Name: Bellingham City Council - Public Works and Natural Resources Committee meeting, May 11, 2026
Start: 2026-05-11
End: 2026-05-11
Location: City of Bellingham

City Council - Public Works and Natural Resources Committee

Mon, May 11, 2026

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Meeting summaryAI-generated

City Council – Public Works and Natural Resources Committee — May 11, 2026

This was a regular committee meeting chaired by Councilmember Michael Lilliquist, with Councilmembers Lisa Anderson and Dan Hammill (sitting in for Jace Cotton). Six items were originally on the agenda; the first (an EV charging station ordinance) was removed prior to the meeting. All five remaining items were approved unanimously and forwarded to the full council with positive recommendations.

Sewer Service Extension — 2863 Seaview Circle

A residence outside city limits is requesting connection to the city's sewer system after the county health department found their septic system has failed and is leaching sewage down a bank toward Bellingham Bay, near the railroad tracks. The property is within the urban growth area and already receives city water service. Staff explained that repair or replacement of the septic system is not feasible given the limited space on the property, and the owners are pursuing an easement from a neighboring parcel to run a lateral to the existing sewer main on Seaview Circle. Councilmember Anderson noted the situation appeared routine given that all other options had been exhausted. This is an exception to the city's general policy against extending utility service outside city limits.

Vote: Anderson moved, unanimous approval; forwarded with positive recommendation.

Contract Award — Lake Whatcom Vault Retrofits, Phase 1 (Bid No. 16B-2026)

The city received seven bids for retrofitting four stormwater vaults along Northshore Drive in the Lake Whatcom watershed. The project upgrades existing cartridge-filter vaults with phosphorus-removal filtration media (with performance specifications requiring measurable phosphorus reduction), and is expected to reduce both nutrient loading to the lake and long-term operations and maintenance costs. The lowest responsive bid came from Tri-Co Companies LLC at $527,276 (including sales tax), below the engineer's estimate of $600,755. Notably, $388,000 of the project cost will be covered by a Washington Department of Ecology grant. The project's size exempts it from the city's apprenticeship hour requirement.

Vote: Hammill moved, unanimous approval; forwarded with positive recommendation.

Contract Award — Little Squalicum Water Quality Retrofits, Phase 2 Re-bid (Bid No. 18B-2026)

This project installs stormwater treatment infrastructure throughout the Birchwood neighborhood to improve water quality entering the Little Squalicum Estuary. Phase 1 (completed last year) addressed the south and east side of the corridor near Bellingham Technical College; Phase 2 focuses on the north side, with primary vault installations at Nome/Illinois, Pinewood/Cedarwood, and Birchwood/Cedarwood intersections, plus bioswales along the Pinewood corridor. The project also includes replacement of approximately 1,800 feet of 100-year-old water main along West Illinois Street, funded separately through the water utility. Five bids were received; Premium Services submitted the lowest responsive bid at $2,446,733.69 (all schedules, including sales tax), well below the engineer's estimate of $3.14 million. Funding comes from stormwater utility funds, the water fund, and a Department of Ecology grant. The project's size triggers the city's apprenticeship hour requirement. Anderson expressed strong support, noting the value of protecting the Salish Sea and the partnership funding.

Vote: Anderson moved, unanimous approval; forwarded with positive recommendation.

Noise Variance — Ziply Fiber Night Work on Alabama Street

Ziply Fiber is boring fiber optic conduit under Alabama Street at two alley crossings near I-5. The work requires potholing to locate existing buried utilities (including a very old water main, power, phone, and cable lines) before boring. Because the work will reduce Alabama Street to one lane, staff recommended a nighttime variance to minimize traffic disruption. The variance covers roughly two nights (with a possible third for quieter patching work), with notices to be sent to residents within a two-block radius at least five days in advance.

Anderson raised a practical concern about the risk of accidentally striking the old water main during potholing, requesting that on-call water (and sewer) crews be placed on heightened alert during the work nights. Public Works staff member Paul Reed agreed this was a good point and committed to contacting both departments to ensure they are especially responsive during the overnight hours.

Vote: Anderson moved, unanimous approval; forwarded with positive recommendation.

Joint Resolution — Lake Whatcom Watershed Forest Management Plan

This was the most substantive item of the afternoon. The committee considered a joint resolution (to be adopted alongside Whatcom County) formally adopting a new Lake Whatcom Watershed Forest Management Plan — the product of a multi-year planning effort conducted with consultant Northwest Natural Resources Group under an interlocal agreement with Whatcom County Parks and Recreation.

Background and scope: The city and county together own approximately 12,250 acres — roughly one-third of the 36,000-acre Lake Whatcom watershed — acquired through the Lake Whatcom Land Acquisition and Preservation Program (now over 3,500 acres on the city side) and through county parks. The plan, spanning a 30-year horizon, is the first in the Lake Whatcom Management Program's five-year work plan to treat forest management as a dedicated program area.

What the plan does: Using LiDAR, a state forest inventory, and 424 ground-truth field plots, consultant staff assessed distinct forest stands and produced site-specific management prescriptions. The plan's objectives include reducing sediment and phosphorus entering the lake, promoting climate-resilient late-succession/old-growth-like forest conditions, reducing wildfire risk, protecting wildlife habitat, and coexisting with recreation. Management tools include variable-density thinning, protective buffers around steep slopes, road upgrades and abandonment, and understory restoration planting. Revenue-generating timber contracts (for merchantable trees) are possible; pre-commercial thinning may be cost-neutral or require expenditure. Any contract above $45,000 will come back to council for approval.

Community engagement: The process included online comments through Engage Bellingham, forestry and recreation stakeholder meetings, two public forest tours, a video for those who couldn't attend, and a presentation to the Lake Whatcom Policy Group. A survey of the draft plan found 84% of respondents supportive of the plan's six objectives; there was mixed support for revenue-generating management and some concern about thinning practices, which the consultant addressed with clarifications about third-party forester oversight.

Discussion highlights: Anderson, who reviewed the 450-page document over the weekend, pressed staff on prioritizing road maintenance and culvert work — particularly locations she identified (including page 310 of the report) where plugged or failing culverts are causing sediment to channelize directly into streams feeding the lake. Staff confirmed road maintenance is considered high-priority and that the city now has its first fully staffed year-round crew on watershed properties, though they are still calibrating annual capacity. The operations budget for the watershed crew currently runs approximately $1.2 million per year. Council President Stone (attending as a non-voting observer) asked whether the city-county partnership was well-aligned given that the city's effort sits within Public Works while the county's sits within Parks and Recreation. Staff and the Mayor both expressed confidence in strong alignment on shared water quality objectives throughout the planning process. Mayor Lund highlighted the plan as a significant milestone she had referenced in her State of the City address.

