Docks back at Lake Whatcom

Posted by Jasmin Worden on Thursday, June 6, 2019 at 3:48 PM By Jasmin Worden / June 6, 2019 Comment

More than a decade after the docks coming out they are finally coming back with lifeguards—though not in time for this summer :( I know, I know, but 2020 will be great!

Where hundreds of people gather on hot summer days to swim, picnic and play a little volleyball, the City of Bellingham last paid for lifeguards in 2004 and were removed due to budget cuts. Which was ironically the same time the old swimming dock was taken out.

The Bellingham Bay Rotary Club is leading the efforts in this project, which involves raising the $500,000 needed to construct the new dock described as the beloved "H" dock on the shores of Lake Whatcom.

Safety and water access for all children regardless of family income were other reasons why the project was needed, chiropractor Eddie Hansen, a member of the Rotary Club, told The Bellingham Herald for an earlier article.

Hansen went on to say that this idea was sparked by seeing kids lining up and jumping from the Electric Avenue Bridge into the lake, while motorists were driving by.

The Bellingham Bay Rotary Club has risen $400,000 so far, and Hansen was confident about coming up with the remainder!

As a kid, I remember swimming out to the docks, and I can't wait for them to come back!