Attention, Riley Sweeney: City of Ferndale communications officer. You said the water coming out of that pipe from your city’s treatment plant is clean enough to drink. Good to know, but bottoms up, my friend! When would you like to meet us with a videographer and a glass? We’re flexible.
Note to Sehome’s Football Coach: The Hammer shares your admiration for your crew overcoming the great “adversity” of its own (self-inflicted) hazing scandal, and regrouping to win a football game last Friday. But isn’t that sort of like clonking yourself repeatedly on the head with a mallet and doing a selfie-back-pat for overcoming the “adversity” of your splitting headache?
Good Timing Award: We can only presume that the state Department of Ecology was looking at past performance, not future planning, last year in awarding the City of Bellingham an “Outstanding Performance Award” for its “exemplary effort and work accomplished” at the Post Point Wastewater Treatment Plant.
We Know This Is True: Because Hizzoner Seth Fleetwood held up the Outstanding Performance Award plaque saying so, dated 2021, in a Zoom session last week, ostensibly hoping to boost the cred for a strategy reboot about replacing or upgrading the current facility.
Our Question: Where did the plaque, and that treatment cred, reside when this was all being discussed the first time around? Perhaps supply chain issues.
Honestly, It’s Sort of Like When: You put $1,200 into the Kia to keep it running instead of replacing it with a $46,000 new car, and for a few moments, at least the thing seems to feel like it drives pretty well, after all. But give it time and the lack of Bluetooth — and perhaps a “reverse” gear — will once again loom large.
Seriously, Though: Props to the crew down there, no doubt doing good work to keep the old place, uh, running.
Speaking of Which: Lots of talk in the City Council nonchambers this past week about “gasification.” It’s a serious waste-treatment matter but it also sounds awfully painful and surely induces harmful side effects including bloating. Ask your doctor what more frugal waste treatment can do for you.
And Speaking of Zoom: Sez here that the City is going back to in-person meetings starting on Oct. 3. Is that a good or bad thing? Sorta depends on who shows up.
For the Record: We do realize, as a city employee recently pointed out, that numerous other local governments in the area do exist, and merit regular coverage. It’s just that few are as fun, or deal with as much money, as Bellingham.
The Hammer is swung on Wednesdays, and updated when the glass is empty.
