Bellingham City Council Public Works and Natural Resources Committee

The Bellingham City Council's Public Works and Natural Resources Committee moved swiftly through three items Monday afternoon, unanimously recommending approval for all three measures heading to tonight's full council meeting. The most significant action was awarding a $12.78 million contract to Colacurcio Brothers Inc. for construction of the new Whatcom 911 Emergency Communications Center, a long-awaited project that will finally provide modern facilities for emergency dispatchers who have been operating in aging conditions. The committee also addressed state-mandated commute trip reduction requirements, adopting a new four-year plan and authorizing an interlocal agreement with the Whatcom Council of Governments to administer the program through their Smart Trips initiative. These actions bring Bellingham into full compliance with Washington state's Clean Air Act requirements while leveraging an existing regional platform rather than creating duplicate bureaucracy. Committee Chair Michael Lilliquist guided the 35-minute session efficiently, with members Lisa Anderson and Jace Cotton participating in brief but substantive discussions. The 911 center project, in particular, generated enthusiasm from committee members who recognized the urgent need to replace facilities that no longer meet the demands of modern emergency communications. Construction is expected to begin in March with the new building operational by summer 2027.

**AB 24826 - Whatcom 911 Emergency Communications Center Contract:** Unanimously recommended approval for $12,783,390.80 contract with Colacurcio Brothers Inc., coming in under the $13.4 million engineer's estimate. Includes demolition of existing building and landscaping. Construction begins March 2026, operational summer 2027. **AB 24829 - Commute Trip Reduction Plan Ordinance:** Unanimously recommended approval as amended. Plan changed from 64% to 57% drive-alone rate target to align with comprehensive plan goals. Silfab Solar removed from affected employers list. Adopts 2025-2029 CTR plan and creates new municipal code chapter. **AB 24828 - WCOG Interlocal Agreement:** Unanimously recommended approval for agreement extending through December 31, 2029, designating WCOG as lead agency for administering city's CTR program and Smart Trips initiative for affected employers.

**Joel Font, on the 911 center project:** "This project has been a long time in coming. It's been a very collaborative effort between public works and our facilities team um the Wattcom and um police department team and um and we were also successful in getting some outside grant money from the state legislature to help fund this project." **Lisa Anderson, on emergency communications staff:** "I know the staff must be ecstatic because um they very well deserve a um modern building." **Jace Cotton, on project urgency:** "I don't really have any questions. I want to get this going as soon as possible." **Dylan Casper, on CTR program scope:** "The smart trips program goes above and beyond what is actually required by the CTR state law." **Carol Rothkar, on construction complexity:** "the operation of the current 911 center needs to um be um steady throughout the entire project. So there is a little bit of more care that needs to take place around the existing facilities." **Tim Homeman, distinguishing programs:** "smart trips is CTR, but not all CTR is smart trips."

