Editor,
Descending Holly Street toward Eldridge Avenue, white overhead signs with black arrows say, “Two lanes go straight,” “Two lanes go straight,” “Two lanes go straight,” “Two lanes go straight,” until suddenly only ONE lane goes straight BUT the street surface marking changes to a solid white line which means “do not change lanes.” Drivers need warning AT LEAST two blocks earlier that the right lane will become a forced right-turn-only. Traffic is dense there with bumper-to-bumper vehicles, pedestrians, bicycles, car doors opening on either side, vehicles inching into and from parking spaces, demanding full street-level attention. Then confusing instructions are sent from above and below. The block may require an electronically controlled red/green zipper merge.
Kay Reeder
Bellingham
Editor,
I’m writing to bring attention to the proposed massive subdivision project at 331 Chuckanut Drive, which raises serious questions about who truly benefits under the guise of the “common good.”
The term was recently used by a developer to dismiss concerns about a project in downtown Fairhaven, implying that objections to negative environmental and social impacts were against communal progress. But as we face another large-scale build, I urge the public to consider: Who exactly is this “common good”?
The 331 Chuckanut project proposes 33 units of middle-income housing, but what about the broader community? Will the development exacerbate housing inequality, leaving low-income residents further behind? As CDN has reported, nearby property owners have worked to remove exclusionary clauses in deeds. Are we doing enough to ensure inclusivity for all in our community?
The project risks significant environmental harm: erosion from steep slopes, toxic runoff affecting salmon and habitat destruction for the wildlife that depend on this area. Are these natural resources expendable for the sake of unchecked development?
This site is part of the Pacific Flyway, hosting migratory birds and other wildlife. Trees, wetlands and native plants make up the flora and fauna we’re responsible for protecting. Is the “common good” only for humans, or does it include the ecosystems that sustain us all?
I challenge our community to think critically about these questions. Development can and should balance economic growth with environmental stewardship and social equity. The “common good” must include everyone, not just the interests of developers.
Susan Diblasio
Bellingham
Editor,
This is the time of year where Whatcom County renews various contracts with service providers like the Opportunity Council. Of note, the contract for 22 North is up for renewal with the health department. One criticism I’ve had for the contract process is that there is no evaluation of how the contract has performed historically. This is both a specific criticism of the 22 North contract as well as all contracts managed by the county that I’ve reviewed.
Past performance is incredibly relevant to funding decisions. For years, the funding has continued despite clear contract violations. The OC has been required to provide 24/7/365 staffing to support a recovery-oriented environment at 22 North for years — and they have repeatedly failed that obligation. If the county had held the organization accountable earlier, I have no doubt lives would have been saved. There have been eight deaths inside 22 North since 2022, including three this year.
Earlier this year, Council Member Ben Elenbaas introduced an ordinance that would have defunded 22 North. While this ordinance didn’t pass, the threat to funding clearly had an impact. Almost immediately after the ordinance was introduced in late June of this year, the OC started checking on tenants more frequently. There have been no subsequent deaths as a result.
The health department needs to take a stronger role in managing its contracts.
Adam Bellingar
Bellingham business owner neighboring 22 North and the PAD
Editor,
I find it outrageous that every time Trump or his MAGA cohorts talk about the people they wish to deport, they describe them as rapists and criminals. That is pretty hypocritical coming from someone accused of sexual assault by several women, someone who has bragged openly about his ability to assault women by grabbing their genitals, and who is also a convicted felon, hoping to pardon himself and other imprisoned felons of his MAGA horde.
He also brags about the stellar slate of cabinet heads he has chosen, several of them also accused of sexual assault, who use the age-old dodge of blaming their victims or claiming that because those women have chosen not to undergo the gamut of the flawed legal systems in play in many jurisdictions, they must surely be lying.
There are two crimes named when most people talk of the most horrendous of crimes: rape and murder. Sexual assault is a matter of a degree or fractions of an inch from rape. Rapists like to embrace what they view as the fine line between the two.
Why in the name of all that is holy are Republicans so quick to forgive serial sexual assaulters then seem astonished that so many have such a low opinion of some of their party’s so called leaders?
Michael Waite
Sedro-Woolley
Letters to the Editor are published online Wednesdays; a selection is published in print Fridays. Send to letters@cascadiadaily.com by 10 a.m. Tuesdays. Rules: Maximum 250 words, be civil, have a point and make it clearly. Preference is given to letters about local subjects. CDN reserves the right to reject letters or edit for length, clarity, grammar and style, or removal of personal attacks or offensive content. Letters must include an address/phone number to verify the writer's identity (not for publication).
‘Junk fees,’ a burden to renters, are unfair and excessive in Bellingham