Popular beach will close as Bellingham develops new shoreline park
Glass Beach, a popular place to watch sunsets and collect seaglass on the Bellingham waterfront, will close soon as cleanup begins on two toxic sites ahead of construction for the new Salish Landing Park.
Bellingham residents and visitors alike have enjoyed the view of Bellingham Bay from Glass Beach, named for the polished and multicolored glass shards that wash ashore — a reminder that the south end of Cornwall Avenue was once the city dump.
A closing date could come as soon as the end of November, Public Works Department spokeswoman Stefanie Cilinceon told The Bellingham Herald.
“Glass Beach will not be accessible throughout the duration of this project because it is part of the cleanup effort and will ultimately become part of the Salish Landing Park,” Cilinceon said in an email.
Upland construction work on the $5 million park project will start about the same time as the $49 million cleanup and may take up to three years to complete, she said.
After it’s developed, Salish Landing will have a beach, trails, parking, restrooms, benches, bike racks and lighting. It also will have a kayak launching and landing site. But first, the city must deal with the legacy of pollution from the area’s previous use as a dump and by industries such as coal, lumber and wharf operations, along with a wood treatment facility from 1955 to 1985.
