November 7, 2017  Dena Jensen

To try to stay on top of actions that will help reduce further injustice being perpetrated on incarcerated individuals at our downtown Bellingham jail I sent a letter today to Whatcom County Council and Deputy Executive Schroeder today about the consent agenda item on the Council’s Finance and Adminstrative Services Committee agenda tomorrow (11/8) about renovations on the downtown Bellingham jail. You can send one too! : council@co.whatcom.wa.us.

Summary: I wanted to call on our County agencies to move forward promptly with renovations and to ask where we can find information on how that project is moving forward. Design2 LAST had written a 9/25/17 letter to County Facilities Management saying that they were ready to begin work on the contract immediately. Here is a link where you can find the documents (and others) that I have attached screenshots of: http://wa-whatcomcounty.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/View/31408

Dear Whatcom County Council and Deputy Executive Schroeder:

I notice that there is an item on the consent agenda for the Whatcom Councy Council’s Finance and Administrative Services Committee this Wednesday that states:
4. Request authorization for the County Executive to enter into a contract amendment between Whatcom County and design2LAST, Inc. for capital improvements at the Jail (Public Safety Building and Work Center), in the amount of $543,000, for a total amended contract amount of $913,287.20 (AB2017-316)

I am writing to continue to call on the County Council and Administration to move forward promptly with renovations that will address the life safety issues at our existing downtown jail facility.

I would also appreciate it if either members of the Council or Deputy Executive Schroeder would let me know where I could find any information on how the process for making these renovations will proceed with the administration and/or council. It seems that this review of an approval for funds this week will be for only a portion of the costs for the renovations suggested by design2 LAST at the 9/12/17 County Council Finance and Administrative Services Committee meeting. Where can I and other members of the public look to be able to view how this project is moving forward in terms of a timeline and costs, and what renovations are in fact being considered or are approved to be done.

Thank you for all swift actions you take to rectify the delinquency in addressing life safety issues at the downtown jail facility.

Sincerely,
Dena Jensen
Birch Bay

Read this post in the Noisy Waters Northwest Facebook group here.