Vote: Hammill moved, unanimous approval; forwarded with positive recommendation for full council action.

Key Takeaways

Lake Whatcom Forest Management Plan adopted (pending full council action): A landmark 30-year plan covering 12,250 acres of city and county watershed land is moving forward, with forest management now formally embedded in the Lake Whatcom Management Program for the first time.

$2.4 million Little Squalicum water quality project approved: A significant stormwater retrofit project in Birchwood — substantially under budget thanks to competitive bidding — will treat runoff entering the Little Squalicum Estuary and replace a century-old water main.

Lake Whatcom vault retrofits get underway: A $527,000 Phase 1 project to upgrade phosphorus-filtering stormwater vaults along Northshore Drive will proceed, with $388,000 covered by a state Department of Ecology grant.

Road maintenance flagged as priority for watershed lands: Councilmember Anderson pressed staff on the urgency of culvert and road maintenance on watershed properties, where failing infrastructure is directly delivering sediment and phosphorus to the lake; staff confirmed a year-round crew is now in place and road maintenance is at the top of the work plan.

Failed septic system triggers sewer service exception: A Seaview Circle residence with a failing, leaching septic system will be connected to city sewer under a narrow exception to the city's general policy against extending service outside city limits.

AI-generated summary from voice-to-text transcript. Not the official record. Verify important details with the source documents linked above.

What happened at this meeting

An agreement to extend sewer service to 2863 Seaview Circle

Staff presented an agreement to extend sewer service to 2863 Seaview Circle, where six residents have a failed septic system leaching above railroad tracks near Bellingham Bay. Public Works Development Manager Paul Reed explained the property is already served by a city water main and is adjacent to an existing sewer main in Seaview Circle, making this extension feasible and necessary. Councilmember Lisa (Anderson) noted the residents had exhausted other options and this seemed routine. The committee moved approval to authorize the mayor to enter into the agreement, with a positive recommendation to move forward.

Contract award for Lake Whatcom Vault Retrofits - Phase 1 (EV176), Bid No. 16B- 2026

Staff presented a contract award for Lake Whatcom Vault Retrofits Phase 1 (Bid No. 16B-2026), with Tri-Co Companies LLC selected as the lowest responsive bidder at $527,276 including sales tax, compared to the engineer's estimate of $600,755. Jessica Bennett from the capital group explained the project involves retrofitting four vaults along Northshore Drive with filtering media to reduce phosphorus entering the lake and lower long-term maintenance costs. Councilmember Lilliquist asked about the filtering media type and performance criteria, and Bennett confirmed they would use post-treatment filtering media with strict phosphorus removal specifications. The committee approved the contract award, noting that a Department of Ecology state grant would provide $388,000 of the approximately $527,000 project cost.

Contract award for Little Squalicum Water Quality Retrofits Phase 2 Re-bid (EV177),

Staff presented the contract award for Little Squalicum Water Quality Retrofits Phase 2 Re-bid, explaining that Premium Services submitted the lowest responsive bid of $2,446,733.69, which was lower than the initial estimate of $3.14 million. Kyle Carlson described the project details, noting it treats water entering the Little Squalicum Estuary in the Birchwood neighborhood and includes 1,800 feet of 100-year-old water main replacement along West Illinois Street. Committee member Lisa commented positively on the project, stating it was money well spent for water quality improvements and appreciated the partnership funding from the Washington Department of Ecology. The motion to award the contract to Premium Services passed unanimously.

Noise variance for night work to install utility crossings under Alabama Street

# Summary

Staff presented a noise variance request from Zippy Fiber to conduct nighttime boring work under Alabama Street near I-5 to install fiber optic lines over two nights (the 18th and 19th). Paul explained the work involves locating utilities including an old water main, power, phone, and cable lines, and while not requiring extensive jackhammering, will generate noise that would create excessive traffic disruptions if conducted during daytime hours. Committee member Lisa raised safety concerns about potential water main ruptures during utility location work and requested that water and sewer department personnel be placed on alert. The committee unanimously approved the noise variance from BMC 10.24120 with the requirement that notifications be sent to residents within a two-block radius at least 5 days in advance.

A joint resolution of the Bellingham City Council and the Whatcom County Council adopting the Lake Whatcom Watershed Forest Management Plan

# Summary

Staff presented a joint resolution adopting the Lake Whatcom Forest Management Plan, developed collaboratively by the City of Bellingham Public Works, Whatcom County Parks and Recreation, and Northwest Natural Resources Group. Joel Fount and Mike Pearlskin highlighted that this 2025-2029 plan marks the first dedicated forest management program area, with goals to improve forest health, protect water quality, and minimize wildfire risks, supported by a newly fully-staffed year-round crew. Committee member Lisa raised concerns about establishing a formal road maintenance plan with an annual cycle for grading, ditching, and culvert cleaning to address phosphorus loading. Councilmember Stone initially questioned alignment between city and county agencies, but staff confirmed early coordination and shared values around water quality protection. The resolution passed unanimously, with multiple council members expressing appreciation for this critical long-term investment in protecting the community's drinking water and lake health.

Agenda items (6)

Procedural (6)

24921ProceduralAn ordinance amending Bellingham municipal code chapter 11.37 regarding electric vehicle charging stations to further define terms, administratively set charging fees, and display parking rates at point of sale ITEM REMOVED 5/5/2026

This item has been removed from the agenda as of May 5, 2026.

24922ProceduralAn agreement to extend sewer service to 2863 Seaview Circle

The city is extending sewer service to a property at 2863 Seaview Circle, allowing the building to connect to the municipal sewer system.

What happened

24923ProceduralContract award for Lake Whatcom Vault Retrofits - Phase 1 (EV176), Bid No. 16B- 2026

City council is awarding a contract for the first phase of retrofitting vaults at Lake Whatcom to improve stormwater management and water quality.

What happened

24924ProceduralContract award for Little Squalicum Water Quality Retrofits Phase 2 Re-bid (EV177),

A contract is being awarded for Phase 2 of water quality improvements at Little Squalicum, following a rebid of the project.

