Bite-Sized Bits of News From Around Whatcom County

Bellingham’s mayor has announced that construction will begin before year-end on a $2.5 million non self-supporting steel and glass building for the Farmers’ Market. The mayor says it is a done deal, and has scheduled no public hearings. “Not so fast,” says a group of private citizens. The group supports the Farmers’ Market, and believes part of the market’s charm is that it is outdoors. “There are urgently higher priorities for our scarce tax dollars.”

Retired citizen Chet Dow has decided to take action and is circulating a petition that says “Bellingham’s mayor has decided, without public hearings, to construct a $2.5 million Farmers’ Market building. We want to support the Farmers’ Market with our purchases, not our tax dollars. We urge Bellingham City Council to refuse funding for the Farmers’ Market building.”

Citizens who agree with the message and would be willing to help circulate the petitions, or who want to sign the petition may e-mail their request to farmersmarket@voteralert.com or call 734-0426.

The Commerce Corridor Feasibility Study (see Thuney Casserole on facing page) is examining the feasibility of a public-private consortium that could build up to:

•10 lanes of freight and passenger toll roads

•Freight and passenger rail lines

•New petroleum pipelines

•Power lines

•Equestrian and pedestrian trails

The route being examined for the commerce corridor is more-or-less the current path of Highway 9 in Skagit and Whatcom Counties. To learn more about the study, consult the Washington state Department of Transportation’s Web site at: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/freight/CommerceCorridorFeasStudy.htm.

If this stirs up your passions, please contact the Mt. Baker Foothills Economic Development Association, c/o Jeff Margolis at (360) 592-2297. If you’d like to submit written comments, please send them by July 10 to Jeff Margolis, 5465 Potter Rd., Deming, WA 98244.

In addition, if your interest in keeping Whatcom County from becoming like Lynnwood (or Los Angeles) is such that you want to become active about this proposal, please contact Dan Warner (chairperson of the Pro-Whatcom Steering Committee) at danbellingha@att.net or 360-592-5622.

The report, released in June, presents results of a 2002-2003 study conducted to investigate the spatial distribution and historical deposition of mercury in Lake Whatcom. The data collected indicate that mercury levels in surface sediments in the lake and surface water entering the lake do not appear to be elevated compared to other areas of Washington. Sediment profiles suggest mercury levels began to increase from background around 1900, reaching peak levels in 1987 to 1995. There is evidence to suggest that mercury concentrations in sediments have leveled off or are decreasing from peak concentrations. A companion report being prepared by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) will describe regional mercury sources. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/biblio/0403019.html.

The USGS report on mercury levels in Lake Whatcom has been approved, but there are a number of relatively minor editorial issues that need to be corrected. The study serves a local need to develop a better understanding of the relation between sources, processes, and concentrations of mercury in Lake Whatcom. The USGS anticipates releasing the report sometime in July. See http://wa.water.usgs.gov/projects/lakewhatcom/summary.htm.

The first commercial anaerobic digester for dairy waste in Washington State has been constructed at the Vander Haak Dairy in Lynden.

Anaerobic digesters have been called a “solution that leads to more solutions” for many of the environmental and economic problems facing the dairy industry today. Anaerobic digesters convert waste materials, such as dairy manure, into renewable energy and other value-added products. In addition, anaerobic digestion of dairy manure reduces odor problems, improves water quality and reduces methane emissions (a potent greenhouse gas linked to global climate change).

The Vander Haak digester will provide a significant economic impact to Whatcom County. The Andgar Corporation of neighboring Ferndale has been hired as project manager and will be constructing the digester, which is designed by GHD, Inc., a Wisconsin-based environmental engineering firm. In addition, two neighboring dairies have partnered with the Vander Haak Dairy for treating manure through the digester. Puget Sound Energy, through its green power program, will purchase the renewable energy generated by the digester. The project will generate enough electricity to serve 180 average homes.

Businesses can get free help starting or expanding their recycling programs under a new agreement between the nonprofit organization RE Sources and the Whatcom County Solid Waste Division. Mixed paper, fluorescent lights, organic materials and shrink wrap are some of the materials that could be recycled at higher levels in Whatcom County, saving businesses money on their garbage disposal costs.

Some of the changes involve new recycling systems for new materials, such as clean shrink wrap, waxed cardboard or electronics. Other changes involve simple adjustments that take advantage of garbage container sizes or companies that pay for white paper if it’s not mixed with other scrap paper.

Plastic film recycling is one new opportunity for many local businesses. A retail store could conceivably cut its garbage volume by up to 10 percent by simply recycling clean plastic film. Businesses that recycle can get a local tax break, too, because recycling collection is not taxed. Taxes on garbage collection can exceed 16 percent.

Finally, fluorescent tubes in the garbage represent an environmental and safety hazard because of the mercury they contain. Other electronics, such as computers and outdated office equipment, can be hazardous, too. RE Sources staff can help businesses find the appropriate recyclers for these items.

Any Whatcom County business is eligible for the free new technical

assistance program. To sign-up, call RE Sources at 733-8307 or e-mail recycle@re-sources.org.

The Washington Trust for Historic Preservation has named Anderson-Bourn Cabin, in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest near Glacier, to its 2004 Most Endangered Historic Properties List. Miner Charlie Anderson built his one-room log cabin next to the North Fork of the Nooksack River in the 1920s, during the Mt. Baker Gold Rush. His hand-hewn structure, once representative of many pioneer dwellings in the North Cascades, is now the only cabin of its kind still standing in fair condition in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. However, without funding for repair and maintenance, this rapidly deteriorating reminder of Whatcom County’s past could be lost. §