“Alternative K” & Public Process
On page 21 of the Purchase & Sale Agreement between Georgia-Pacific and the Port of Bellingham is an ironclad commitment to a remediation strategy for the Whatcom Waterway site (RCW 70.105D.020) called "Alternative K." Although "Alternative K" was not created or endorsed by Ecology and has nothing to do with the Bellingham Bay Demonstration Pilot, it figures prominently in the Purchase & Sale Agreement with G-P and in agreements with the City of Bellingham. Regardless of new information (e.g., the ASB could be filled as proposed in RA J [see below] and be suitable for ground floor residences, according to MTCA standards) or, in the words of the Waterfront Futures Group, "evolving community priorities," neither the Port nor the City will advocate for anything other than a remediation alternative that was devised by the Port without public involvement.
According to the Department of Ecology, the still legally binding remediation plan for the Whatcom Waterway Site is Remedial Alternative J (RA J) or the Modified Preferred Alternative. Both the City and the Port have both objected strongly to this Alternative, even though it's preferred by Ecology and it's a part of the Bellingham Bay Demonstration Pilot.
A map of the Port’s “Alternative K” (the Port chose the letter after "J," as in Ecology's RA J) here. Recently, Carolyn Casey has mentioned that a park is "likely" near the highly contaminated Log Pond. Where'd that come from? A real public process? No. An approve Master Plan? No. Answer: A Retec plan devised for the Port in late 2004.
On page 21 of the Purchase & Sale Agreement between Georgia-Pacific and the Port of Bellingham is an ironclad commitment to a remediation strategy for the Whatcom Waterway site (RCW 70.105D.020) called "Alternative K." Although "Alternative K" was not created or endorsed by Ecology and has nothing to do with the Bellingham Bay Demonstration Pilot, it figures prominently in the Purchase & Sale Agreement with G-P and in agreements with the City of Bellingham. Regardless of new information (e.g., the ASB could be filled as proposed in RA J [see below] and be suitable for ground floor residences, according to MTCA standards) or, in the words of the Waterfront Futures Group, "evolving community priorities," neither the Port nor the City will advocate for anything other than a remediation alternative that was devised by the Port without public involvement.
According to the Department of Ecology, the still legally binding remediation plan for the Whatcom Waterway Site is Remedial Alternative J (RA J) or the Modified Preferred Alternative. Both the City and the Port have both objected strongly to this Alternative, even though it's preferred by Ecology and it's a part of the Bellingham Bay Demonstration Pilot.
A map of the Port’s “Alternative K” (the Port chose the letter after "J," as in Ecology's RA J) here. Recently, Carolyn Casey has mentioned that a park is "likely" near the highly contaminated Log Pond. Where'd that come from? A real public process? No. An approve Master Plan? No. Answer: A Retec plan devised for the Port in late 2004.
