By John Stark
As I worked my way through the draft plan for the long-debated redevelopment of the Bellingham waterfront — released Thursday, Nov. 15–one thing struck me: Where are the dates?
(Read the draft yourself right here.)
For years, port and city officials and their consultants have come up with schemes and visions and draft plans for waterfront redevelopment, accompanied by timelines that were always billed as tentative, but still specific.
In the early stages of the planning process, port and city officials declared they could have a new Laurel Street Bridge in place by late 2007. In 2008, then-Mayor Dan Pike said the Laurel Street Bridge was “at least five years away.” The project soon disappeared from plans and schemes.
As recently as May 2012, city officials were saying they expected to build a new street into the northeastern end of the waterfront area by the end of 2015, converting Central Avenue into a bike and pedestrian route. That’s still the plan, but no date is attached.
The port’s vision of a marina inside the Georgia-Pacific treatment lagoon is still alive, but again, there is no date set for starting or finishing that project.
At this point, port and city officials say that public investment in parks, streets and utilities will move hand-in-hand with private investment. That’s a shift between the “if we build it they will come” philosophy that seemed to underly past public discussions about waterfront redevelopment.
We should get an early indication of developer interest and the likely pace of redevelopment after the port starts the solicitation process for the Granary and the area around it in the next few months.
My understanding is that a big holdup is that road and bridge plans are all on hold because BNSF won’t agree to moving their tracks unless Bellingham agrees to the addition of another track.
Siding? Mayor?
http://portofbellingham.com/DocumentCenter/Home/View/1359
Oh, look there it is: “Delayed railroad relocation.” Read: we’re being held hostage by BNSF.
What does “Light industrial for forseeable future” mean? “Park acreage to be recalculated based on light industrial use”? How much of this IS light industrial?
I think the railroad is content to have the tracks right where they have been for decades, and if the Port wants to move them, then it is their bill (problem).
It looks like the Scott C. Walker Clean Ocean world class luxury yacht marina is still a go. Virtually every public marina has empty berths that are either ready for the larger yachts, or can be inexpensively renovated into wharf-age for large yachts. Most of the dedicated yacht builders have gone bankrupt, but Walker holds onto this last vestige of the real estate bubble insisting that the local, state, and Federal taxpayers spend $40,000,000 to produce three permanent low paying Port jobs.
Can you imagine how many jobs more could be produced if this $40,000,000 were invested on something other than a marina, that will likely be only partially filled, which means all the boat owners will have to subsidize both debt payments and operating costs.
The alternative for this basin is to fill it in with polluted soil, which would reduce the total cost of the cleanup on the GP site, and produce 35 acres of that would not only generate jobs, but $1,500,000 in rent to the Ports wallet and $150,000 in property taxes.
If the Port filled this basin which is permitted for polluted soil, the cost savings and income generation would surpass any revenue that a marina would generate, and avoid $20,000,000 in Port debt. It would keep moorage rates down to boot by not having to pay for a half empty heavy in debt marina.
The biggest bonus is that the Port could afford a few more acres of parks on the Waterfront Redevelopment.
This really is a win-win, except for Walker, who would not have a marina named after him.
Call the Bellingham Parks Department Festus.
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=53.31.010
It is the purpose of this chapter: (1) To stimulate greater participation by private businesses in international trade; (2) to authorize port districts to promote and facilitate international trade more actively; (3) to make export services more widely available; (4) to generate revenue for port districts; and (5) to develop markets for Washington state goods and services. Port sponsored export trading companies can also assist small to medium-sized companies in achieving economies of scale in order to expand into the export market.
But in a state of disunion, these combinations might exist and might operate with success. It would be in the power of the maritime nations, availing themselves of our universal impotence, to prescribe the conditions of our political existence; and as they have a common interest in being our carriers, and still more in preventing our becoming theirs, they would in all probability combine to embarrass our navigation in such a manner as would in effect destroy it, and confine us to a PASSIVE COMMERCE. We should then be compelled to content ourselves with the first price of our commodities, and to see the profits of our trade snatched from us to enrich our enemies and persecutors. That unequaled spirit of enterprise, which signalizes the genius of the American merchants and navigators, and which is in itself an inexhaustible mine of national wealth, would be stifled and lost, and poverty and disgrace would overspread a country which, with wisdom, might make herself the admiration and envy of the world.
What’s a port for?
http://constitution.org/fed/federa11.htm
Who destroyed the American Shipping Industry.
Another Local?
http://www.maritimeprofessional.com/Blogs/Maritime-Musings/September-2011/Wesley-L–Jones.aspx
Need a Boat, don’t call America!
http://www.marad.dot.gov/ships_shipping_landing_page/domestic_shipping/hurricane_sandy_special_waiver/hurricane_sandy_special_waiver.htm
When NOAA, built the ARC, it was not raining.
