Contact: Carolyn Casey
Port of Bellingham
(360) 676-2500 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 5, 2007
Port Provides Funds to Small Cities for Economic Development Projects
[Bellingham, Wash.] The Port of Bellingham's Board of Commissioners this week approved spending $42,700 to assist small cities with their economic development projects. For the past three years, the port has provided money to its Small City Economic Development Fund.
Applications were distributed to rural Whatcom County cities in February and the Small City Partnership made recommendations about the requests in March. This year the cities of Blaine, Sumas and Ferndale will receive money for their projects and each city will match the port's funding in an equal cash amount.
Here is a look at how the money will be spent:
City of Blaine: $15,000 to pay for a consulting firm to develop a funding action plan to implement projects identified in the Blaine Wharf District Comprehensive Plan Update and Master Plan.
Gary Tomsic, Blaine's City Manager said, "The Port of Bellingham is the most important partner Blaine has in economic development. Their funding assistance has provided money to pursue important projects that will help to revitalize Blaine's Central Business District and connect it to the significant investment the port has made at Blaine Harbor."
Planning officials from the City of Blaine and Port of Bellingham are working together on the Blaine Wharf District Master Plan to keep the developments and surroundings of the waterfront authentic as well as to improve the connection both physically and visually between downtown and the harbor. The city has retained the services of Front Street LLC to write the funding plan.
Blaine Contact: Terry Galvin - 360-332-8311
City of Sumas: $7,700 to pay for electrical engineering services to construct a substation feeder line with Puget Sound Energy to service the growing industrial customer base. This new line would bypass the existing PSE feeder line that is reaching capacity.
Mayor Bob Bromley said, "The City of Sumas appreciates the Port's small city fund, which has helped the city get this construction project off the ground." In 2006 the port co-funded a feasibility study to investigate constructing a new city substation and as a lower cost option, the City of Sumas has elected to construct a new feeder line.
Sumas Contact: Mayor Bob Bromley - 360-988-5711
City of Ferndale: $20,000 to provide professional services to set up a Local Improvement District (LID) on 2nd Avenue Extension, just off the Portal Way exit off Interstate 5. The funds would pay for construction of 1,200 feet of new street and reconstruct another 1,000 feet to city standards. The improvements include a new Portal Way intersection and new section of 2nd Avenue which would extend through the former Simplot site, a 20-acre area that is slated for commercial and light industrial redevelopment opportunities.
"The City of Ferndale has received a great deal of planning assistance front the Port of Bellingham in the form of Economic Development Planning assistance," said Mayor Jerry Landcastle. "As the city moves forward in a number of these projects and seeks solutions, it becomes obvious that the assistance is one of the major issues in solving the many financial issues that confront our community. This latest consideration is appreciated and will be well utilized."
Ferndale Contact: Mayor Jerry Landcastle - 360-384-4302
The Port's economic development efforts are funded with countywide property tax revenues. This money also is used for development and maintenance of Port parks, trails and public access areas, for maintenance of Port infrastructure and for environmental programs.
The Port of Bellingham operates Whatcom County's major transportation terminals including the Bellingham Airport, Fairhaven Transportation Station and the Bellingham Cruise Terminal. The Port also serves about 2,000 moorage customers in its Blaine and Squalicum Harbors.
In addition, about 300 businesses operate on Port properties. The Port of Bellingham is a countywide independent special purpose government.
