BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Over the last few years, the Whatcom County bike, beer and live music community has enjoyed the space that the Port of Bellingham has created on the waterfront in downtown Bellingham.

On Friday, the Port of Bellingham announced a new restoration project in that area, beginning work to provide a facelift to the existing digestive tanks that make the waterfront such an iconic location.

Port Commissioner Ken Bell spoke with MyBellinghamNow, stating that this iconic part of the waterfront is not going anywhere.

“What we wanted to do was make sure we put a good face on them,” Bell said. “They’re not going anywhere.”

The Port has hired Purcell Painting and Coatings, a Tukwila-based company that specializes in projects like this.

Another iconic Bellingham landmark, the Acid Ball, went through a similar process a few years ago. According to the Port’s website, the plan is to strip the existing paint off of the almost 90-year-old tanks and allow them to rust. The Port’s goal is to make both the Acid Ball and these digestive tanks look similar.

The Port is working with the Washington State Department of Ecology, the Northwest Clean Air Agency and the Washington State Labor and Industries to ensure that the work done on these large tanks is conducted with minimal harm to the environment. Instead of using a sandblaster, Purcell will be using a power washer to limit particles in the air. The Port also mentions that water runoff and paint from this project will be captured by plastic sheets below the tanks.

Bell mentioned that in the future, the Port is interested in changing the appearance of these tanks by either moving them around the waterfront, painting them or adding lights.

This project will begin on April 1 and is projected to be complete by the end of the month.