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Depot Market Square completed
The City of Bellingham and the Depot Market Square Committee celebrated the completion of Depot Market Square July 8 with a dedication ceremony followed by a community celebration that featured live music by The Atlantics.
In the pavilion, Mayor Mark Asmundson led the noontime ceremony, which included remarks from State Representative Kelli Linville, County Executive Pete Kremen, Bellingham City Council Member Gene Knutson and Depot Market Square Committee Chair Brian Griffin.
Funding for the project came from the City of Bellingham, Whatcom County, the State of Washington and more than $340,000 in private donations from more than 1,200 businesses, families and individuals. A portion of the building, including all the arches, was constructed using steel recycled from a bridge in Skagit County. Impero Construction of Bellingham served as contractor for the $2.5 million project.
In addition to being the new permanent home of the Bellingham Farmer’s Market, Depot Market Square is available for rent for private and community events including parties, weddings, reunions, theater and music festivals, sales, fundraisers and meetings.
Depot Market Square is located in the 1100 block of Railroad Avenue in downtown Bellingham.

County Connector adds stop in Everett
The County Connector, a free Island Transit public transportation service that connects Whatcom, Skagit and Island counties, added an Everett stop to its route.
A celebration for the Everett Connector took place July 17 at the Everett Multi-Modal Station.

Olive Garden opens in Burlington
Olive Garden opened its newest Tuscan Farmhouse-design restaurant July 24 on Market Place Drive in Burlington.
The new Olive Garden has a stone exterior, typical of the buildings in the Italian countryside, and an interior accented by Italian imports designed to make the dining experience here a tribute to the restaurant’s Italian inspiration. Soaring vaulted ceilings supported by exposed wood beams, stone and wood accents throughout, and terra cotta tile highlight the interior.
All restaurants have been built in this design since February 2000.
The Burlington Olive Garden employs 165 people and seats 248 customers.

Bode’s Precast named exclusive local manufacturer
Redi-Rock International awarded Lynden-based Bode’s Precast, Inc. the exclusive rights to manufacture Redi-Rock, a retaining wall system, for Whatcom County and the lower mainland of British Columbia.
Wall blocks can be used for residential walls, commercial walls and highway bridge projects, and can form curves, lines and circular patterns.
Each block weighs between 1,300 and 2,400 pounds and is wet cast using fresh concrete, which allows it to hold up in water applications and freeze-thaw cycles.

Food Co-op launches member-loan program
Bellingham’s Community Food Co-op is launching its member-loan program as part of the finance package for its second store, which will be located at the corner of Cordata and Westerly. The store will open in the fall of 2007.
The Community Food Co-op has more than 11,000 members, many of whom have participated in a variety of forums to give input on the look and feel of the Co-op’s new store.
The Co-op is asking members in good standing to invest in the Community Food Co-op. Interest rates begin at 5.5 percent for investments between $1,000 and $24,999 and climb for larger investments. The note comes due in 2013.

Skagit Valley College offers CIS degree online
To better meet the needs of working adults who juggle full- or part-time work and family obligations while upgrading their job skills, Skagit Valley College (SVC) offers students an opportunity to earn their Computer Information Systems (CIS) associate in technical arts degree entirely online.
The online degree is offered through SVC’s Mount Vernon and Whidbey Island campuses. Even though students complete their coursework online, they have access to computer labs and face-to-face instructional assistance at either campus.
CIS provides training to individuals who are drawn to emerging technologies including database programming, wireless components and relational databases, as well as network connectivity and security.

RE Store relocates
The RE Store, a Bellingham community fixture for 14 years, is moving to the Wilson Furniture complex on Meridian Street in the Fountain District. The site includes a retail store, a warehouse and a parking lot.
The mission of the RE Store and its parent organization RE Sources is to save forests, starve local landfills, reduce waste and protect the region’s marine environment.
The new location will be called the Sustainable Living Center and it will feature the RE Store; classrooms for volunteer training and community workshops; a library focused on sustainable living and green building; space for teaching people how to re-use construction materials; educational exhibits and interactive displays linking human actions and environmental impacts; and RE Sources offices.

