WHEREAS, the beneficial stewardship of the land, air, and water is a solemn obligation of the present generation for the benefit of future generations;
WHEREAS, the marine waters, sediments and shorelines in Bellingham Bay have been polluted with hazardous chemicals and the opportunity now exists to perform a substantial cleanup of those waters, sediments and shorelines;
WHEREAS, public health is a priority and today’s citizens hold the responsibility for removing persistent contaminants rather than leaving them behind for our children and grandchildren to address;
WHEREAS, the community expects a mix of uses at the former mill site, including residential, commercial, industrial, educational and park, all of which contribute to the prosperity of our downtown;
WHEREAS, performing a thorough cleanup is essential to providing a secure investment climate for waterfront redevelopment and restoration;
WHEREAS, public funds for cleanup should be spent where the maximum public and environmental health benefits will occur;
NOW, THEREFORE,
The Citizens of the City of Bellingham do hereby resolve and enact the following legislation by their exercise of the initiative process:
Section 1.
It is hereby established as the policy of the City of Bellingham that the paramount concern for the Bellingham Bay waterfront is permanent cleanup of mercury and other persistent toxic contaminants. The City shall use all reasonable means available to persuade the Department of Ecology and other stakeholders to approve a cleanup plan that permanently removes the maximum amount of contaminated sediments, including mercury, from the Whatcom Waterway and establishes that the former mill site south of the Whatcom Waterway shall be cleaned to unrestricted cleanup standards, unless technically impracticable. The City shall not in any way advocate for or support a cleanup plan that leaves behind significant concentrations of mercury or other contaminants in the Whatcom Waterway or that cleans the former Georgia-Pacific mill site south of the Whatcom Waterway only to an industrial standard.
The Bellingham Bay Foundation formed with three principles in mind for our new downtown waterfront: the best cleanup possible, public ownership of the site, and vibrant redevelopment. The BBF formed People for a Healthy Bay to set a city policy of cleanup through the Healthy Bay Initiative. We focused the initiative on the areas of the site where Huxley plans to put classrooms, where residences and offices will be developed, and where we’ll all want to live, work, and play.
The section in blue is what voters will see on the ballot.