GPT EIS contract Q & A between County Administration and Whatcom County Council; and the $313,000 EIS consultant claimed it’s owed by GPT applicant

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Click on the graphic to view a transcript of Q&A between county executive officials and county council members on the GPT EIS preparation contract at the September 13, 2016 Whatcom County Council Finance and Administrative Services committee meeting

October 12, 2016  Sandy Robson

During the September 13, 2016 Whatcom County Council Finance and Administrative Services Committee meeting, County Deputy Executive Tyler Schroeder, gave a presentation to Council about proposed contract Amendment 5.1 to the June 2012 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) preparation contract for the Gateway Pacific Terminal (GPT) and interrelated Custer Spur Modification projects.  Continue reading →

“Should work toward completion of the EIS be resumed, a new schedule will be developed.” / Noisy Waters Northwest, Dena Jensen

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September 19, 2016  Dena Jensen

Okay, what’s past is past.  The vote was cast to extend the contract for the GPT EIS Preparation.  But a sell job was done by the Whatcom County Executive office and I think it is important to understand how it was a sell job.  I believe I have pinned this down for my own understanding and maybe this explanation will help others understand why “contract completion” of the GPT EIS preparation contract is not accurate to describe what has now been approved by the Whatcom County Council, and why “contract suspension” is accurate and clearly indicates the EIS preparation, thus the contract, will not be completed, and can carry on in the future if the county and CH2M HILL agree to do so.  Continue reading →

Our question to Whatcom County remains: Where are those documents? / Public Comment to Whatcom County Council, Sandy Robson / Commentary by Dena Jensen

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GPT Project Documents listed on  Whatcom County’s GPT webpage as of 11 a.m. September 14, 2016, after the Whatcom County Council meeting on September 13, 2016.  Click the graphic to see if it has perhaps been updated with more records.

September 14, 2016 Sandy Robson

“Beyond that I want to go on record, most of all what I was writing about – I felt was really important  – is that our county administration, Jack Louws and his administration, have refused to put correspondence and documents related to the GPT project on the GPT page of the county website. They had two documents, only, on there for the entirety of 2016 until myself and a few handful of people started writing them on – I believe it was July 29th – and asked them: where are those documents?

Continue reading →

GPT EIS ramp-down activities to ensure that work is closed out in an orderly fashion and can be efficiently resumed at a future date / Letter to Whatcom County Council and Deputy County Executive Tyler Schroeder, Dena Jensen

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Screen shot of language from “Attachment A: Scope of Work – Ramp Down Plan” found on page 14 of contract #201205028 (highlighting added)

GPT website language

Screen shot of language on Whatcom County Planning and Development’s Gateway Pacific Terminal Proposed Project webpage, Project Update section (highlighting added)

September 3, 2016  Dena Jensen

Subject: Request that the Project Update on the county’s GPT webpage be updated with more details

Dear Whatcom County Council and Deputy Whatcom County Executive Schroeder:

In my September 1, 2016 email to the Whatcom County Council, copied to Deputy County Executive Schroeder and County Executive Louws, regarding denying the contract extension for the preparation of the EIS for the GPT project the first two paragraphs read as follows: Continue reading →

Inmate mistreatment and jail overcrowding: still no discovery on the problem, and no answer from the Whatcom County Executive branch nor by our Council / Facebook post, Bellingham Racial Justice Coalition, Joy Gilfilen

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September 2, 2016  Joy Gilfilen

I am delighted that we are, nationwide, are finally getting bigger press for the injustices in our jails. It seems to be systemic failures and the problem is getting identified.

I have found that in Whatcom County, there are people experiencing the same kinds of medical and health problems from lack of the responsible administration in taking care of inmates. And this is not because of overcrowding caused by crime. It seems to be disrespect and disregard by staff, led by poor management and failures inside our administrative systems. Continue reading →

Requesting that the County Council deny the contract extension for the preparation of the EIS for the GPT project / Letter to the Whatcom County Council, Dena Jensen

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usace determination gpt

May 9, 2016 United States Army Corps of Engineers Determination from their Memorandum for Record, Subject: Gateway Pacific Terminal Project and Lummi Nation’s Usual and Accustomed Treaty Fishing Rights at Cherry Point, Washington

September 1, 2016  Dena Jensen

Dear Whatcom County Council:

It is my understanding from an email sent by Deputy Whatcom County Executive Tyler Schroeder to a friend of mine, that the parties of the contract, which I assume is for the preparation of the EIS for the GPT project of which the parties include CH2M HILL and Whatcom County, have agreed between each other for the contract to be extended 180 days from the date of contract signature, or March 13, 2016, whichever occurs first, “to accomplish ramp-down contract activities to ensure that the work and the contract are closed out in an orderly fashion.”  Continue reading →

Whatcom County Council will have a vote, Sept. 13, on newest contract extension for GPT EIS / Noisy Waters Northwest, Sandy Robson

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May 9, 2016 Lummi Nation press release responding to the USACE decision to deny the Section 404/10 permit for the proposed Gateway Pacific Terminal project

September 1, 2016  Sandy Robson

Whatcom County Administration continues to breathe life into the Gateway Pacific Terminal project even after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers denied the Section 404/10 permit needed on May 9th, and after the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) denied the lease needed on June 6th. Continue reading →

Until 8/5/2016, County’s GPT webpage could have given public the impression the proposed project was no longer in play / Letter to Whatcom County Executive, Sandy Robson

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gpt web page pre aug 6 2016

Screenshot photo of what Whatcom County’s GPT webpage looked like prior to August 5th when the information was finally updated after citizens’ requests

August 28, 2016  Sandy Robson

–If you are opposed to the proposed Gateway Pacific Terminal at Cherry Point you might want to check out my latest letter to Whatcom County. First is an excerpt from that letter that should give a very brief summary of what’s happening. My full letter with more details is shown below the excerpt. Continue reading →

A “Proclamation of Emergency” was considered for May 2016 Trump rally in Lynden / Facebook post, Sj Robson

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16 hrs  August 17, 2016  Sandy Robson

Remember the May, 7, 2016 Donald Trump rally at the Northwest Washington Fairgrounds in Lynden, that so far, has cost Whatcom County taxpayers approximately $130,000 in terms of law enforcement and agency response expenses?

Did you know that a “Proclamation of Emergency” (dated May 6, 2016) was prepared by Whatcom County’s Division of Emergency Management for County Executive Jack Louws to sign regarding the Trump rally? Continue reading →