# Emergency Communications Center Contract and Transportation Planning — Full Meeting Narrative ## Meeting Overview The Bellingham City Council's Public Works and Natural Resources Committee met on Monday, February 9, 2026, in the late afternoon to consider three significant items. Committee Chair Michael Lilliquist presided over the meeting, joined by committee members Lisa Anderson and Jace Cotton. The agenda centered around two major infrastructure initiatives: a multimillion-dollar contract for a new emergency communications center and updates to the city's commute trip reduction planning to comply with state environmental requirements. The meeting demonstrated the committee's efficiency in handling both routine contractual matters and complex regulatory compliance issues. What emerged was a picture of a city investing heavily in critical emergency services infrastructure while simultaneously working to meet ambitious environmental goals through transportation planning. ## $12.7 Million Emergency Communications Center Contract The committee's first and most substantial agenda item was approving a construction contract for the new Whatcom 911 Emergency Communications Center, representing the largest financial commitment of the meeting at nearly $13 million. Public Works Director Joel Font opened the presentation with evident satisfaction, telling the committee, "I just wanted to say first how pleased we are to bring forward this contract acceptance. This project has been a long time in coming." Font emphasized the collaborative nature of the project, involving multiple city departments and successful pursuit of state legislative funding. The winning bidder, Colusio Brothers Inc., submitted a responsive bid of $12,783,390.80 including applicable taxes — coming in below the engineer's estimate of $13.4 million. Font explained that construction would begin "like early spring around March of this year" with the new building becoming operational "in the summer of 2027." The project's complexity became clear as Font described the construction sequence: "The new building, which is going to be built next to the existing building, will be operational in the summer of 2027, at which point the existing building will be demolished." This approach ensures continuous 911 operations throughout the construction period. Council member Anderson showed particular interest in the project scope, asking, "Is the amount including the demolition hallway and landscaping or will that be a separate bill later?" When assured that "That is all included in this bid," she expressed enthusiasm: "Great. Thank you." The timeline drew scrutiny from committee chair Lilliquist, who questioned whether "a year-long project" seemed extended for this type of construction. Carol Rothko from Public Works provided detailed context: "The reason it's taking so long is because it is in a very complex site. The operation of the current 911 center needs to be steady throughout the entire project. So there is a little bit of more care that needs to take place around the existing facilities." She further explained the phased approach: "The building is going to be operational and personnel are going to be inside the building before we take down the other building. So there's just a lot of steps that need to take place." When Lilliquist asked about the ultimate fate of the existing building site, Rothko outlined the planned use: "It's going to be a mix of a driveway that comes in to service the tower as well as the garbage recycle the sort of back of house type activities and then the front is going to be landscaped." The contract includes apprenticeship hour requirements due to the project's scale, reflecting the city's commitment to workforce development. Council member Anderson made the motion to approve, stating, "I don't really have any questions. I want to get this going as soon as possible." The contract received unanimous committee approval for forwarding to the full council. ## Commute Trip Reduction Plan Updates The committee then turned to transportation planning, addressing state-mandated updates to Bellingham's Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) program. This agenda item required both adopting a new four-year plan and updating administrative procedures to comply with Washington state law. City Attorney Tim Hofmann introduced the item, explaining that it "does two things. It adopts the most recent commute trip reduction plan and also updates how we administer that plan." He noted that CTR requirements affect the city in dual roles: "It affects the city as a city. We are required to have a commute trip reduction plan and program to implement that plan. And also it affects the city as an affected employer underneath that plan." Transportation Planner Dylan Casper provided extensive background on the program's origins and evolution. He explained that the Washington CTR law "took effect in 1991 under the Clean Air Act" and "aims to reduce traffic congestion, air pollution, through employer-based programs." Casper outlined the criteria for affected employers: those with "100 or more full-time employees that are regularly arriving to work between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m." Within the region, "the city of Bellingham has 15 affected employers, two of those being voluntary sites," while "Whatcom County has three affected employers with one being a voluntary site." The presentation revealed significant changes in how the program has been administered locally. Casper noted that "Bellingham, the city of Bellingham first passed this ordinance in 1999" but then "between 2007 and now, the city was not required to have their own CTR plan. They were able to fall under the regional CTR plan." However, "as of 2024, that requirement shifted back to each of the affected jurisdictions within a region having their own CTR plans." Rather than creating individual programs for each employer, the city requires affected employers to "register in the WCOG smart trips program." Casper emphasized that "the smart trips program goes above and beyond what is actually required by the CTR state law," providing services including "an online trip diary, incentives for using alternative modes of travel, emergency rides home, community outreach, individual and group instruction on active transportation." Two technical corrections emerged during the discussion. First, Casper noted a version control issue: "Our version control got a little out of whack in your packet." The drive alone rate target needed adjustment from the regional target of 64% to 57% "to fall in line with our 2036 mode shift goals that were recently passed in the Bellingham plan." Additionally, "Silfab solar should be removed from the list of affected employers" as the company is no longer operational in the city. Committee member Cotton made the motion to amend the plan to "reflect a 57% drive alone rate target goal to align with the comp plan." This amendment passed unanimously. Lilliquist then moved to "strike the employer Silfab Solar" from the affected employers list, which also received unanimous approval. Council member Anderson moved approval of the amended ordinance, and the committee voted unanimously to recommend adoption to the full council. ## Interlocal Agreement for Program Administration The final agenda item addressed the administrative mechanism for implementing the CTR program through an interlocal agreement with the Whatcom Council of Governments (WCOG). Hofmann explained that the city's newly adopted plan "identifies the need for an interlocal agreement with the Whatcom Council of Governments, designate it as the lead agency responsible implementing and administering the city's CTR plan and program." He noted that the agreement "addresses both programs and one agreement" and "extends the contract term through December 31st of 2029 to align with the end of the CTR plan itself." Chair Lilliquist sought clarification on the relationship between the Smart Trips program and CTR requirements, asking, "I'm slightly confused how the smart trips is different from the CTR program because I thought the smart trips is what does the CTR program." Hofmann provided clarity with an analogy: "Smart trips is CTR, but not all CTR is smart trips." He explained that while most employers use the Smart Trips program for compliance, "there is another pathway for conformance. If an employer comes or we bring in a large employer who already has a commute trip plan of their own, they do not have to adopt smart trips, they can adopt their own commute trip reduction plan as long as that is in compliance with state law." This explanation satisfied the committee's questions about the program structure. Council member Anderson moved approval of the interlocal agreement, and it received unanimous committee support for forwarding to the full council. ## Closing & What's Ahead Chair Lilliquist efficiently wrapped up the meeting after completing all three agenda items, noting that the committee had finished "all the items before the public works and natural resources committee." All three items—the emergency communications center contract, the CTR ordinance, and the WCOG interlocal agreement—received unanimous committee recommendations for approval by the full city council. The meeting demonstrated the committee's ability to handle both significant capital projects and complex regulatory compliance issues with thorough discussion and unanimous support. With the emergency communications center project slated to begin construction in March and the transportation planning updates ensuring state law compliance, the committee advanced two important initiatives serving public safety and environmental goals. President Stone announced that the committee would recess until the Community and Economic Development Committee meeting at 1:35, chaired by Council member Cotton, concluding an efficient and productive afternoon session.