News - Local News

POSTED: Friday, Aug. 28, 2009

With budget cuts, layoffs, Bellingham parks and library services decrease

BELLINGHAM - Popular city services used by residents across Whatcom County have taken big hits in the recent round of layoffs and government budget cuts, city officials say.

Mayor Dan Pike's administration in mid-August announced a new round of layoffs and position cuts, and the most impacted department was the Bellingham Public Library. The Parks & Recreation Department also was hit, as revenue streams tapped during the real estate boom of the past few years have dwindled.

The city cut 32 full-time equivalent positions, which included 17 people being laid off and several more receiving a reduction in their hours. The library lost eight positions and parks lost two.

THE LIBRARY

Hours at Bellingham Public Library are being cut, said Director Pam Kiesner.

The central library will remain closed on Sundays year-round rather than just during summer months. The facility will close two hours early Wednesdays and Thursdays at 6 p.m.

The Fairhaven library, closed for renovation and repairs, will reopen with hours from 1 to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday instead of the customary noon to 6 p.m.

"It's very painful to have to cut back in a time when we're seeing such an increase in business," Kiesner said.

Library officials cut their materials budget by 20 percent - about $100,000 - in a February round of cuts, but Pike's administration recently asked the library to cut another $350,000.

According to a the 2008 Washington Public Library Annual Statistical Report, the Bellingham Public Library's per capita circulation is the highest rate for libraries of its size statewide and is second only to the Seattle Public Library for populations of 25,000 or greater.

PARKS & RECREATION

Hours at the Arne Hanna Aquatic Center are being reduced from 110 per week to about 80, said Director Paul Leuthold.

The city cut a recreation instructor position and laid off a recreation coordinator, which managed children's camps and worked with pre-teens.

Programs under that position will be diminished, Leuthold said, and officials are trying to analyze programs that are "marginal" or not used much. Other programs that aren't popular with teens and adults also could go.

County residents who use the swimming pool will take a hit, Leuthold said, as the city will increase fees for non-residents. City officials don't have statistics now on how many outsiders use the pool.

The impact comes not only from layoffs, but in decreased revenue. Real estate excise taxes, collected from property sales, have dropped substantially.

In 2006, the department had $1.8 million in REET funding to work with for capital projects. In 2010, that figure is expected to drop to $100,000, Leuthold said.

"A lot of people say we're not essential," Leuthold said, "but I place it right up there with police and fire and public works. When most people think of Bellingham, they think of parks. They think of recreation opportunities."