What happened

24925ProceduralNoise variance for night work to install utility crossings under Alabama Street

Crews installing utility lines under Alabama Street are requesting permission to work at night, which would normally violate city noise rules.

What happened

24928ProceduralA joint resolution of the Bellingham City Council and the Whatcom County Council adopting the Lake Whatcom Watershed Forest Management Plan

Bellingham and Whatcom County are jointly adopting a forest management plan for the Lake Whatcom watershed to guide land and resource management in the area.

What happened

Additional votes recorded in minutes

Authorize sewer service agreement at 2863 Seaview Circle

aye 3 · absent 1

Daniel Hammillaye

Jace Cottonabsent

Lisa Andersonaye

Michael Lilliquistaye

Award contract No. 16B-2026 for Lake Whatcom Vault Retrofits - Phase 1

aye 3 · absent 1

Daniel Hammillaye

Jace Cottonabsent

Lisa Andersonaye

Michael Lilliquistaye

Award contract No. 18B-2026 for Little Squalicum Water Quality Retrofits Phase 2 Re-bid

aye 3 · absent 1

Daniel Hammillaye

Jace Cottonabsent

Lisa Andersonaye

Michael Lilliquistaye

Recommend approval of noise variance for Ziply Fiber utility crossings under Alabama Street

aye 3 · absent 1

Daniel Hammillaye

Jace Cottonabsent

Lisa Andersonaye

Michael Lilliquistaye

Recommend approval of joint resolution adopting Lake Whatcom Watershed Forest Management Plan

aye 3 · absent 1

Daniel Hammillaye

Jace Cottonabsent

Lisa Andersonaye

Michael Lilliquistaye

Verbatim transcript available

156 transcript segments indexed

City of Bellingham Public Works and Natural Resources Committee minutes May 11, 2026, 1:00 PM Chair: Michael Lilliquist Phone: 360-778-8200 Members: Lisa Anderson, Jace Cotton Email: ccmail@cob.org Web: cob.org/council City Council committee meetings Standing committee members receive reports and information, ask questions, and vote on a recommended action for consideration by the full Council at the regular meeting.

[music] >> Good afternoon and welcome to the Bellingham City Council Committee meetings. Thank you all for joining us. We're going to start this afternoon with Public Works and Natural Resources. That committee is chaired by Councilmember Lilliquist, so I'll turn it over to him at this time.

There is no public comment period during committee sessions. Call to order and roll call Council President Stone called the meeting to order at 1 p.m. Present: Committee Chair Michael Lilliquist, Sixth Ward Committee Member Lisa Anderson, Fifth Ward Committee Member Daniel Hammill, Third Ward Excused: Committee Member Jace Cotton, At-Large 24921 1.

>> Thank you, President Stone. Uh, joining me on the committee this afternoon are Councilmembers Anderson and Hammill sitting in for uh, Councilmember Cotton who will be here later and has an excused absence.

We originally had six items. The first one um, has been removed the agenda and so we're going to the next item which is an agreement to extend sewer service to 2863 Seaview Circle. The six existing residents at that address has been informed by the Whatcom County Health Department that the septic system that serves the residents has failed and is leaching out of the bank above the railroad tracks.

An ordinance amending Bellingham municipal code chapter 11.37 regarding electric vehicle charging stations to further define terms, administratively set charging fees, and display parking rates at point of sale Summary: This item was removed from the agenda on May 5, 2026.

The property is within the city's urban growth area and abuts an existing sewer main. Repair or replacement of the septic system appears infeasible due to the limited locations available. The residence is requesting to enter into a contract with the city of Bellingham for retail sewer [snorts] service as allowed under Bellingham Municipal Code section 15.36.

24922 2. An agreement to extend sewer service to 2863 Seaview Circle Summary: Paul Reed, Public Works Development Manager, and Mike Wilson, Public Works Assistant Director of Engineering, presented the request to extend sewer service to 2863 Seaview Circle Bellingham, WA.

Our previous action on this is basically to repeal all outside extensions of water and sewer service unless there's exceptions needed. This is one of those cases. Public Works staff member Paul Reed is here to add anything more to this.

The Whatcom County Health Department declared that the septic system serving the residence has failed and is leaching out of the bank above the railroad tracks. The property is within the City's urban growth area and abuts an existing sewer main.

Council Members discussed the agreement and asked questions. Action: Page 1 of 3 Lisa Anderson moved to authorize the Mayor to enter into the agreement for sewer service at 2863 Seaview Circle Bellingham, WA.

>> All right, thank you for that. I'm Paul Reed, Public Works Development Manager. And I'm here to discuss um Let me get this going here. All right. Little aerial view for you. Um Public Works is requesting approval for the property at 2863 Seaview Circle to connect to the adjacent city water wastewater system.

The residents adjacent uh received notice failed septic system report from an inspection they had which indicated sewage leaking from the bank of of the railroad tracks which is right above um Bellingham Bay there.

MOTION CARRIED 3-0. 24923 3. Contract award for Lake Whatcom Vault Retrofits - Phase 1 (EV176), Bid No. 16B- 2026 Summary: Jessica Bennett, Capital Engineer, and Mike Wilson, Public Works Assistant Director of Engineering, presented the contract award for Lake Whatcom Vault Retrofits - Phase 1, Bid No.

16B-2026. The project consists of stormwater vault retrofits associated with stormwater conveyance and restoration work in the Lake Whatcom Watershed. Council Members discussed the contract award and asked questions.

So, um They're current water customer. Uh you can see they're served by a water main already. Um and they're actively pursuing an easement from the neighboring property to the east to run uh a sewer lateral over to the main in Seaview Circle.

Action: Daniel Hammill moved to award contract No. 16B-2026 for the Lake Whatcom Vault Retrofits - Phase 1 (EV176) to TRICO Companies, LLC, in the amount of $527,276.00. MOTION CARRIED 3-0. 24924 4. Contract award for Little Squalicum Water Quality Retrofits Phase 2 Re-bid (EV177), Bid No.

This is just out Marine Drive near Bennett. >> Any further questions from um committee members? Lisa? >> Um no questions. It seems to be a little bit routine. Um they've gone through all of their options and this seems to be the last one.

So, with that um I will move approval to authorize the mayor to enter into the agreement. >> The motion before us to move to authorize the mayor to enter into the agreement to extend sewer service outside of city limits due to the failed septic system.

