They raised $500,000 to bring safe swimming back to Bloedel Donovan Park in Bellingham
Construction is set to start in June to build a new swim dock at Bloedel Donovan Park.
Lifeguards also will be brought back this summer as part of the project — marking the first time in nearly two decades that both will once again be at the popular park.
That’s due to chiropractor Eddie Hansen and other members of the Bellingham Bay Rotary Club, whose efforts included raising $500,000 to bring back what has been described as the beloved “H” dock on the shores of Lake Whatcom.
“We met our goals thanks to many, many wonderful people in our community,” Hansen said to The Bellingham Herald of the project.
Hansen grew up in Bellingham, and recalls swimming at Bloedel Donovan Park, the old dock and lifeguards.
“My heart is exploding with happiness. I just couldn’t be happier. I couldn’t be prouder that we are finally there,” he said of the project’s progress.
The new swim dock will be in the same area as the old one. It was expected to be in place last summer, but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the project.
The city of Bellingham last paid for lifeguards to be at the park — where hundreds gather on hot summer days to picnic and swim in the lake — in 2004, and they were removed because of budget cuts. That was at about the same time the old swim dock was taken out.
Hansen hopes to have the new dock in place for use by June 18, the last day of school for Bellingham Public Schools students.
Nicole Oliver, director of the Bellingham Parks and Recreation Department, was more conservative in her estimate of completion with the end of June.
City-paid lifeguards will be at the park by July 1.
“This is a complicated in-water project,” Oliver said, noting that a diver must be sent into the lake at the worksite to make sure no construction materials were left behind before the dock is available for recreation.
Hansen has been thinking about the project for about five years — after he and his wife saw kids lining up and jumping from the Electric Avenue bridge into Lake Whatcom below, while motorists drove by Bloedel Donovan Park on one warm day.
Recently, the city has restricted such activities with staff on-site and fencing to make getting to the bridge more difficult.
Hansen believes the new swim dock will curb such activities and lifeguards will help in the effort to create a safe swimming environment for kids in Whatcom County.
Water access for all children regardless of family income was another reason why the project was needed, Hansen said in previous Bellingham Herald articles and again.
“It’s amazing to see the diversity of residents who use the park,” Hansen said in a prepared statement. “Entire families of all ages, all races and income groups spend afternoons picnicking and swimming. With so many people living in apartments without yards now, kids don’t have much to do outdoors. And a lot of kids will never learn to swim. Most can’t afford to take an entire family to the city pool, the country club, or other local pools. It costs money.”
Bellingham Marine will build and install the dock, according to Hansen. The company offered its services at a discount, as did Anchor QEA, which donated work on environmental issues, engineering and permitting.
The project will include removing 18 old, derelict pilings, Oliver said.
In-water dock assembly is set for June 16, according to Hansen.
When the project is done, new generations will have a chance to make new memories.
“It’s kind of a re-creation of something that was in the past, that we’re bringing back,” Oliver said.
Bellingham Bay Rotary plans to add two slides as part of the dock project in the future, Hansen said.
Other local projects the Rotary has been involved in include the Bellingham Food Bank and Hospice House.
This story was originally published May 24, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
