Whatcom County town fights its planned demise

MARIETTA, Whatcom County — Once a thriving fishing community, this small town has changed along with the river that provided for it.

On Marine Drive just a few miles outside Bellingham, Marietta offers a stark contrast to much of fast-growing Whatcom County. A spray-painted real-estate sign in front of a rotting house warns "No Yuppies!" The town lost its 98268 ZIP code, and its combination grocery, gas station and post office was shuttered long ago.

Now the town itself may be lost forever.

With the Nooksack River and stormwater often rushing through Marietta's streets, the county has plans to buy out the flood-prone town. By razing more than 20 homes and abandoned buildings, officials could return the area to a flood plain.

But the residents who have carved out a home in Marietta see it differently — as a chance to have their own tightknit community. Marietta's property values are among the lowest in the county, and for some, the town represents their only chance to own a home.

"I'm not selling my house," said Paul Ridley, a Marietta resident. "They don't have the money to buy me out."

The county's plan, outlined last month at a County Council committee meeting, would involve a long-term buyout for the area. The town's dike, which is filled with unknown material, allows water to ooze through the soil. Coupled with stormwater coming over roads during hard rains, Marietta can quickly flood.

The cost of improving Marietta's levee is estimated at $984,000. County officials say buying out and demolishing the 122-year-old town would cost $852,000 — a higher benefit for the county's expense, which could also open the project to federal grant money.

Paula Cooper, the county's river-and-flood manager, summed up the options for the council during the meeting: "Rebuilding the levee is going to be too expensive."

News of a potential buyout shocked 24-year-old April White. She and her husband, Ken, have spent the past four years remodeling their Marietta home.

"Ten grand for a two-bedroom house," she said. "Where else am I going to find it for that much, other than on two wheels or in a trailer park?"

White, whose 2-year-old son, Kenny, drowned in the Nooksack River a year ago, said her neighbors rallied around the family during their tragedy.

"I'd rather not live anywhere else than here," she said. "The support I have in the community is more than I'd get anywhere else."

Ridley agreed.

"We're not giving up our homes," he said.

Ridley's brick-and-mortar house abuts the leaking dike, its sandbag-lined top in his back yard. Going through reams of papers outlining past cleanup efforts by residents of Marietta, he rattled off a list from memory: 500,000 pounds of trash and garbage removed, 237 abandoned vehicles taken away and 14,000 pounds of appliances disposed of.

Though the county has helped during cleanups and by mowing drainage areas, Ridley said the public-works department has yet to help improve the leaking dike despite repeated requests.

Residents also worry that a buyout could shortchange them. Property owners would receive a "fair market value" for their homes as determined by an appraiser. However, with property values lower in Marietta than in other parts of the county, it could be difficult for residents to buy land elsewhere.

Though the public-works department presented the plan during the Feb. 15 meeting, none of Marietta's residents had been notified in advance. Most found out about the plan only after being contacted by a reporter.

After receiving a barrage of telephone calls over the proposed buyout from Marietta residents, Cooper said no firm decisions had been made.

"We're still trying to figure out what to do with that area overall," she said. "It's a difficult problem area."

County Councilwoman Barbara Brenner, who represents Marietta, said she'd had the impression that the public-works department already had contacted residents about the proposed buyout.

"When we have public meetings, we believe people who have requested to be involved should be involved," she said. "To not invite them personally ... it may be legal, but it's not very ethical."

Brenner met with Marietta residents to discuss the proposed buyout. She also plans to accompany public-works officials to the town.

"I have a soft spot for Marietta," Brenner said. "It's such an old type of a community, and I appreciate that."

For Ridley's wife, Karen, its history makes for tight bonds.

"If people drive through it, it looks like a neglected old place," she said. "But I could go run out on the street and holler, and everyone would come to see what's wrong."