18B-2026 Summary: Kyle Carlson, Capital Engineer, and Mike Wilson, Public Works Assistant Director of Engineering, presented the contract award for Little Squalicum Water Quality Retrofits Phase 2 Re-bid, Bid No.

18B-2026. The project ensures installation of enhanced treatment for stormwater runoff in the Birchwood neighborhood to improve water quality in Little Squalicum Creek and the new Little Squalicum Estuary.

Any further discussion by council members? Seeing none, all those in favor signify by saying I. >> I. >> Any opposed? I'll bring it forward with a positive recommendation tonight. Thank you, Paul. >> Great.

Thank you. >> We'll go on to the next item. The next item is a contract award for Lake Whatcom vault retrofits, phase one. I guess there'll be a phase two coming. Uh this is bid number 16B-2026. The improvements in this case consist of stormwater vault retrofit associated with stormwater conveyance and res- restoration work in the Lake Whatcom watershed.

Council Members discussed the contract award and asked questions. Action: Lisa Anderson moved to award contract No. 18B-2026 for the Little Squalicum Water Quality Retrofits Phase 2 Re-bid (EV177) to Premium Services Inc., in the amount of $2,446,733.69.

MOTION CARRIED 3-0. 24925 5. Noise variance for night work to install utility crossings under Alabama Street Summary: Page 2 of 3 Paul Reed, Public Works Development Manager, and Mike Wilson, Public Works Assistant Director of Engineering, presented the noise variance request by Ziply Fiber to install utility crossings under Alabama Street.

The city publicly opened seven bids for this project on April 14th, and Tri-Co Companies LLC was the responsible bidder who submitted the lowest responsive bid of $527,276.00 including sales tax. The engineer's estimate was a little bit higher at $600,755.00 also in $0.00.

Uh, due to the smaller size of the project, it is not subject to the apprenticeship program requirement uh, under Bellingham Municipal Code. Uh, to go through and discuss the more of that, uh, public works member uh, Jessica Bennett is here.

Council Members discussed the noise variance and asked questions. Action: Lisa Anderson moved to recommend approval of the noise variance request from BMC 10.24.120(C)(4) for Ziply Fiber to install utility crossings under Alabama Street.

MOTION CARRIED 3-0. 24928 6. A joint resolution of the Bellingham City Council and the Whatcom County Council adopting the Lake Whatcom Watershed Forest Management Plan Summary: Joel Pfundt, Public Works Director, and Michael Parelskin, Public Works Superintendent of Natural Resources Field Operations, presented the resolution, which adopts the Lake Whatcom Watershed Forest Management Plan.

>> Thank you. My name is Jessica Bennett. >> Jessica, I think your mic's not on. >> Every time. >> Thank you. >> Hi, Jessica Bennett. I'm with the capital group in the engineering division of public works.

The plan was crafted in coordination with Whatcom County by the Northwest Natural Resources Group. Council Members discussed the resolution and asked questions. Action: Daniel Hammill moved to recommend approval of the resolution.

And here today to ask for approval to award the construction contract to Tri-Co. And this project is for the Lake Whatcom vault retrofits phase one. And this with this project we'll be retrofitting four vaults along Northshore Drive that you can see up on the figure.

This is a continuation of the city's work um, on the Lake Whatcom vault retrofits plan. And with this we will see a reduction in phosphorus entering into the lake as well as a reduction in our long-term operation and maintenance costs that we see in these existing facilities now.

And with that I'd be happy to answer any questions. >> Are there any questions? I have a a small one. This is a retrofit. Is this one of those that uses the the the post treatment filtering media >> Yes.

>> or some other media? And will just be the same filtering media but retrofitted in other ways? >> So the existing all the these four vaults which are at three sites, um, they're existing as cartridge filters and yet we're retrofitting we're using the exist- keeping the vaults and retrofitting with some sort of media.

We've kept the contract open to try to get the best price for the city, but post is what it's designed in the plans and then we'd accept any approved equivalent as well. >> And are there performance criteria with regard to phosphorus removal?

>> Exactly. Yep. We put in strict requirements as part of the specifications. >> Thank you for that, Jessica. Dan? >> I move to approve. >> Any further discussion? We have a motion to approving awarding contract 16B-2026 for Lake Whatcom vault retrofits.

And I will note that uh this is uh estimated to be again about a $527,000 project, but there's also a Department of Ecology state grant, which will be providing $388,000 of that. Any further discussion?

All those in favor signify by saying I. >> I. >> All those opposed? I'll again bring that forward a positive recommendation. Thank you, Jessica, for that. >> Thank you. >> Moving quickly, the next one is a contract award for Little Squalicum Little Squalicum water quality retrofits phase two.

It's a rebid for bid number 18B-2026. These improvements consist of installation of enhanced treatment best management practices in the Birchwood neighborhood. The city publicly opened five bids on April 9th, and Premium Services was responsive bidder who submitted the lowest responsive bid of $2,446,733.69 for all the schedules including the base bid and bid alternatives one, two, and three and the sales tax.

The initial estimate was a little bit higher than that, 3.14 million, and the project it does include an apprenticeship hour requirement due to its size. Uh staff member Kyle Carlson is here to go through and discuss more about this.

>> Yes, this is the award for phase two of the Little Squalicum Creek water quality improvements project. Um this uh treats water going into the Little Squalicum Estuary and and it takes place throughout the the Birchwood neighborhood.

Um phase one was completed last year. Um it was mostly closer to the technical college and around the south and east side. Um phase two uh more focuses on the north side between kind of the Nome-Illinois intersection near BTC uh and then going um up the Pinewood corridor to the intersection of around Pinewood and Cottonwood north of the elementary school.

Um generally the design uh intent of this project is to feature or to to treat water before it enters the the main which runs down Pinewood and eventually runs into the the estuary. Um the main uh or the the main locations uh for the vaults are at Nome-Illinois, uh Pinewood-Cedarwood, and Birchwood-Cedarwood.

And then there's smaller bioswales um along the corridor. Um also included in this project is roughly 1,800 ft of water main replacement along the the West Illinois Street. Um the water main in this location is 100 years old and uh and due to the proximity it uh warranted replacement.

Placing is part of this project. Uh any questions? >> Okay. Uh thank you very much. I would note that the there's at least three sources of funding, the water fund for the water main as referred to, the stormwater surface water utility money for the water quality projects, and also a grant from the Washington Department of Ecology.

