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Whatcom County Council to consider park costs of reconveying state land around Lake Whatcom

Ralph Schwartz; THE BELLINGHAM HERALD
Published: Feb. 10, 2013 at 5:00 p.m. PST
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BELLINGHAM - Whatcom County Council members will hold another information-gathering meeting on a proposal to transfer 8,844 acres of land around Lake Whatcom from state control to the county for a park.

The focus of the meeting, at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 12, will be the cost of maintaining the park. The meeting will be held in council chambers, 311 Grand Ave.

The low-impact park, which would likely consist of little more than trails, parking lots and campsites, would cost about $150,000 a year to operate, Parks and Recreation Director Mike McFarlane has said. About half of that could be recouped from leases on a telecommunications tower on the west side of the lake, he said.

Council Chairwoman Kathy Kershner said last month that she would like to know whether timber could be harvested from the park and then sold to pay for park upkeep.

A final vote on the land transfer, or reconveyance, is planned for after the series of informational meetings, with no date set yet.

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