Studiohatch designs Pollution in People campaign
Jessica Renner of Studiohatch, a Bellingham graphic design studio, created materials to launch a campaign to publicize the results of the groundbreaking study Pollution in People, commissioned by the Toxic Free Legacy Coalition.
Studiohatch designed the majority of the campaign’s launch materials, including its Web site, report, fact sheets, brochure, information cards and illustrations.
The purpose of the campaign is to educate the public about how to minimize exposure to toxins.

International Absorbents announces 1st quarter results
Ferndale-based International Absorbents, Inc. (AMEX: IAX), a leading developer and producer of environmentally friendly pet care and industrial products, reported financial results for the first quarter end on April 30, 2006.
Sales for the first quarter of fiscal year 2007 were $6,621,000, a 12 percent increase compared to $5,892,000 for the same period in the prior fiscal year.
Net income for the first quarter of fiscal year 2007 decreased by 14 percent to $142,000, versus $166,000 for the same period in the prior fiscal year.
Gross profit was $2,055,000, a 5 percent increase compared to $1,959,000 for the comparable three months in the prior fiscal year.
The company also recently announced it is expanding the presence and number of product sizes of Healthy Pet and Critter Care small animal bedding in both the grocery and mass merchandiser channels.

Art facility receives award for construction
Roe Studio at Whatcom Community College (WCC) was awarded first place for excellence for cast-in-place concrete structures by the Washington Aggregates and Concrete Association.
Roe Studio, named for long-time WCC faculty member Katherine Roe, was completed in 2005. At the heart of the multipurpose art facility is a state-of-the-art ceramics studio. The building also provides locker rooms and storage for the new sports field complex surrounding the facility.
Concrete finishes on the floor, walls and ceiling provide a durable finish, allowing the studio to be spray-cleaned while the water is collected in floor drains. Radiant heating coils embedded in the floors keep the studio warm in the winter, while concrete roof clerestories with operable windows provide a natural, passive cooling approach to ventilate the studio in the summer.
The building was nominated for the annual award by Ferndale Ready Mix and Gravel, who supplied materials for the project. It was designed by Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects and completed by Ebenal General Construction, Inc.

Concrete receives grant for wastewater treatment plant
Governor Chris Gregoire announced an $850,000 grant and a $1,744,000 interim loan have been awarded to the town of Concrete for the construction of a new wastewater treatment plant.
The new plant will effectively treat Concrete’s wastewater and bring it into compliance with an order from the Washington State Department of Ecology. The grant was awarded from the Washington Community Development Block Grant, which is administered by the state’s Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development (CTED).
The town will receive technical assistance from the Small Communities Initiative Program, which is a collaborative effort between the state departments of ecology, health and CTED to assist small, rural communities in upgrading their wastewater or drinking water systems.

Greenhouse to expand showroom space
Greenhouse on Cornwall Avenue in Bellingham is renovating to expand showroom space on their mezzanine level.
Once finished, 1,000 square feet of extra space will be added. The Greenhouse business office that once occupied the space moved to the second floor in the Mount Baker Building.
The renovation will allow the store to hang new rug lines for better viewing. In addition, the space will display more furniture lines.
The showroom renovation is expected to be completed in early August and will be celebrated during the store’s anniversary sale in mid-August.
Working on the project are Moceri Construction and Chris Jones and Jeff McClure at RMC Architects. Flax Properties and Dave Hovde, owners of the Mount Baker Building, are assisting in the expansion.

