The Port of Bellingham and city of Bellingham, WA have joined forces to redevelop 137 waterfront acres that the port acquired from Georgia-Pacific in 2005. This weekly update is provided by the port.

Three long metal warehouses along the Whatcom Waterway wharf are nearly gone as demolition work at the former Georgia-Pacific site in Bellingham continues.

Last week demolition contractor Nuprecon tore down one warehouse. It is preparing to remove the other two. Netting will be in place over the water at the end of the pier to ensure that no materials fall in. The warehouses were too dilapidated to restore.

The port is paying Nuprecon $411,000 for this phase of demolition.

Earlier this month, the company knocked down a heavily damaged two-story brick building where wood chips were sorted before going to a digester to make pulp. Some of the bricks will be kept for possible reuse, while the metal and most other demolished building components are being recycled.

Later this summer, Nuprecon will demolish the chlorine cell house, where chlorine was manufactured for use in the pulp bleaching process. The land at this site is contaminated and will undergo a cleanup planning process with the state Department of Ecology before it is redeveloped.

The port is paying for this phase of the waterfront demolition with a grant from the state