofficially served as a smuggler. In the 1860s, he staked out a homestead in the county and worked as a bartender for a saloon in Bellingham. In 1871, a saloon patron insulted Jarman’s sister. A fight broke out and Jarman shot and killed the surly patron. Jarman was jailed for a short time before returning to England for a decade.

He returned to Whatcom and moved to Ferndale to stay with his niece and her husband, William Manning on their farm.  In 1904, the Old Settlers Association recognized Jarman as the oldest living settler and described him as, “Sailor, deserter, trader, hunter and fisherman, fur dealer, Indian slave, tribesman, squawman, homesteader, ship master, telegraph linesman, army courier and mail carrier, interpreter, bar tender, accused murderer, gold digger; there was little he did not find interesting and zestful”. You can find out more about Blanket Bill from the Ferndale Heritage Society at Pioneer Park.