Semiahmoo Resort offers amenities for women golfers
Semiahmoo Resort’s Arnold Palmer-designed golf course has been named one of the 50 best courses for women in the United States by Golf for Women magazine. Semiahmoo Golf & Country Club in Blaine was ranked 50th in the nation.
Chosen by editors and a panel of 100 women course-raters across the country, courses were selected based on a variety of criteria, including superior playability, aesthetics, amenities and providing an overall positive golf experience for women.
In addition to golf, Eaton cited the resort’s other attractions, including a full-service European spa, as additional draws for women golfers. With course yardage ranging from 5,288 to 7,005, the course has four sets of tees, catering to golfers of all skill levels.
The recognition complements the course’s current ranking by Golf Digest as the Number 3 course for public play in Washington state. Semiahmoo Resort’s Loomis Trail Golf Club, designed by Graham Cooke, currently holds the Number 1 ranking in the state for public play.
Semiahmoo Golf & Country Club has consistently ranked as one of the top resort courses in the region since it opened in 1987, when Golf Digest cited it as the “Best New Course in America.”

WEBEFX relocates, releases new CMS
WEBEFX, a Bellingham-based firm specializing in the development of Web sites and applications, released their improved content management system (CMS v.3) and relocated to a new office.
Zi Krostag, production manager and chief architect of the new CMS, says the system improvements reflect the company’s vision and direct feedback from clients.
Krostag provides online demonstrations of the system for parties interested in seeing the system, including designers who want to interface their design with the CMS.

WWU offers PMP certification program
Western Washington University will offer a 10-session Project Management Professional (PMP) certification course this fall.
Participants in Western’s first-ever PMP certification course will learn project management skills at intermediate to advanced levels. The course will prepare participants to pass either the PMP or the Certified Associate in Project Management certification examinations. It will also fulfill 30 of the 35 training hours required by the Project Management Institute for project management professionals.
Project management is widely used in many fields and industries, ranging from aerospace to eBusiness, education and training, construction, engineering, financial services, government, information technology and manufacturing.
The course will be taught at WWU 6-9 p.m. Tuesdays, beginning Sept. 19. Cost for the course is $895, which includes both required textbooks.

Homes on market for longer in Whatcom County
While the number of homes available for sale in Whatcom County continues to rise, so do their prices, according to a report released last month.
The average sales price of a Whatcom County home during the first half of 2006 was $325,582, up 17 percent from the same time period in 2005, according to Lylene Johnson of The Muljat Group South office in Fairhaven. The median sales price of a home – the midpoint of all sales – in the county was $281,000.
Johnson prepares a quarterly report after analyzing data from the Bellingham-Whatcom County Multiple Listing Service and the Northwest Multiple Listing Service.
The housing inventory for the county’s five largest communities – Bellingham, Lynden, Ferndale, Blaine/Birch Bay and Sudden Valley – has more than doubled. Those communities had 1,357 residences for sale on June 30, compared to 655 a year ago.
Although the additional inventory hasn’t brought prices down, the average time it takes to sell a house in the county has risen from 52 days in the first half of 2005 to 71 days this year.
Also, more homes on the market haven’t led to more sales. The number of houses sold in the county fell 13 percent in this year’s first half to 1,348.
“Buyers are concerned about paying too much for a house and they are looking at more houses before they make a decision,” Johnson said. “There now are plenty of houses languishing on the market because buyers think they’re priced too high. Generally speaking, if a property doesn’t sell in its first two weeks, it will be on the market for several months.”

Bakerview Square construction begins
Construction is underway on Bakerview Square, a project designed to become the newest neighborhood retail center in Bellingham’s West Bakerview area. The Square, scheduled to open February 2007, will feature retail stores, restaurants, professional offices and more.
Bakerview Square, located at the corner of West Bakerview Road and Eliza Avenue, will be constructed in two phases. Phase I includes 42,000 feet of retail, 1,800 feet of second floor office, as well as a 22,000-square-foot pad site fronting on West Bakerview Road.
Faber Bros. Construction Corporation is designing and constructing Bakerview Square, and Horizon Bank is providing the financing for the project.
Bakerview Square is pre-leasing Phase I for February 2007 occupancy.