I can't [snorts] see how much that grant was for. Hopefully a lot. Any further questions or discussion by committee members? If not, looking for a motion. Lisa? >> Just a comment. Glad to see this going through.

Every time we move forward with um water quality improvements that go out to Sailors Sea, I think it's money well spent and glad to see we're getting some partnership funding for this. So, with that, I move to approve to move the award contract number 18B-2026 for Little Squalicum Water Quality Retrofits Phase 2 Rebid to Premium Services in the amount of $2,446,733 and change.

>> You have a motion to award the contract. Any further discussion? Okay, seeing none, all those in favor signify by saying I. >> I. >> Any opposed? That comes forth unanimously. Correct. We'll come forth with an action recommendation tonight.

Kyle, thank you very much. Moving right along. I think we're going back to you for this one, Paul. Well, looks like Well, let me read the summary, though. You don't have to do it. This is a noise variance for the night work to install utility crossings under Alabama Street.

Zippy Fiber's requesting to bore under Alabama Street with new fiber optic lines in two locations. Basically, they're crossing underneath Alabama at alley locations. They'll dig a hole on one side, the other side, and then go under the street.

After review of the proposed work and related traffic control plan, it is proposed that the city council grant a variance from noise restrictions found in Bellingham Municipal Code to facilitate work during nighttime hours in order to minimize traffic impacts and provide for safe and efficient traffic control.

So, when they're doing this boring work, the traffic lanes will go down to one, and people have to pass by. >> [snorts] >> If that was done during the day, that'd be a lot more disruptive. So, the expectation is night.

I will have one question for you, Paul. Um is this particularly noisy work? And yeah, can you tell me about the noise impacts on the neighbors? And they will be warned. They There's notification going out.

>> Correct. Yeah, we've requested that Zipply send out notifications 5 days minimum prior, and two block radius, which should be about 500 ft radius. Uh or a little bit more. Um so, the Yeah, the two locations you can see on the map are near I-5.

Um The work They'll They'll have bore pits on either side of Alabama. One on north, one on the south. And um but to safely get across, they'll have to pothole. Uh there's a really old water main in there, power, phone, cable.

So, they'll have to um most of that will be a vector. Usually, they'll they'll cut a little window in the asphalt. And um vector down to the utility to find out the depth. Um so, it won't be quiet, but it shouldn't be a ton of jackhammering for hours on end, but um it it with the traffic out there, it's just uh it's too much traffic to try and do it during the day, especially having to pothole all the way across the street.

>> So, there will be noise impacts. How many nights are we estimating that they will need to have this variance? >> They They are requesting to Let's see. They have it on their schedule for, I believe, the 18th and 19th, which is next week.

Um Two nights. Um Originally, I put in for three just because they're going to have to do patching, as well, which might have to take place at night, which will be a lot quieter. But um they're They're going to have two crews uh working two nights.

Should be able to get most of it done. >> Committee members, Lisa. >> I know this is an odd question, but anytime um and I have a little familiarity with um this, anytime you're cutting those holes to locate other um utilities, accidents happen.

So, especially with the water main, And we have crews that will be on call in case they do a rupture? >> Yeah, there's there's always a water department personnel on call, but it's a good point and I think I'll reach out to the water department.

At the very least probably sewer too just to make sure that they are aware and maybe extra sensitive to their phone if if there's a call out at 2:00 a.m. >> I appreciate that cuz that's a a large area of service.

Um, thank you. Um I don't really have any questions. I'm glad it's down two nights instead of three. So with that I'll move to approve the variance from BMC 10.24120 allowing Ziply Fiber a variance on the noise ordinance.

>> Motion to approve a variance on the municipal code to allow nighttime work and noise disturbance. Any further discussion? All those in favor signify by saying I. >> I. >> All those opposed? I'll bring that forward with a positive recommendation.

Okay, Paul, thanks so much. >> Thank you everyone. >> And we're going to the last item in our committee which is a joint resolution of the Bellingham City Council and the Whatcom County Council adopting the Lake Whatcom Forest Management Plan which is this document right here.

The Lake Whatcom Land Acquisition Preservation Program has purchased now over 3,500 acres to help Lake protect Lake Whatcom from development. The drinking water source for over 120,000 residents both inside and outside of Bellingham.

These forest lands are critical to protecting water quality and preventing erosion and sediment from entering the lake. The City of Bellingham and Whatcom County have worked with a Northwest Natural Resources Group a consulting firm to develop an ecologically based Lake Whatcom Watershed Forest Management Plan.

That plan integrates and implements the goals and objectives of Lake Whatcom Management Program generally speaking. And the final forest management plan also reflects the input from community engagement process.

Um Go to Jujo first and then Michael. >> So, uh good afternoon. Um Joel Fount, Public Works Director. Uh I did want to take a moment. This is a um this is a big accomplishment to get this um done and I wanted to recognize that, but I also wanted to take a moment and just um step back and talk a little bit about how this fits in to the much larger Lake Whatcom um management program.

So, you know, Lake Whatcom is a as you all know, a large and complex water body and um while at any moment we uh are uh feeling like we may not be making all the progress that we'd love we we we would really like to be making, we are constantly working on a lot of different things in a lot of different angles to try to improve what's going on in the lake and I and I think the certainly the Lake Whatcom Forest Management Plan is one of those, but I did want to just note real quickly that um for example, you know, we have uh our our studies and documentation show that uh based on our current draft reassess assessment, estimates indicate that the city is close to achieving its phosphorus reduction obligations under the Lake Whatcom TMDL.

Um we are working on a climate vulnerability study. We've hired a consultant to work on that and have started that work to assess the climate climate uh vulnerability in the Lake Whatcom watershed. Uh we are working on enhancements to our AIS ordinance related to private um boat launches and we're talking to RAB about that.

Um, we have a series of summer maintenance projects on our Lake Whatcom watershed properties. Um, and then we are also as you committee just recommended earlier, we are working on you've approved the contract for the first of two phases of retrofitting all of our, you know, significant infrastructure investment that we've already made out there and that is for the purpose of making that stuff work better and also making it so it's less resource intensive for us to maintain.

