Council VS School District Future…

 

Todd Donovan and a majority of the County Council continue a “non-decision” over three years with another 6 month Moratorium. This Moratorium stops all business upgrades at Cherry Point.

In a resolution co-authored by Re-Sources,(our article on Re-Sources and their Green Mail “extortion” practices is here;  Stand Earth (our article on their threat to the Whatcom Business Alliance is here) and County Councilman Todd Donovan; (our article on Todd Donovan’s Poli Sci department’s illegal campaign activities is here)  the Council has voted that Refineries at Cherry Point will do nothing over the next six months to modernize or expand opportunities at Cherry Point.

The resolution is another attempt by Environmental Interest to chase Cherry Point Industries away from Whatcom County.  If the industries leave it is totally unclear how the Council would proceed.  There was no hint of the future in the hearings held on Tuesday Jan 29th (the video is here). The first part of the meeting was taken up by testimony mostly from those against. There has been talk in the past that Lummi Nation may take over Cherry Point thus taking away nearly $2.6 million to the Ferndale School District Annually.

Unforseen consequences of Council “Leadership”: Ferndale School District’s Future will be directly affected if “Fossil Fuels” production moves away”.

Phillips Petroleum is located in the Ferndale School District which has a Bond Issue for a new High School currently being voted by the voters in the district.

In a 2017 study commissioned by the Whatcom Business Alliance and performed by the Western Washington University Economics department, Cherry Point industries alone contributed nearly $2.6 million to the Ferndale School District annually. That number increases when one considers the almost 200 ancillary businesses locally that support Cherry Point operations.

Several letters from “My Ferndale News” Pro and Con for Schools appear here.

Article from CommonThreads Northwest on the Council Meeting appears here.

Editorial Opinion:

The 2 School Bond issues in Whatcom County:

Remember this as you vote

  • Bond Issues for local school districts are one of the things that conservatives like because they are a “local decision” by the people involved.
  • Bond issues require a 60% majority for the multi year commitment.
  • The amount of the Bond does not increase over time and the price per thousand generally goes down as the life of the bond goes on.
  • Building cost seldom get cheaper and each year that passes; more money will have to be expended to build the same project as presented today.
  • Better school facilities show a commitment to the community in general.
  • So voters of Ferndale and Nooksack its time to vote for community improvement and the future. Its your choice… yes or no… to support the new construction and improvements??