Green Touch moves to new location
Green Touch, a massage service and supply business, has moved from downtown Bellingham the Iowa Business Park.
Green Touch provides massage services through five therapists offering Swedish, treatment, deep tissue, sports, craniosacral, hot stone, Reiki and manual lymphatic drainage modalities.
The store sells massage supplies, including massage tables and chairs from Oakworks and Custom Craftworks, linens, lubricants, CDs, massage tools and topical pain relievers. It also carries a complete line of therapeutic-grade essential oils along with diffusers. Other health-related products include Fit Balls in a variety of sizes, and a complete line of yoga supplies.
Green Touch actively pursues local products such as Soundings of the Planet CDs, NatraBio’s “The Rub” and Tree Frog Farm flower essences. Innovative massage products such as the new gel-filled face cradles are offered as well.
The move to the Iowa Business Park will provide easier access and free parking for Green Touch customers and clients. The company’s goal is to more conveniently provide the same quality service and retail products its customers and clients have come to know and appreciate.

Local power equipment dealer up for national award
Ferndale-based Carl’s Mower and Saw, Inc. is a finalist in the Yard & Garden Dealers in Excellence Awards, which are designed to recognize the industry’s most professional, well-rounded, forward-thinking outdoor power equipment dealers.
Dealers from all over the country are evaluated for excellence in equipment sales, parts and service operations.
More than 100 dealers are nominated each year, from which 15 finalists are selected and broken into three categories based on annual sales volume.
Carl’s Mower & Saw is one of five finalists in Category I, dealerships with annual sales below $1 million a year.
The three winning dealers are announced at the industry’s premier trade show, the Lawn, Garden & Power Equipment EXPO October 7 in Louisville, Ky.

HHS begins campaign for LTC planning
Governor Chris Gregoire and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services began a campaign to increase awareness of the critical need to plan for long-term care.
In June a letter was mailed to every Washington resident 50-70 years old, offering a long-term care planning tool kit.
As a local leader in long-term care insurance, Lisa Schork, CLTC, of LTC Capstone, is participating in this campaign by offering a complimentary copy of “Shopper’s Guide to Long-Term Care Insurance,” published by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.

The Clothes Line changes hands, locations
A family purchased and moved The Clothes Line, a children’s and maternity consignment boutique in Mount Vernon.
Cassie Jacobson and her two daughters, Angela Wright and Kimberly Menne, are co-owners in the venture, now located on Parker Way in Mount Vernon, next to The Encore Shoppe, a women’s consignment shop.
In the new 1,250-square-foot retail space, carefully chosen color schemes, artistic displays and a selective consigning process create the impression of shopping in an upscale boutique, but without the upscale prices.
The Clothes Line features children’s and maternity apparel as well as an extensive selection of infant toys and furnishings. Among its unique and popular items are dressers, bookshelves and other furnishings hand-painted by a local artist.

Motor Weld celebrates 20-year anniversary
Motor Weld, Inc., a Bellingham-based company, is celebrating 20 years in service. Motor Weld specializes in heavy truck and trailer repair, and also offers heavy equipment maintenance, welding, fabrication and small truck and car repair.
Serving the community for 20 years and retaining quality staff members such as 18-year veteran Dan Abercrombie and shop foreman Jim Baker are part of why the company has been and will continue to be a success.

Gone Diving offers San Juan Island charters
Captain Scott Sutton of Bellingham’s Gone Diving is offering San Juan Island diving charters.
He will be leaving from the Port of Bellingham, taking divers out to explore the underwater world that has been rated as one of the best cold-water dive destinations in the world.
Sutton received his U.S. Coast Guard license as a U.S. Merchant Marine Officer on May 9, 2006.

Comcast adds new jobs in Washington
Comcast is adding 284 new jobs in its Washington offices to keep pace with the growing demand for high-speed Internet, cable television and local phone services.
With these new jobs, Comcast will have added 350 permanent, full-time positions in Washington in 2006, a 13 percent increase in the company’s workforce year-over-year. Comcast projects it will have nearly 3,000 employees in Washington by the end of the year.
Nearly all of Comcast’s Western Washington locations, including Bellingham, will be adding employees. The majority of jobs are for front-line technicians, with the rest in engineering, sales and customer care.

