The Future of Whatcom County: Now Is the Time to Ask Questions

Bill Walker is a freelance writer who is concerned about the environment and the effects of greed on the human spirit.

In 1970, the book “Future Shock” by Alvin Toffler was published. Wikipedia defines “future shock” as “too much change in too short a time.”

What if the crazy weather patterns of the last few years continue to get more chaotic nationwide? What if older people from all around the country start to look for an environment that is neither too hot nor too cold and one that seems more predictable when it comes to severe weather outbreaks and drought-induced fires? What if our area became a highly desirable retirement destination? And what if our population was about to double in a very short amount of time here in Whatcom County? What then?

With the current recession hopefully coming to an end and with a record number of Baby Boomers preparing to retire over the next ten to twenty years I believe that our little strip of paradise here in the Pacific Northwest could become ground zero for the next wave of retirees. And this would swell Whatcom County’s current population of 206,000 at a much faster rate than the additional 68,000 that is projected growth from now to 2036. And throw in our newly legalized marijuana laws and our area’s probably starting to look like Baby Boomer Heaven for any Boomers who are just starting to consider their retirement plans.

Are we even close to being ready for something like this? The recession has left our roadways in a nightmarish state of disrepair. In places it’s literally crumbling under our tires as we drive. It’s going to cost tens of millions locally and billions of dollars (my guesses) statewide just to get our current road system back into reasonable shape and that’s before we can even consider building new roads, bridges, and other infrastructure. And then there is mass transit or what we call mass transit; how is it ever going to handle a rapid increase in people, many of whom are used to large urban area transit, in our widely spread out county system? I tried to get cost projections from the DOT, but other than admitting a substantial amount for future road repairs, I was unable to get a quote as to exactly what that amount might be. At the moment it seems to be more of a pay-as-we-go depending on state tax receipts for the current year at hand. And that’s not what I would imagine would be acceptable to anyone who has concerns about our roadways.

Water, and getting it to where it’s most needed, is just now starting to become an issue with everyone vying over water rights and who owns what and that’s with very little growth over the past few years because of the recession. The estimated growth since the last census in 2010 is approximately 4,100 climbing from 201,140 to 205,262. Are we eventually going to have to build a water pipeline from Canada and/or start building desalination water facilities along the coastline? Who knows, but I can see a day not that far in the future where these might be real considerations.

Our power grid seems adequate for the moment but what if there was a sudden unforeseen growth boom, what about then? We’ve already had our power lines in Eastern Washington threatened by wild fires. Is it time perhaps for Puget Sound Energy to consider building geothermal power plants here in eastern Whatcom or eastern Skagit County where an over-abundant clean energy source is sitting just below us as yet untapped? Or should a local Public Utilities District be formed on our own to consider this new industry that is being used effectively in other countries? The other option is to build more polluting natural gas power plants since damming up more rivers is out of the question.

In an effort to find out more about the possibility of geothermal power, I contacted the Washington State Department of Natural Resources and was amazed to learn that they had little if any information on the subject. Furthermore they weren’t even sure if geothermal energy fell in their jurisdiction! I was able to find out that both Puget Sound Energy as well as Snohomish County PUD have searched for possible geothermal power locations in their respective regions but have not decided on any future plans to exploit this resource. On the other hand, this form of energy production hasn’t been ruled out by either for the future. The biggest drawback seems to be the initial cost of building the power plant in the first place and what kind of output might be derived because the technology is still not understood as well as they would like.

If a lot of retirees come, there are going to be a lot of things that will need to be dealt with in a very short amount of time in almost every conceivable way. An influx of older people would certainly bring a surge in retail growth to this area in a way that I doubt anyone has yet considered. Are we ready for an influx of new box stores up and down I-5 and on the Guide all the way to Lynden and beyond? And will we need to add another hospital along with more doctors and office buildings to care for this aging population?

Finally, we need to look at, and plan, our Waterfront Redevelopment very carefully. If Bellingham is going to be where a great deal of our future growth is going to be funneled then this little strip of land is of the utmost importance to the future growth of Whatcom County.

The state has mandated that Whatcom County update its Comprehensive Plan and this must be completed and approved by the County Council by June, 2016. And if you want a say in this discussion, now is the time to make your voices heard or you might just blink and instead of, “What if?” You might be saying, “What happened?”

You can contact Washington State Representatives Kristine Lytton or Jeff Morris or State Senator Kevin Ranker if you live in the 40th district. For the 42nd district, your representatives are Jason Overstreet and Vincent Buys and your State Senator is Doug Erickson. I would also encourage anyone who is interested in this subject to make their concerns known by writing letters to the editors of your local newspapers including this one.