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Bellingham Greenways Advisory Committee

BEL-GRN-2025-05-01 May 01, 2025 Committee Meeting City of Bellingham
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The Bellingham Greenways Advisory Committee's May meeting was dominated by an urgent crisis affecting the city's volunteer restoration programs. Sky Versatt, an AmeriCorps member working in the Parks volunteer program, delivered sobering news that the federal Department of Government Efficiency had abruptly canceled over $400 million in grant funding, immediately ending the service of over 32,000 AmeriCorps members nationwide, including key positions supporting Bellingham's environmental restoration work. The impact on Bellingham is severe and immediate. The Parks volunteer program, which facilitated over 13,500 volunteer hours in 2024 worth approximately $470,000 in economic value, has lost both its AmeriCorps restoration educators and a Washington Conservation Corps crew. The program had been experiencing unprecedented demand, with all Saturday work parties fully booked and 120 pending applications for park stewards that now cannot be processed due to staffing constraints. The school stewardship program, serving over 1,000 students annually, has been suspended. Beyond the crisis response, the committee received a major funding request from Public Works for the Wharf Street trail project. The $3.38 million initiative would create a 12-foot shared-use path connecting the South Bay Trail to the new 17-acre Salish Landing Park, requiring railroad crossing improvements and quiet zone compliance. Public Works requested $1 million from Greenways funding, representing nearly 30% of the total project cost, arguing that the connection is essential recreational infrastructure for the waterfront park. Committee members expressed strong support for the Wharf Street connection in principle, recognizing it as critical infrastructure for accessing the major new park, but raised concerns about the scale of the financial request given other trail priorities like the long-delayed Samish Crest Greenway development. The discussion revealed tension between leveraging immediate const

- **April Meeting Minutes:** Approved unanimously with one abstention (Derek, as new member) - **New Member Appointment:** Derek officially welcomed as newest committee member, replacing resigned member Jacob - **Wharf Street Trail Project:** No formal action taken - informational presentation only for future budget consideration requesting $1 million in…

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**AmeriCorps Funding Crisis and Volunteer Program Sustainability** The most pressing policy discussion centered on the immediate crisis facing Bellingham's volunteer restoration programs following federal funding cuts. Sky Versatt detailed how the city's Parks volunteer program relies heavily on AmeriCorps members to coordinate over 1,300 unique volunteers contributing 13,500+ annual hours of restoration work valued at $470,000. The program had achieved 20% growth projections for 2025 before the funding termination. The crisis exposes fundamental questions about sustainable funding for environmental stewardship programs. Public Works had previously transitioned away from Washington Conservation Corps crews to in-house staff, providing a potential model. However, committee members noted that the volunteer program had been funded through the Greenways climate bucket, which is nearly fully committed. The discussion revealed broader questions about whether core city environmental programs should rely on unstable federal grants or require dedicated local funding streams. **Wharf Street Trail Infrastructure Investment** Public Works presented the Wharf Street project as a critical missing link in the city's transportation and recreation network. The $3.38 million initiative would create the only viable pedestrian and bicycle connection to the new 17-acre Salish Landing Park, requiring complex railroad crossing improvements and quiet zone compliance infrastructure. The project leverages a $950,000 Federal Railroad Administration grant but requires significant local matching funds. The policy debate centered on appropriate funding sources and investment priorities. While committee members acknowledged the connection as essential infrastructure - noting that building a major waterfront park without bicycle/pedestrian access would invite public criticism - several expressed concern about the $1 millio…
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**Sky Versatt (AmeriCorps Restoration Educator):** Delivered passionate testimony about the value of the volunteer program, documenting 4,700+ personal service hours and program growth. Emphasized the program's alignment with climate action priorities and community engagement goals. Requested committee support for sustainable funding solutions to maintain volunteer coordination capacity without federal grant dependency. **Brian Armstrong (Park Steward, Squalicum Creek Park):** Supported increased volunteer program funding, documenting transformational restoration work at his site. Emphasized alignment between volunteer stewardship and PROS Plan principles around habitat restoration, invasive species control, and community partnerships. Advocated for using Greenways flex funding (10% of levy) to support the program infrastructure. **Joel (Public Works Co-Director/Transportation):** Presented Wharf Street trail as essential infrastructure leveraging railroad crossing improvements. Acknowledged transportation funding limitations, noting the project wouldn't rank highly among competing transportation priorities. Emphasized partne…
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**Sky Versatt, on the AmeriCorps funding crisis:** "Last Friday our world was turned upside down when the Department of Government Efficiency canceled over 400 million dollars in Federal grant funding, affecting thousands of programs across the country and prematurely ending the service of over 32,000 Americorps members." **Sky Versatt, on program value:** "According to the University of Maryland, the value of a single volunteer hour in 2024 was $34 and 79 cents, bringing the total value of o…
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**Immediate Actions:** - Bree will distribute Sky Versatt's volunteer program impact data to committee members - Parks staff will provide GIS online access to Derek and Zack for new trail mapping system - Field trip invitations will be sent within one week for summer site visits **Summer 2025:** - Three to four Friday field trips scheduled monthly to visit East Baker View Park, Sunset Pond trail construction, King and Queen Mountain, Samish Crest new acreage, and potentially Salish Landing Park - Parks staff will spend couple months updating proposed trails mapping using integrated bike/pedestr…