Depot Market Square completed The City of Bellingham and the Depot Market Square Committee celebrated the completion of Depot Market Square July 8 with a dedication ceremony followed by a community celebration that featured live music by The Atlantics. In the pavilion, Mayor Mark Asmundson led the noontime ceremony, which included remarks from State Representative Kelli Linville, County Executive Pete Kremen, Bellingham City Council Member Gene Knutson and Depot Market Square Committee Chair Brian Griffin. Funding for the project came from the City of Bellingham, Whatcom County, the State of Washington and more than $340,000 in private donations from more than 1,200 businesses, families and individuals. A portion of the building, including all the arches, was constructed using steel recycled from a bridge in Skagit County. Impero Construction of Bellingham served as contractor for the $2.5 million project. In addition to being the new permanent home of the Bellingham Farmer’s Market, Depot Market Square is available for rent for private and community events including parties, weddings, reunions, theater and music festivals, sales, fundraisers and meetings. Depot Market Square is located in the 1100 block of Railroad Avenue in downtown Bellingham. County Connector adds stop in Everett The County Connector, a free Island Transit public transportation service that connects Whatcom, Skagit and Island counties, added an Everett stop to its route. A celebration for the Everett Connector took place July 17 at the Everett Multi-Modal Station. Olive Garden opens in Burlington Olive Garden opened its newest Tuscan Farmhouse-design restaurant July 24 on Market Place Drive in Burlington. The new Olive Garden has a stone exterior, typical of the buildings in the Italian countryside, and an interior accented by Italian imports designed to make the dining experience here a tribute to the restaurant’s Italian inspiration. Soaring vaulted ceilings supported by exposed wood beams, stone and wood accents throughout, and terra cotta tile highlight the interior. All restaurants have been built in this design since February 2000. The Burlington Olive Garden employs 165 people and seats 248 customers. Bode’s Precast named exclusive local manufacturer Redi-Rock International awarded Lynden-based Bode’s Precast, Inc. the exclusive rights to manufacture Redi-Rock, a retaining wall system, for Whatcom County and the lower mainland of British Columbia. Wall blocks can be used for residential walls, commercial walls and highway bridge projects, and can form curves, lines and circular patterns. Each block weighs between 1,300 and 2,400 pounds and is wet cast using fresh concrete, which allows it to hold up in water applications and freeze-thaw cycles. Food Co-op launches member-loan program Bellingham’s Community Food Co-op is launching its member-loan program as part of the finance package for its second store, which will be located at the corner of Cordata and Westerly. The store will open in the fall of 2007. The Community Food Co-op has more than 11,000 members, many of whom have participated in a variety of forums to give input on the look and feel of the Co-op’s new store. The Co-op is asking members in good standing to invest in the Community Food Co-op. Interest rates begin at 5.5 percent for investments between $1,000 and $24,999 and climb for larger investments. The note comes due in 2013. Skagit Valley College offers CIS degree online To better meet the needs of working adults who juggle full- or part-time work and family obligations while upgrading their job skills, Skagit Valley College (SVC) offers students an opportunity to earn their Computer Information Systems (CIS) associate in technical arts degree entirely online. The online degree is offered through SVC’s Mount Vernon and Whidbey Island campuses. Even though students complete their coursework online, they have access to computer labs and face-to-face instructional assistance at either campus. CIS provides training to individuals who are drawn to emerging technologies including database programming, wireless components and relational databases, as well as network connectivity and security. RE Store relocates The RE Store, a Bellingham community fixture for 14 years, is moving to the Wilson Furniture complex on Meridian Street in the Fountain District. The site includes a retail store, a warehouse and a parking lot. The mission of the RE Store and its parent organization RE Sources is to save forests, starve local landfills, reduce waste and protect the region’s marine environment. The new location will be called the Sustainable Living Center and it will feature the RE Store; classrooms for volunteer training and community workshops; a library focused on sustainable living and green building; space for teaching people