And we continue to look at ways as we shift from more of a capital investment in our portion as we've you we've basically improved implemented many of our capital projects in our, you know, portion of the watershed, we're moving towards how we can optimize and manage that's that better into the future through more studies and more analysis of phosphorus levels and bacteria levels that we're getting um out of those facilities.

And then you know, finally we continue to work with homeowners in the in the watershed through the HIP program to see how we can best use that program to really get the most bang for the buck. So, I just wanted to take that pause and sometimes it feels like we're we're doing nothing and we're moving slowly.

Um but uh I just wanted to think about it from that bigger picture as well. So, with that I'm going to turn it over to Mr. Pearlskin. Thank you. >> All right, thanks Joe. Good afternoon council members.

I'm Mike Pearlskin, the superintendent with public works and I'm here today to provide you a project summary and our findings that occurred from our Lake Whatcom forest management planning process. All right, so I'm going to jump right in here um and want you all to note that increasing forest management strategies that improve uh forest health, protect water quality, and minimize the risk of catastrophic wildfire um have all been identified identified as a goal um by community members and our elected.

Um this 2025 to 2029 Lake Whatcom Management Program 5-year work plan um is the first work plan from our program to include forest management as its own program area. And [snorts] creating and implementing a forest management plan was identified as an objective in this 5-year work plan.

Um so staff set out to scrutinize uh what our risks, worries, values, and tradeoffs might be um through a detailed planning process. All right, so I also want to note that the Lake Whatcom Forest Management Plan applies to city and county property only inside the Lake Whatcom watershed.

Um so that's Whatcom County Parks and Rec property as well as property acquired by our Lake Whatcom Land Acquisition and Preservation Program um to protect property from development and reduce uh excess phosphorus from entering the lake.

And these two the two bodies of land um span about 1/3 of the watershed in total. Um the whole watershed is about 36,000 acres and we're we have about 12,250 acres of the watershed encompassed by this plan.

All right, and I also want to look back to November 17th, 2025 um when council adopted resolution 2025 - 2020 - 26 which implemented new land management strategies to direct staff and included forest management and climate resilience to promote late succession forest conditions and increase ecological function and resilience to protect water quality.

>> [snorts] >> Yes, so a quick project overview. As I mentioned before this project was in partnership with Whatcom County Parks and Recreation. We have Bennett Knox here today. Back there representing Whatcom County Parks.

We signed an interlocal agreement and I think it was 2024 to jointly contract our consultant Northwest Natural Resources Group to help us engage the community to find what our management objectives are for these properties.

Help us conduct a forest assessment and then provide management plan recommendations. Okay. [snorts] So these objectives that you see here inform the direction of management decisions and what type of forest we need to meet our goal.

Which is defined as our desired future condition. Our objectives include maintaining and improving water quality in Lake Whatcom and the surrounding watershed with particular attention to reducing sediment and nutrient delivery to the lake.

Promoting healthy and resilient forests that are adaptable to a changing climate and ensure long-term forest cover in the watershed. Improve forest resistance to and their ability to recover from wildfires.

Provide quality wildlife habitat throughout the watershed while preserving and protecting critical and unique habitats. And ensure that management recommendations align with and support recreation goals and access that are appropriate um for the county and city respectively.

So, all this helps us get to that desired future condition um which is like a late succession um forest that has characteristics of old growth ecosystems. >> [snorts] >> All right. Um so, throughout the process, we had a few different phases of community engagement and a bunch of stops along the way.

Um the community community support helped launch this forest management planning process and the community's input played a large role in plan development. Uh engagement throughout the plan included online comments collected through our Engage Bellingham site uh early on in the plan to inform our objectives, meetings with forestry and recreation stakeholders, two public forest tours, uh a video created by BTV and posted online for people who could not attend the forest tours, um a presentation to the Lake Whatcom Policy Group by the consultant to uh city and county council members on that committee as well as commissioners from the Lake Whatcom Water and Sewer District on ecological forest management and our preliminary results, um as well as having our draft plan posted on Engage Bellingham um for community the community to to um take the opportunity to provide comments and take a survey.

So, in phase one of that community engagement, um we found what the community's values, concerns, and priorities were to identify key themes, um which showed a prioritization for ecological health, um support and support and opposition to recreation, um and support for wildfire risk reduction.

And then we use that to inform and um, bolster our our objectives. So, then in phase two, we posted our draft plan back on the engage uh, Bellingham website. And 84% of respondents were supportive of the plan's six objectives uh, and vision.

We had mixed support for having management practices generate revenue to cover management costs, which is under understandable and some concern um, about thinning practices. So, our consultant updated the final plan to clarify uh, that anything done would be overseen by a third-party forester um, to ensure alignment with our plan's objectives.

Um, other comments received resulted in a variety of changes to the plan including clarification around uh, adaptive adaptive management, species selection, and recreation. And while the plan considers how recreation and forest health can coexist, um, sorry, that's supposed to go on that slide.

Um, its primary focus is long-term stewardship, not the development of new trails or recreational infrastructure. And um, I just want to show that that pink area on that bar chart represents that 84% there of um, support for those objectives.

>> [snorts] >> All right. So, ecological forest management is how we're taking the community's values and preferences um, forward to meet our goals and objectives. So, through the lens of ecological forest management um, strategies operate within the bounds of natural processes and conditions to mimic forest ecology uh, rather than implementing a fixed singular prescription across the landscape.

Um [snorts] we're basing decisions on natural disturbance patterns such as windthrow or fire or pest um and stand development process processes, which is how trees establish, grow, and die. And by copying those natural patterns, the goal is to maintain um a functional forest in the near and long term.

>> [snorts] >> Okay. So, uh forest assessment effort was led by our consultant um Northwest Natural Resources Group to quantify and characterize our forests. Uh they used LiDAR and state inventory to um understand what the distinct stands are on our properties.

Then they ground truth that work with 424 uh distinct field plots across those 12,000 acres. Um they also provided us with a comprehensive road inventory, which included 184 cross drain culverts and 41 stream cross culverts.

>> [snorts] >> Okay. So, uh based on the evaluations of our forest conditions against our objectives uh and identifying conditions that were not currently meeting our objectives or preventing forest from achieving our desired future condition, uh the consultant made a variety of recommendations to to each property.

And generally, these um came in the form of different types of ecological forest management treatments. So, variable density thinning or thinning that includes non-uniform or patchworks of density, um leaving areas that um that are uh that contain steep slopes um and providing buffers around those areas.

