G-P to start demolition of tissue mill this week

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Editor’s note: The Port of Bellingham and city of Bellingham have joined forces to redevelop 137 waterfront acres that the port acquired from Georgia- Pacific in 2005 and an additional 83 acres of waterfront property. This weekly update, provided by the port, will help keep citizens informed about the process.

Port of Bellingham commissioners approved spending $55,000 last week so that wave and current analysis in and around the Whatcom Waterway could begin during this spring’s storm season.

Early engineering work is under way for the multi-year waterway and lagoon cleanup and development of new habitat and a marina.

This week Georgia-Pacific will launch a year-long demolition of the tissue mill and related buildings on the waterfront redevelopment site. G-P hired Eugenebased Staton Co. to do the demolition, which is being paid for by G-P as part of the purchase and sale agreement with the port.

Early demolition work will be inside the buildings, but preparation has included installation of new fencing along Central Avenue and other efforts to secure the site and ensure public safety.

Since the tissue mill closed in December, at least 28 truckloads of equipment have been removed

from the site.

MEETING POSTPONED

The waterfront redevelopment stakeholders group meeting has been postponed while the port and city continue work on transportation planning for The Waterfront District. The public meeting will be rescheduled when the additional analysis is available.

PUGET SOUND PARTNERSHIP MEETS

More than 75 people from local, tribal, state and federal governments, businesses and other groups attended Puget Sound Partnership’s first Bellingham workshop earlier this month.

The workshop was designed to gather local knowledge and perspectives on the status and threats to the health of the Puget Sound in Whatcom County and the San Juan Islands.

Participants emphasized the value of cooperative partnerships between local, state, federal and tribal agencies, and pointed to the Bellingham Bay Pilot Project that brought 14 agencies together to clean up historic contamination, restore habitat, and revitalize waterfront properties in 1996.

The partnership, created by Gov. Chris Gregoire, is exploring ways to clean up Puget Sound while maintaining a robust economy and the social benefits of living in and around the region. It will submit an action agenda to the governor later this year.