how to re-use construction materials; educational exhibits and interactive displays linking human actions and environmental impacts; and RE Sources offices. Studiohatch designs Pollution in People campaign Jessica Renner of Studiohatch, a Bellingham graphic design studio, created materials to launch a campaign to publicize the results of the groundbreaking study Pollution in People, commissioned by the Toxic Free Legacy Coalition. Studiohatch designed the majority of the campaign’s launch materials, including its Web site, report, fact sheets, brochure, information cards and illustrations. The purpose of the campaign is to educate the public about how to minimize exposure to toxins. International Absorbents announces 1st quarter results Ferndale-based International Absorbents, Inc. (AMEX: IAX), a leading developer and producer of environmentally friendly pet care and industrial products, reported financial results for the first quarter end on April 30, 2006. Sales for the first quarter of fiscal year 2007 were $6,621,000, a 12 percent increase compared to $5,892,000 for the same period in the prior fiscal year. Net income for the first quarter of fiscal year 2007 decreased by 14 percent to $142,000, versus $166,000 for the same period in the prior fiscal year. Gross profit was $2,055,000, a 5 percent increase compared to $1,959,000 for the comparable three months in the prior fiscal year. The company also recently announced it is expanding the presence and number of product sizes of Healthy Pet and Critter Care small animal bedding in both the grocery and mass merchandiser channels. Art facility receives award for construction Roe Studio at Whatcom Community College (WCC) was awarded first place for excellence for cast-in-place concrete structures by the Washington Aggregates and Concrete Association. Roe Studio, named for long-time WCC faculty member Katherine Roe, was completed in 2005. At the heart of the multipurpose art facility is a state-of-the-art ceramics studio. The building also provides locker rooms and storage for the new sports field complex surrounding the facility. Concrete finishes on the floor, walls and ceiling provide a durable finish, allowing the studio to be spray-cleaned while the water is collected in floor drains. Radiant heating coils embedded in the floors keep the studio warm in the winter, while concrete roof clerestories with operable windows provide a natural, passive cooling approach to ventilate the studio in the summer. The building was nominated for the annual award by Ferndale Ready Mix and Gravel, who supplied materials for the project. It was designed by Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects and completed by Ebenal General Construction, Inc. Concrete receives grant for wastewater treatment plant Governor Chris Gregoire announced an $850,000 grant and a $1,744,000 interim loan have been awarded to the town of Concrete for the construction of a new wastewater treatment plant. The new plant will effectively treat Concrete’s wastewater and bring it into compliance with an order from the Washington State Department of Ecology. The grant was awarded from the Washington Community Development Block Grant, which is administered by the state’s Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development (CTED). The town will receive technical assistance from the Small Communities Initiative Program, which is a collaborative effort between the state departments of ecology, health and CTED to assist small, rural communities in upgrading their wastewater or drinking water systems. Greenhouse to expand showroom space Greenhouse on Cornwall Avenue in Bellingham is renovating to expand showroom space on their mezzanine level. Once finished, 1,000 square feet of extra space will be added. The Greenhouse business office that once occupied the space moved to the second floor in the Mount Baker Building. The renovation will allow the store to hang new rug lines for better viewing. In addition, the space will display more furniture lines. The showroom renovation is expected to be completed in early August and will be celebrated during the store’s anniversary sale in mid-August. Working on the project are Moceri Construction and Chris Jones and Jeff McClure at RMC Architects. Flax Properties and Dave Hovde, owners of the Mount Baker Building, are assisting in the expansion. Semiahmoo Resort offers amenities for women golfers Semiahmoo Resort’s Arnold Palmer-designed golf course has been named one of the 50 best courses for women in the United States by Golf for Women magazine. Semiahmoo Golf & Country Club in Blaine was ranked 50th in the nation. Chosen by editors and a panel of 100 women course-raters across the country, courses were selected based on a variety of criteria, including superior playability, aesthetics, amenities