Anthropology students determine people lived on Chuckanut Bay 2,500 years ago

Anthropology students from Western Washington University haver determined that people lived at a site on Chuckanut Bay at the site of the present Woodstock Farm as long as 2,500 years ago. The discovery was made from finely ground bits of shells near the shore. They believe that carbon dating shows people processed shellfish at these sites in what in America are ancient times.  Students also found evidence of temporary fishing camp and more permanent settlements. 

There will be a discussion of the archaeological dig Friday at an event at Woodstock Farm from 5 – 8 pm.

Lummi Island to get a New Ferry

The Washington state’s County Road Administration Board will pay Whatcom County more than $8.1 million in grant money for a new Lummi Island ferry. The money will come in installments of more than $407,000 annually for 20 years.

A lot of Lummi Island residents came to Tuesday night’s council meeting to voice their opinion for a new ferry to replace the aging 45- year-old Whatcom Chief, which is not in compliance with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act and is showing signs of a deteriorating hull. 

11th Annual Community Food Co-op Party – July 29

Don’t miss  the 11th annual Bellingham Co-op Community Party, Sunday, July 29, noon-6 pm
Admission Free & Everyone Welcome!

Come on down to Boulevard Park for musi, magicians and jugglers, kids’ activities, a parade, and the opportunity to connect with local non-profits. You can even feast on a famous 2-Buck Burrito.
The -RE Store will have a Recycled Art Station, transform something old into a new work of art, lots of materials will be provided.

Five bands will play the day away. Juba Marimba will start the show , followed by the Happy Valley Sluggers with John Hatten calling circle, square, and line dances for the whole family, a new Bellingham “fusion Latin alternative” band, Sabrina y Los Reyes. LaPUSH Street Dance Band will lead a kids parade. The Monday Night Project will close the show for all .

Co-sponsors of the event are  Bellingham Parks and Recreation and the RE Store.

Tall Ships to Stage Mock Battle in Bellingham Bay

Don’t miss the tall ships the Lady Washington and the Hawaiian Chieftain, both visiting Bellingham this week.They will arrive Wednesday July 25 and will be offering self guided tours of these 18th-century replicas.

And if you really want to experience a tall ship battle of the past, the ships will be staging a mock battles with visitors aboard, several times during their stay here in town:  6 to 9 p.m. Thursday; 2 to 5 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. Friday; and 2 to 5 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday. They will be at Squalicum Harbor Gates9 & 12. The ships crews will be dressed in 18th century costume.

The Lady Washington was used in the film the “Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl,“  and “Star Trek: Generations.” and was just recently named the new official boat of Washington state. The ships are owned by The Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority. For more info you can contact them at (800) 200-5239.

Bellingham officials will receive FEMA disaster training

City of Bellingham officials have been invited to participate in emergency management training at the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) prestigious Emergency Management Institute, an opportunity only offered to a few municipalities each year.
“The ’Integrated Emergency Management Course’ is an intense comprehensive course that places public officials, key community agency representatives, and emergency response personnel in a realistic disaster response environment, exposing them to operating in a realistic Emergency Operations Center setting under high stress, and learn how to work together to resolve crisis situations. The course stresses the integration of key community resources and individuals in dealing with all phases of disaster response.” 

Bellingham has been working toward this goal since the tragic Olympic Pipeline explosion in 1999. FEMA officials will visit Bellingham prior to this training to gather information about the city and to develop a realistic exercise scenario for the training. 

This is certainly a great oppurtunity for our city, to help us meet any future potential dangers.

Bellingham’s own TV show

If you are interested in learning a little bit more about Bellingam, tune into Bellingham’s own TV show, “Inside Bellingham” which is hosted by Doug Waldo. The program runs several times a week on channel 10 and for those of you out of the area it can be seen on-line as well. This months addition will feature the York Neighborhood, cruising Bellingham Bay, trekking the Coast Millenium trail, and the National Night Out Against Crime.

Stuck between a rock and a hard spot.

A small trailer park with 22 mobile homes may be turned into one of Bellingham’s newest mixed use commercial — residential developments near the present site of Home Depot. This new development is in its earliest planning stages and proposes 200 residential units plus 125,000 sq.ft. of shopping Center and 125,000 sq. ft. of office space.

This could be a big problem for those mobile homeowners whose homes may be too old to be legally moved, and the owners can’t afford to buy the new condo’s being built. Their rent will increase from $350 a month to $500 a month in the fall. The trailer owners were told five years ago at the park could be sold and closed so the developers feel they’ve had plenty of time to make other plans. But what are people in a situation like this supposed to do. Kind of like being stuck between a rock and a hard spot.  If anyone has any ideas on how to solve this problem I’m sure they would be so grateful homeowners.

Has this happened in your town.

Are you under contract to buy a house – don’t go buy that new pickup yet

I just heard a horror story recently from another agent that had a deal fall apart at the last minute. What happened was while the buyers were under contract to buy their new dream home, they went out and bought a new truck. What a mistake! Their bank did a final credit check before issuing the loan and lo and behold their credit rating and ratio’s had totally changed. Enough so that they were denied the loan. No loan, no home, and most likely no return of their earnest money, although that could end up in some sort of court battle in the worst case scenario.
                

So you get the picture. If you are buying a house avoid financing those big ticket items you may want until after the closing on your new home.

Whatcom County First Half Residential Sales Statistics

Here are the sales statistics for residential real estate in Whatcom County for the 1st half of the year.

Looks like we are bucking the national trend again with some increases in prices. We can see a 3% gain in price if we look at the average numbers aand a slightly higher 4.7% gain if we look at the median numbers.

First Half of the Year Sales Statistics for Bellingham Residential Real Estate

The numbers are in! Here is the graph for the first quarter sales statistics for Bellingham.

Unlike most of the country we have seen a rise in sales price here in Bellingham – 4% so far this year if you look at average, or median price increase, We have had 25 more sales this year, with a longer number of days on the market.