Click here to read the candidates’ answers to the previous forum question…
Ferndale mayoral and city council candidates, including those running unopposed, answered questions posed during a public forum Tuesday, October 13th, at the Pioneer Pavilion Community Center hosted by the Ferndale Chamber of Commerce.
Each candidate was offered 2 minutes to respond to questions asked. Ferndale High School social studies teachers, Scott Browne and Jennifer Kubic, served as moderators. Many students could be seen in the crowd of nearly 70 attendees.
The following is a depiction of the questions and answers but in some cases responses have been paraphrased. This is not to alter the intended meaning or emphasis but due to limitations in hearing and recording verbatim.
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Click for more informationQuestion: The city has announced the city will soon be home to a big box store and traffic is already a challenge – How can we be assured it won’t get worse and what can be done to prevent that?
Greg Hanson – Impact fees and taxes will help pay for fixes that could be done. But options still need to be considered including alternate routes into town.
Cathy Watson – We have been looking at roundabouts but I would like to see the Thornton overpass happen first. It comes down to figuring out how much money to spend and how to spend it.
Glenn Stewart – I agree with the need for the Thornton overpass. We need to be planning ahead. For instance, the Guide and I-5 interchange was developed after studies were done and now 20 to 30 years later Bellingham is still stuck with it. There are ways to delay development until we are ready. For instance, we can implement a local minimal wage and limit the maximum building footprint, like they did in Bellingham.
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Click for more informationTeresa Taylor – The proposed location for the retail development is near where there are already problems. We need to go to federal resources for money and assistance.
Jon Mutchler – I would also like to see the Thornton overpass. In 2012 we asked the property owners adjacent to the I-5 and Main Street interchange to fund studies. From those we came up with a plan. There will also be impact fees to use to apply to traffic mgt.
Rebecca Xczar – Roundabouts are the cheapest option and it will take a while for the overpass to happen. It will be important to follow the studies already done.
Paul Ingram – We don’t know who [the retail store] it is yet. But because of the planned zoning already done for that location, we can tell the developers what they must do. That’s a big bonus.
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Click for more informationKeith Olson – No one has mentioned traffic congestion on the west side of the bridge. We have been working on sequencing the lights to move traffic better through there.
Click here to read the candidates’ answers to the next forum question…