Uh they had recommendations for road upgrades and abandonment to reduce sedimentation. Um and it's important to note that some of the sites with steeper slopes, if we want to uh manage those, it would require uh further work in the form of geotechnical reports or road engineering.

And I pulled this slide out just so you can all see um what the kind of the granular level of the report includes. So, if you [snorts] look at these each of these distinct polygons on one preserve, they each represent a different stand type within our Blue Canyon Preserve, formerly the Nelson property.

Um so, each of these areas has a different recommendations for how we would treat that forest based on um [snorts] slope or waterways or stand type. All right. And um I'm coming to you today after we've just wrapped up our SEPA non-project permitting with the county.

So, now we can um legally adopt this plan if chosen to do so. Um in the future, we'd be coming to council with contracts um that would represent a either revenue or um cost of over $45,000. Um and if not, we would not be seeking council approval for those.

Uh actions may be revenue generating or revenue neutral depending on the stand types. Um if it's a commercial forest with trees that are merchantable or sellable on the market, um they could be revenue generating.

If it's pre-commercial or trees that would be made or used as like a as a pulp source, um they would either be revenue neutral or it would be a cost. So, it's just going to depend on the stand in the preserve.

Um Some of the areas are also either too steep or we don't want to put in roads, so they're identified more for restoration, um which would be either cut and drop or just understory planting. >> [snorts] >> Um and this plan is based on a 30-year timeline.

Uh we'll be monitoring our forests as we move forward with plan implementation to see how they're responding to uh the actions that we take and it leaves room for adaptive management. And with that, I'll take questions.

>> Thank you, Michael. Committee members. Lisa. >> Thank you. Um Wow, I know I'm probably uh an odd person to um really have enjoyed reading this over the weekend, especially 450 pages on Mother's Day, but um the report was very well written.

Um I really appreciated the level of detail. Um the onsite visits and um But my my question, a couple, instead of going section by section where I think some of my questions are kind of themed, um I'll just kind of do an overall theme question instead of page by page.

Um There are sections in here and the area of my concern is with some of the roads and the culverts. And there are very specific recommendations in here on the county side for their property and the city side of culverts that are either plugged or need to be removed or suggested to be removed, roads that um are suggested that even though they haven't been officially decommissioned, um they should be, which would then trigger specific types of restoration or work to be done.

Um And I'm just um wondering like are we our uh staff going to be going through and creating a um priority list? Um I hate the word low-hanging fruit, but some of these like just ditching um to and I know the county might be more um because of all the work on county roads, they might have um better capacity for things like ditching, but are we looking at the next couple of years addressing some of the things like the plugged culverts and where ditching would be necessary in some of these areas where we might have high water flow where in the past we have had where the water has ran over the road and created issues and we've had washouts and and in some areas slides.

I kind of feel that some of the suggestions that they have made um is kind of like a pound of effort saves 50 lb of woe down the line. So, if you could speak a little bit more to how we're prioritizing some of this work in order to create um less phosphorus flow into the lake.

>> Yeah, good question. Um I can't speak for the county and we have very very different um road inventories and networks. Um the cities' road networks are just much smaller um and speaking for the city, uh I believe that we're able to kind of start adding this to our work plan um and do most of the work in-house.

Uh yes, we'll be looking at the low-hanging fruit first, of course. Um road maintenance is really expensive. Road abandonment is actually pretty expensive, too. Um if you're hauling road bed material, but yeah, we'll be using this as a work planning tool for many, many years, probably 30.

Um, and road maintenance and abandonment is definitely a high priority, and I think yeah, as far as sediment delivery, even if it's a hard road project, it's probably still low-hanging fruit as far as, um, you know, pounds of phosphorus [clears throat] removed.

So, um, yeah, I I agree. I think um, you can you can get a lot of bank for your buck with road maintenance, and it is kind of the ultimate um, sediment delivery source for forest practices. >> Yeah, just to follow up, I think there's about four areas that I read that I would think would be critical where you have, um, channelization and sediment going directly into creeks that would then go into the lake, and that is due to issues with culverts and ditching.

So, um, an example, page 310. I'm sure you guys are are aware of where they all are, but, um, anyway, I hope those are going to be sooner than later, like wintertime. >> Yep. Yeah, just to note, this is our first year of having a fully staffed crew, um, serving the Lake Whatcom acquisition properties year-round.

So, we're in work planning. We're trying to understand exactly what our in-house capacity is still, but, um, it really is the purpose of this plan to go through it, make those prioritizations, and implement them.

>> Other questions from the committee? Um, I have a question. So, the funding of this is the watershed fund, which also does what other kinds of water quality retrofits, uh, for Lake Whatcom. Um, preliminarily, do you know what the budget will for this will be for next year and annually?

>> Um, >> You said there's work crews, so that's kind of an ongoing budget, but then there's also maybe capital-like projects. This won't really be represented by a capital projects. It probably will come more so in the form of our operations budget cuz we'll be using staff um to do certainly most of the road maintenance.

Um as far as the timber sale contracts go, that is that is definitely kind of a different story, but we I don't think we quite have a number um and it'll really depend on what uh what projects we decide to take on, whether they're hardwood, whether they're conifer dominant, whether they're commercial forest plantation or something that was just kind of abandoned.

So, um it is up in the air. Um we have one project planned for 2026 which um we've discussed our North Beaver thinning project that uses >> When we approved last meeting. >> Yeah, and that one that's a revenue contract and then we're sort of working down the list.

Um >> So, maybe I should direct the same question more to to Joel cuz this kind of has to do with a higher level of management of like you indicated in your opening remarks kind of a a shift towards managing the properties we have and less towards acquiring them.

So, that would that would suggest a a different budget split. Um or is it that the maintenance projects kind of are in a separate budget category, they don't directly compete with each other or you know, what is the interplay between how you prioritize all the various things that the watershed fund is for and and and this kind of management activity in particular?

>> Yeah, I think that that is something [clears throat] that we'll be looking at um on a program-by-program basis. Um And uh >> [snorts] >> as we you know, in this program is in a similar situation where to I was kind of talking specifically about the um the vault projects.

And as we've kind of made progress on gathering assets, we are looking at how we um we're I think learning that now and looking at um how what is the best allocation to continue to make sure we're investing in in this case in additional um additional property as well as making sure that we're a responsible steward of the property we already have.

