A NEW LOOK AT BELLINGHAM'S WATERFRONT

Bellingham's waterfront sits and sits. It has been sitting so long it's time for a new look and some new ideas.

While many folks say again and again that the recession is forcing people out of their 'same old - same old' planning stupor, I'm not so sure that the problem is the recession. Where Port staff are working daily to create clean-up plans that the Department of Ecology can approve, the process has slowed to a basic crawl. It's government getting in its own way.

Do we blame government for the slow pace? Not really. The reason is that well meaning people have worked hard to ensure that when state tax dollars are used for clean-ups that they are used carefully and that the results are good for the people. Fair enough. I can get behind that.

However, much of what the Port now does regarding clean-ups, at this point anyway, is pretty much rote because we keep coming up to very, very similar clean-ups. Basically we can pull an old clean-up plan off the shelf, make sure it fits the new situation, adjust it as necessary to ensure it is specific to the new project, then......well, wait.

There is a voluntary program that we just used on the north end of Roeder Ave. for a fuel depot. The process was very straightforward, with results that ensured we documented any cultural artifacts encountered during excavation, while test wells ensure we got all of the contamination. We now have a renewed, clean piece of land to lease. This took months not years.

There are many areas along the waterfront that have similar issues. I'm champing at the bit to get moving, to prove to our community that the Port can get this stuff done on their behalf. I know we can and will....eventually. This year we will be working on some clean-ups that finally made it to the dirt-moving stage after years of planning -- much of it basic work that can be planned out in several months.

We have staff who live here, work here and get frustrated here because they want to get this stuff moving. This is their community, too, and they want it just as clean, just as accessible as the rest of us.

What's needed is a new State program where trusted, trained and licensed operators, such as the Port, can engage in clean-up programs that do receive Ecology review but don't require the long process.

I know just the fella who can put this together so maybe our Port can lead the way?