and providing an overall positive golf experience for women. In addition to golf, Eaton cited the resort’s other attractions, including a full-service European spa, as additional draws for women golfers. With course yardage ranging from 5,288 to 7,005, the course has four sets of tees, catering to golfers of all skill levels. The recognition complements the course’s current ranking by Golf Digest as the Number 3 course for public play in Washington state. Semiahmoo Resort’s Loomis Trail Golf Club, designed by Graham Cooke, currently holds the Number 1 ranking in the state for public play. Semiahmoo Golf & Country Club has consistently ranked as one of the top resort courses in the region since it opened in 1987, when Golf Digest cited it as the “Best New Course in America.” WEBEFX relocates, releases new CMS WEBEFX, a Bellingham-based firm specializing in the development of Web sites and applications, released their improved content management system (CMS v.3) and relocated to a new office. Zi Krostag, production manager and chief architect of the new CMS, says the system improvements reflect the company’s vision and direct feedback from clients. Krostag provides online demonstrations of the system for parties interested in seeing the system, including designers who want to interface their design with the CMS. WWU offers PMP certification program Western Washington University will offer a 10-session Project Management Professional (PMP) certification course this fall. Participants in Western’s first-ever PMP certification course will learn project management skills at intermediate to advanced levels. The course will prepare participants to pass either the PMP or the Certified Associate in Project Management certification examinations. It will also fulfill 30 of the 35 training hours required by the Project Management Institute for project management professionals. Project management is widely used in many fields and industries, ranging from aerospace to eBusiness, education and training, construction, engineering, financial services, government, information technology and manufacturing. The course will be taught at WWU 6-9 p.m. Tuesdays, beginning Sept. 19. Cost for the course is $895, which includes both required textbooks. Homes on market for longer in Whatcom County While the number of homes available for sale in Whatcom County continues to rise, so do their prices, according to a report released last month. The average sales price of a Whatcom County home during the first half of 2006 was $325,582, up 17 percent from the same time period in 2005, according to Lylene Johnson of The Muljat Group South office in Fairhaven. The median sales price of a home – the midpoint of all sales – in the county was $281,000. Johnson prepares a quarterly report after analyzing data from the Bellingham-Whatcom County Multiple Listing Service and the Northwest Multiple Listing Service. The housing inventory for the county’s five largest communities – Bellingham, Lynden, Ferndale, Blaine/Birch Bay and Sudden Valley – has more than doubled. Those communities had 1,357 residences for sale on June 30, compared to 655 a year ago. Although the additional inventory hasn’t brought prices down, the average time it takes to sell a house in the county has risen from 52 days in the first half of 2005 to 71 days this year. Also, more homes on the market haven’t led to more sales. The number of houses sold in the county fell 13 percent in this year’s first half to 1,348. “Buyers are concerned about paying too much for a house and they are looking at more houses before they make a decision,” Johnson said. “There now are plenty of houses languishing on the market because buyers think they’re priced too high. Generally speaking, if a property doesn’t sell in its first two weeks, it will be on the market for several months.” Bakerview Square construction begins Construction is underway on Bakerview Square, a project designed to become the newest neighborhood retail center in Bellingham’s West Bakerview area. The Square, scheduled to open February 2007, will feature retail stores, restaurants, professional offices and more. Bakerview Square, located at the corner of West Bakerview Road and Eliza Avenue, will be constructed in two phases. Phase I includes 42,000 feet of retail, 1,800 feet of second floor office, as well as a 22,000-square-foot pad site fronting on West Bakerview Road. Faber Bros. Construction Corporation is designing and constructing Bakerview Square, and Horizon Bank is providing the financing for the project. Bakerview Square is pre-leasing Phase I for February 2007 occupancy. Green Touch moves to new location Green Touch, a massage service and supply business, has moved from downtown Bellingham the Iowa Business Park. Green Touch provides massage services through five