After delay, a key Bellingham landmark is ready to get a facelift
Construction is starting soon to remodel the Fountain District Plaza.
The Bellingham Parks and Recreation Department announced on Facebook that construction is scheduled to begin in mid-March, finishing up at the end of June.
The new look will be a simplified version of the preferred design, with less complicated concrete work, said Nicole Oliver, interim Parks and Recreation director. The redesign, which includes a circular fountain, was originally scheduled to happen last summer, but the preferred design received only one bid that was nearly twice the amount budgeted.
Everson-based Tiger Construction will be handling the current project, Oliver wrote in an email.
During construction, the adjacent bus stop will be temporarily relocated north of the fountain, but Meridian street should not be impacted. There may be some limits to nearby on-street parking for the short-term, said Darby Cowles, senior planner for the city.
About $280,000 of the funding is coming from the estate of Allyn C. Deets. Deets, who died in 2012, was the owner of the Fountain Drug and Galleria. Oliver said a plaque will be installed as part of the project to honor Deets and his donation.
Located at Broadway and Meridian Street, Fountain Plaza originally provided fresh water for animals and livestock traveling from Bellingham to the county, according to the city of Bellingham.
