The City of Bellingham was awarded more than $7 million in low-interest loan funding for the Cornwall Avenue Landfill site cleanup project last week, as voted on by the Washington State Public Works Board.
About half of the estimated $19 million total cleanup costs for the landfill are being paid by state grants. The remaining half will be paid by the city and the Port of Bellingham.
The Cornwall landfill and neighboring R.G. Haley cleanup projects are currently in the permitting process, and will be constructed simultaneously with the first phase of the new 17-acre Salish Landing Park on the waterfront.
Developing the site into a beach park is part of a larger-scale effort to enhance waterfront areas of the city. When phase one is complete, the new park, set to open in 2027, will include beach access to the waterfront, trails, plants and parking.
Work has been underway for over a decade now, but cleanups of contaminated soil and sediment at the sites are on track to begin in 2025.