therapists offering Swedish, treatment, deep tissue, sports, craniosacral, hot stone, Reiki and manual lymphatic drainage modalities. The store sells massage supplies, including massage tables and chairs from Oakworks and Custom Craftworks, linens, lubricants, CDs, massage tools and topical pain relievers. It also carries a complete line of therapeutic-grade essential oils along with diffusers. Other health-related products include Fit Balls in a variety of sizes, and a complete line of yoga supplies. Green Touch actively pursues local products such as Soundings of the Planet CDs, NatraBio’s “The Rub” and Tree Frog Farm flower essences. Innovative massage products such as the new gel-filled face cradles are offered as well. The move to the Iowa Business Park will provide easier access and free parking for Green Touch customers and clients. The company’s goal is to more conveniently provide the same quality service and retail products its customers and clients have come to know and appreciate. Local power equipment dealer up for national award Ferndale-based Carl’s Mower and Saw, Inc. is a finalist in the Yard & Garden Dealers in Excellence Awards, which are designed to recognize the industry’s most professional, well-rounded, forward-thinking outdoor power equipment dealers. Dealers from all over the country are evaluated for excellence in equipment sales, parts and service operations. More than 100 dealers are nominated each year, from which 15 finalists are selected and broken into three categories based on annual sales volume. Carl’s Mower & Saw is one of five finalists in Category I, dealerships with annual sales below $1 million a year. The three winning dealers are announced at the industry’s premier trade show, the Lawn, Garden & Power Equipment EXPO October 7 in Louisville, Ky. HHS begins campaign for LTC planning Governor Chris Gregoire and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services began a campaign to increase awareness of the critical need to plan for long-term care. In June a letter was mailed to every Washington resident 50-70 years old, offering a long-term care planning tool kit. As a local leader in long-term care insurance, Lisa Schork, CLTC, of LTC Capstone, is participating in this campaign by offering a complimentary copy of “Shopper’s Guide to Long-Term Care Insurance,” published by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. The Clothes Line changes hands, locations A family purchased and moved The Clothes Line, a children’s and maternity consignment boutique in Mount Vernon. Cassie Jacobson and her two daughters, Angela Wright and Kimberly Menne, are co-owners in the venture, now located on Parker Way in Mount Vernon, next to The Encore Shoppe, a women’s consignment shop. In the new 1,250-square-foot retail space, carefully chosen color schemes, artistic displays and a selective consigning process create the impression of shopping in an upscale boutique, but without the upscale prices. The Clothes Line features children’s and maternity apparel as well as an extensive selection of infant toys and furnishings. Among its unique and popular items are dressers, bookshelves and other furnishings hand-painted by a local artist. Motor Weld celebrates 20-year anniversary Motor Weld, Inc., a Bellingham-based company, is celebrating 20 years in service. Motor Weld specializes in heavy truck and trailer repair, and also offers heavy equipment maintenance, welding, fabrication and small truck and car repair. Serving the community for 20 years and retaining quality staff members such as 18-year veteran Dan Abercrombie and shop foreman Jim Baker are part of why the company has been and will continue to be a success. Gone Diving offers San Juan Island charters Captain Scott Sutton of Bellingham’s Gone Diving is offering San Juan Island diving charters. He will be leaving from the Port of Bellingham, taking divers out to explore the underwater world that has been rated as one of the best cold-water dive destinations in the world. Sutton received his U.S. Coast Guard license as a U.S. Merchant Marine Officer on May 9, 2006. Comcast adds new jobs in Washington Comcast is adding 284 new jobs in its Washington offices to keep pace with the growing demand for high-speed Internet, cable television and local phone services. With these new jobs, Comcast will have added 350 permanent, full-time positions in Washington in 2006, a 13 percent increase in the company’s workforce year-over-year. Comcast projects it will have nearly 3,000 employees in Washington by the end of the year. Nearly all of Comcast’s Western Washington locations, including Bellingham, will be adding employees. The majority of jobs are for front-line technicians, with the rest in engineering, sales and customer care.
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