Vote Patty Cantwell(D) and Maria Murray(D)
“Passive Commerce” best explained right here in the 4th Corner.
http://www.gloucestertimes.com/fishing/x261022403/Tierney-calls-for-probe-of-NOAA-boat
Yeah, screw the port of Bellingham
“A ship is always referred to as “she” because it costs so much to keep her in paint and powder.”
Admiral Nimitz, explaining Chemlik’s hairdoo.
This porter, could get elected to a local Port Commission.
http://www.scsra.org/library/nimitz.html
There’s this guy, he wanted to build a gas pipeline from the North Slope, but of course the same old Corrupt Bastard’s Club, from Sara Palin and the Ted Stevens boys and girls club, of bank robbers and thiefs, he got back on the plane, sent the Red Queen a letter, and bought the Orange Blossem Special instead.
“Eventually, though, the industrious citizens of Thriftville decide to do some serious saving and investing, and they start to work 16 hours a day. In this mode they continue to live off the food they produce in eight hours of work but begin exporting an equal amount to their one and only trading outlet, Squanderville. The citizens of Squanderville are ecstatic about this turn of events, since they can now live their lives free from toil but eat as well as ever. Oh, yes, there’s a quid pro quo—but to the Squanders, it seems harmless: All that the Thrifts want in exchange for their food is Squanderbonds (which are denominated, naturally, in Squanderbucks).
Over time Thriftville accumulates an enor- mous amount of these bonds, which at their core represent claim checks on the future output of Squanderville. A few pundits in Squanderville smell trouble coming. They foresee that for the Squanders both to eat and to pay off—or simply service—the debt they’re piling up will eventually require them to work more than eight hours a day. But the residents of Squanderville are in no mood to listen to such doomsaying.
Meanwhile, the citizens of Thriftville begin to get nervous. Just how good, they ask, are the IOUs of a shiftless island? So the Thrifts change strategy: Though they continue to hold some bonds, they sell most of them to Squanderville residents for Squanderbucks and use the proceeds to buy Squanderville land. And eventually the Thrifts own all of Squanderville.
At that point, the Squanders are forced to deal with an ugly equation: They must now not only return to working eight hours a day in order to eat—they have nothing left to trade—but must also work additional hours to service their debt and pay Thriftville rent on the land so imprudently sold. In effect, Squanderville has been colonized by purchase rather than conquest….”
Passive commerce, what’s a concept? Lot’s of details, but as usual NOTHING!
http://www.berkshirehathaway.com/letters/growing.pdf
Dear All,
Bellingham is already a wonderful tourist attraction with the awesome Mount Baker hikes, skiing and snowboarding; hikes in the smaller mountains right around town; loads of rivers and lakes for kayaking, swimming and fishing; small town charm yet close to Seattle and Vancouver B.C. and with the San Juan Islands within reach. So, all is set for this town to be an amazing tourist destination. In Norway, Oslo developed their harbor area into an unforgettable place to visit, with wooden walkways, old ships anchored up and turned into coffee shops, restaurants and places for live music events; and small businesses lining the walkways; including restaurants, art and craft shops, galleries and marine supplies stores. People flock there from all over Europe! My brother and his wife took me there on a trip, driving several hours from Sweden, and we stayed overnight in a cute hotel. We loved it.
Please take a look:
http://oslo-norway.ca/attractions/harbour.html
We already have a great track record with Boulevard Park. Let’s make Bellingham Harbor the most exciting harbor in America. Go for it!
Brita Nystrom
Maple Falls
Brita,
The problem with simply being a tourist destination, is twofold. One there are already a lot of tourist destinations that compete with interesting activities, and second the wages in the “hospitality” industry are quite low on average.
Norway, has lot of oil, and its people enjoy a lifestyle from these very large paychecks that having a lot of oil brings, that allows them additional leisure time.
Norway does not have very many tourists in the winter which makes the low paying hospitality jobs, also seasonal. Good for college students, but not to good for families.
The wages for hospitality average around $10 an hour, while refinery jobs are in excess of $30 an hour.
Wages in Snohomish County are 35% higher than here, and people living beneath the Federal Poverty Guidelines are almost double Snohomish.
There are 7,900 people who are unemployed this morning in Whatcom County, and none of them are looking for Barista jobs no matter how charming our locality may be, and none of these unemployed can afford going to Europe and enjoy their quaint coffee shops there. Europe’s system of socialism is collapsing as we speak in many countries and the coffee whop jobs are not bailing them out either.
Germany actually makes tings, and they are doing quite well, and I think if would be good if we made things also.
Norway does not send their Vikings, to WWU.
Norway reported a trade surplus equivalent to 31.3 Billion NOK in October of 2012. Historically, from 1980 until 2012, Norway Balance of Trade averaged 11784.8 Million NOK reaching an all time high of 46750.0 Million NOK in March of 2012 and a record low of -5680.0 Million NOK in April of 1986.
Where Passive Commerce, was always a crime.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longship
Sailing to Hastings? 1070 AD?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tapisserie_bato1.jpg
Vikings, do NOT reward stupidity.
The tool for the genetically defective on every Viking Ship.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/secrets-viking-sword.html