With recent record-breaking heat across Western Washington, people in Bellingham may be left to find unique ways to stay cool this summer.
With the rising cost of living, it may be difficult for some to afford to try new ways to cool off. Over the last 20 years, house and rent prices have increased faster than incomes have for most families across America. The cost of gas has been at its highest since July 2022.
Higher costs of living and wages failing to match mean less discretionary income, the money one has after taxes and essential expenses. At the Community Boating Center, their mission is to provide an affordable space for safe recreation access for anyone.
“We are forecasted to do over $160,000 worth of free or reduced-cost programming for our community,” said Sarah Welsh, the strategic development director at the CBC. “We also have already said yes to over $14,000 worth of scholarships.”
Welsh believes that in the current age of technology, it is important that people get outside and connect with the world around them.
“We're there really to try and get as many people out on the water as possible, as safely as possible, and just remove as many barriers as we can,” Welsh said.
The Community Boating Center aims to remove any additional stressors for people when it comes to affording to get out on the water.
“We have season passes – we don't do memberships because they sound exclusive – but we do a season pass where you purchase one and you get unlimited rentals for the season,” Welsh said. “We do 50% discounts for students, seniors, veterans and people with disabilities and anyone basically who asks for that discount.”
The center also offers free and low-cost enrichment programming serving affinity groups, people who share the same backgrounds or interests, who may not have other safe opportunities to get out on the water.
They host a Wild Woman Paddle and work with Vamos Outdoors to offer their programs in Spanish. They also host a Pride Paddle Out and have adaptive paddles for those with cognitive and physical disabilities.
A little closer to home for Western Students on the edge of Lake Whatcom is the Lakewood Boathouse, where Carolyn Schmode is the operations coordinator.
“We have a really special place here and our main goal is to get students out here on the water, get people interested and excited about new water sports if they've never done anything on the water,” Schmode said.
All of Lakewood’s kayaks, paddle boards, canoes and small sailboats are free to rent for Western students.
“Our goal is to keep things as low cost, low barrier to entry for students as we can,” Schmode said. “With our sailing classes, $15 a class for four classes is the program that we offer, and you're really not going to find sailing classes being any cheaper than that around here.”
Recently, Devon Hoalst, a third-year student at Western, went to Lakewood to spend the day on the water and took advantage of the classes there.
“I signed up for the basic sailing class with my friend and the two of us did it. It was one of the best $60 I've ever spent,” Hoalst said. “It was like 12 hours worth of lessons for just 60 bucks.”
Another place catered towards Western students renting affordable outdoor gear is the Outdoor Center. Lucie Salsbury, a bike technician there, talks about the importance of affordability for students.
“With the cost of living getting higher, you have bigger problems to worry about;buying outdoor gear already is expensive. I think that having affordable options where you can rent and do gear swaps and figure all that out – and make it more accessible for students – is super important,” Salsbury said.
Prices at the WWU Outdoor Center vary depending on what day of the week someone is renting and whether they are a Western student or not. Renting a single kayak for a day can range from $30 to $40 or $75 to $112.50 if rented for the weekend. A fraction of the price of buying one, which tends to cost at least a couple of hundred dollars.
Schmode believes that as the cost of living rises, it becomes harder to connect and find community spaces. This makes it important for spaces like Lakewood to exist and be affordable.
“For folks interested in getting out on the water and learning a new skill like sailing or kayaking, they’re lifelong sports,” Schmode said. “You know, there's a whole world out there for people to engage with.”
Laney Lark (she/her) is a city life reporter for The Front. She is a third-year student at Western, majoring in archaeology and minoring in journalism. When she's not in the newsroom, she can be found late-night crafting or taking a nap with her cat Darcy. You can reach her at laneylark.thefront@gmail.com.
