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Newsletter - January 10, 2025 |
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Prepare Now for Winter Road Conditions
We receive numerous messages each winter about plowing specific roads in Whatcom County. With a forecasted El Nino winter (colder & wetter), it's a good time to review how we determine which roads get plowed and when:
Every road in the county is assigned a priority level—1, 2, 3, or 4. During snow events, we plow Priority 1 roads first, then move to Priority 2 roads, and continue down the list. Plowing and sanding are prioritized based on factors such as the amount of traffic a road receives, whether it's a transit or school route, nearby emergency facilities like police and fire stations, and similar criteria. This means service on lower-priority roads may be significantly reduced during and after severe snowfall, ice storms, and other winter weather.
Residents are encouraged to prepare in advance for winter storms, and we have several resources to help.
In addition, our recent podcast episode on winter road maintenance explains our snow priority levels and expectations for service levels during winter storms.
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New PW Podcast episode available now!
Our Public Works Podcast is back for Season 3! We're kicking off the year with an interview with Director Elizabeth Kosa. Listen now to hear what's in store for the Whatcom County Public Works department in 2025.
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Help shape the future of Whatcom County’s forests!
There's still time to complete the Forest Resiliency Community Survey. Take a few minutes to share your thoughts and make your voice heard in shaping our forests' future. The new deadline is Friday, January 17!
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Our River & Flood Division recently took legislators on a tour of projects designed help to mitigate flooding on the Nooksack River. These projects are part of a process called Floodplains by Design. The heart of this approach is the idea that the most complex problems are solved by helping people work together. Trust is built through structured conversations that give voice to the values of each interest group, and coordinating investments toward local solutions.
This tour brought together stakeholders including floodplain managers, elected officials, farmers & land owners, ecology representatives, and other various stakeholders. Funding to continue this vital process will be requested during the 2025 legislative session.
This e-newsletter provides a great overview of our programs, but sometimes, we send more specific info when construction projects or road closures affect public access. You could be one of the first people to know about these changes!
To sign up for project-specific notices, go to Whatcom County's 'Notify Me' webpage, enter your profile information, and scroll down to the 'News Flash' section. Then, select the individual projects you'd like to be notified about. You can be notified by email, text, or both!
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New Year, New Job?
Public Works is recruiting for several open positions, including an accounting supervisor, heavy duty mechanic, and a technician in our Natural Resources Division. Click each link to learn more about the positions, and please share with anyone you might know who's looking for a career change!
Learn more about working at Whatcom County by visiting the Human Resources webpage.
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Thank You, Subscribers!
Thank you for reading the Public Works Newsletter! We appreciate our subscribers and the ability to inform you about our community work.
Starting with this edition, we have switched newsletter providers from MailChimp to GovDelivery. If you have questions or comments about our newsletter or trouble signing up, please email publicworks@co.whatcom.wa.us.
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