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**Immediate Program Disruption:** Bellingham's Parks volunteer program lost its two AmeriCorps coordinators and Washington Conservation Corps crew, immediately halting new park steward applications and suspending school stewardship programs serving 1,000+ students annually. **New Committee Composition:** Derek joined as newest committee member, bringing civil/environmental engineering background and South End residency to replace resigned member Jacob. **Advanced Planning Tools:** Committee gained access to sophisticated new GIS-based trail planning system integrating multiple data sources for more informed decision-making about future connections. **Major Funding Request:*…
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# Greenways Meeting Faces Americorps Crisis and Major Trail Funding Request The May 1st Bellingham Greenways Advisory Committee meeting began with routine business but was dominated by an urgent crisis: the sudden federal cancellation of Americorps funding that has left the city's volunteer stewardship program in jeopardy. The committee also considered a substantial $1 million funding request for a new waterfront trail connection. ## Meeting Overview The committee convened with a quorum present, including new member Derek, a civil environmental engineer who replaced the recently resigned Jacob. The meeting took place against the backdrop of significant federal cuts to community service programs, which directly impact Bellingham's parks volunteer initiatives. Chair Peter Hamlin led the discussion through a packed agenda that included construction updates, a major trail funding proposal, and strategic planning for the city's Parks, Recreation, and Open Space (PROS) plan. ## Crisis Hits Parks Volunteer Program The most dramatic moment came during public comment when Sky Versatt, an Americorps restoration educator, delivered devastating news about federal budget cuts. "Last Friday our world was turned upside down when the Department of Government Efficiency canceled over 400 million dollars in Federal grant funding, affecting thousands of programs across the country and prematurely ending the se…
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A structured study guide helping readers understand the meeting's content and context. Written for a general civic audience — assume no prior knowledge of the issues. ### Meeting Overview The Bellingham Greenways Advisory Committee met on May 1, 2025, to discuss several major topics including a significant federal funding crisis, a proposed $1 million trail project, and updates on comprehensive plan development. The meeting addressed immediate concerns about the loss of AmeriCorps volunteers and considered new infrastructure investments. ### Key Terms and Concepts **AmeriCorps:** A federal volunteer service program that places members in community organizations. Two AmeriCorps members at Bellingham Parks were abruptly terminated when the federal "Department of Government Efficiency" canceled over $400 million in grants nationwide. **Park Impact Fees (PIF):** Fees paid by developers when building new projects to help fund park infrastructure. These fees were mentioned as potentially being "tapped out" for the current year. **Greenways Levy:** A voter-approved property tax that funds trail construction, park development, and related infrastructure in Bellingham. Different projects are funded from different "buckets" within the levy. **PROS Plan:** Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Plan - a comprehensive planning document that guides the city's parks and recreation investments over multiple years. **Quiet Zone:** A railroad corridor where trains are not required to sound their horns, achieved through special safety improvements at crossings. **Transportation Improvement Program (TIP):** A 6-year planning document that outlines how the city will fund transportation projects, required to be updated annually by the state. **South Bay Trail:** An existing multi-use trail that connects various parts of south Bellingham. **Salish Landing:** A new 17-acre waterfront park being developed on former industrial land. ### Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | Derek | New Greenways Advisory Committee member, civil/environmental engineer | | Sky Versatt | Former AmeriCorps Restoration Educator, Parks volunteer program | | Brian Armstrong | Park steward at Squalicum Creek Park | | Joel | Interim Public Works Co-Director and Assistant Public Works Director for Transportation | | Peter | Parks department staff presenting trail mapping updates | | Lane | Parks department staff | | Neil Schaner | Committee member (attending remotely) | | Sarah Brooke Benjamin | Public Works Natural Resources habitat restoration coordinator (by phone) | | David | Comm…
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Parks & Recreation Budget & Finance Environmental Government Operations Americorps Department Government Efficiency Federal Railroad Administration Greenways Advisory Committee Parks Department Public Works University Maryland Washington Conservation Corps Washington Service Corps Bree Brian Armstrong Brian Armstrong David Derek New Member Joel Public Works Lane Parks Neil Schaner Peter Parks Ray Dellecker Sara Brooke Benjamin Sky Versatt Zack Americorps Funding Budget Planning East Baker View Park Environmental Restoration Federal Grant Funding Field Trips Gis Mapping Greenways Funding King Queen Mountain Park Stewardship Pros Plan Update Quiet Zones Railroad Crossings Salish Landing Park Samish Crest Greenway South Bay Trail Sunset Pond Trail Trail Infrastructure Transportation Improvement Program Volunteer Programs Volunteer Stewardship Wharf Street Trail