So, I think we will see a shift over time, but I think right now we're just bringing in the new crew like Mike mentioned and trying to figure out what that crew is capable of and get a feel for you know, how much more we need right now.

I think the the need is um is being met with what we what we have and um just figuring out kind of what they're capable of on a on an annual basis. >> I'd also add just in the line for our operations budget, we have so far had adequate amount at um it's about 1.2 million to run our crew and then provide all the professional services or contracts that we need to support um the properties as a whole outside of our in-house staff um whether those are consultants or other varieties of public work that we need to um contract to clean up properties.

So far within that amount um that has been adequate for for any projects to date. >> Thank you. Any further discussion? Lisa? >> This might be for Joel, but um do we have plans? Um I I think it would necessarily be a year-round, full-time, and maybe in-house our specialty our staff are able to to do the work, but is there a plan to come up with a a road maintenance um plan where over the course of the year there's time that roads are being graded, they're being ditched, um culverts are being cleaned out.

There's like a There's like a cycle throughout the year of type of work and staff. Um I've mentioned this before when I worked for the Forest Service, I was on a road maintenance crew, and we had the entire Forest Service area for two counties, and I think we had eight people and were able to accomplish quite a bit, but we had a very uh clear cycle of work and teams that went out.

So, it could be um pretty efficient, and I know we don't have that level. I'm a little more concerned about what the county will be doing cuz they have a little bit more road, but I'm wondering if we have that plan in place or is it going to be developed?

Um obviously, I'm concerned about phosphorus loading coming from the roads um cuz I know what happens when culverts get plugged and you get the um the overboarding over the road, and then, you know, the potential for landslides.

So, a little bit of maintenance goes a long way. So, I'm hoping to hear where you've got a plan. >> Yeah, I would um I I would say that that's kind of Mike's job. >> [laughter] >> Um but yeah, it's it's great that um we're really excited about having dedicated staff out there to do this work, and um that's what Mike and um his the the supervisors and on on on crew, the supervisor on that crew are working on is putting together a plan and I know if you want to share just a little bit about >> I was looking at you for resources, so sorry to overstep.

Um >> Sure. Yeah, so we plan out every day of our of the watershed work window before we even hit June 1st, so we can't do any soil disturbance for half the year, as you know. Yeah, we're just trying to balance restoration restoration maintenance um forest management.

So like I said, we're still trying to figure out what our capacity is, and this is also a pretty new plan. Um but road maintenance is something we've identified as a high priority. We have for a while we've just been looking for capacity, which I think we have now.

So yeah, that that work will just be carried out through the dry season, you know, intermittently with all of our restoration maintenance and and other, you know, property work. But yeah, we build it all into work orders.

Every week is planned out before we even hit June 1st for what's going to happen throughout the season as far as projects go. >> Councilmember Stone >> Thank you. I don't serve on the committee, but I have sort of a I guess a high-level question, and I don't know I know Bennett's here.

I don't know if Bennett's able to speak with to it at all, but my question's related to this as a partnership, right, between the city and the county, but recognizing that it's the city's public works department public works and natural resources and then the county's parks and recreation department.

And so I had some question about just that alignment and work and prioritization when we think about the implementation of this plan, because thinking about the priorities related to ecological health and restoration and reducing that wildfire risk.

And when I think of parks and recreation and our parks and recreation team may play a role in this, but isn't the direct one named is do we feel confident in that alignment with the county and does that make sense?

>> Yeah, um I can say for certain uh we sat down, you know, at the beginning when we together um the RFP for the project and um I think you know, Bennett had actually already gotten started on that RFP and allowed us to participate in in their process.

Um and in those conversations in the beginning, I think it wasn't like a it was not a challenge to come to agreement on how to write that RFP which aligned the plan over um you know, and prioritized how it was going to improve water quality.

Um so yeah, I think as far as the objectives go and their plan for management, you know, there has not been any misalignment. They obviously have a different structure um and funding source, but uh yeah, as far as values um across agencies, I think, you know, it's been been very easy and we partner regularly through the Lake Whatcom Management Program um and crossover in our program areas with similar land management duties and um you know, the Whatcom County Parks property was reconveyed also largely to protect water quality in Lake Whatcom, not just for recreation.

So, I think that has trickled through um their management as well. >> I appreciate that. Um and secondly, just having served on the Lake Whatcom Policy Group for many years during [clears throat] my time on council, just expressing appreciation to staff.

I know this has been a heavy lift and a long time coming, but I really think a a critical piece when we're looking at the, you know, total health and stewardship of the lake. So, just kudos and appreciation as well.

Thank you. >> Yeah, I'd like to echo that. There has been some concern especially over the years about how we managing the property well given it's we have unique purposes for why we manage this forestry compared to others, but I think this goes a very long way to answering that question in detail.

Um Ireland? >> I just wanted to um highlight appreciation as well. It was something that I chose to highlight in the state of the city address to the community. Our ongoing investment in this work, the fact that we have been investing to hire to bring in more capacity within this uh team and the expertise that's developed and I'm just uh it feels good.

We're making significant investments in protecting the overall health and the quality of our community's drinking water and with council's approval of this plan, um I think this just puts it on another level of moving work forward in tandem um with how Director Frank highlighted that um this is one of many things that we're doing and ongoing efforts, so >> Thank you, Kim.

Any further discussion? There is a resolution in the package. Dan? >> I'll move to approve. >> There's a motion for us to approve a resolution. That resolution would uh adopt the um Lake Whatcom Watershed Forest Management Plan, which is in furtherance of implementation of the general uh What Lake Whatcom Watershed um Lake Whatcom Management Program.

Any further discussion? Although Oh, Lisa. >> I just want to encourage if any Western students are watching this or they get word of it, um definitely bring the plan up on the city webpage, read through it cuz especially Huxley, geology, environmental science, hopefully um this will be your future work.

Um it was very well done. So, it's a good read. >> Uh, any further discussion? All those in favor of approving the resolution signify by saying I. >> I. >> All those opposed, I'll bring that forward with a unanimous recommendation.

Tonight, that is the last item for the Public Works and Natural Resources Committee. I will uh, adjourn that committee meeting and turn the control of the meeting back over to President Stone. >> Thank you very much, Councilman Loquasto.

Um, so we will have a brief break. We will be returning for the Planning Committee, which will start at 2:40. So, that's one of a significant break, but we will be back here shortly. So, until then we are adjourned.