January 12 - 18, 2023
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Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay HHHECRWSSHHH Postal Customer
IN THIS
ISSUE
Taco Bell opens, page 4
Ad hoc downtown committee, page 5
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Boys basketball on winning streak, page 7
Marine Park shoreline under construction City to seek funding for Bell Road overpass By Ian Haupt
(See Bell Road, page 2)
2022 year in
REVIEW
s The Blaine Marine Park shoreline will be under construction near the playground area until mid-February as the city of Blaine finishes its decade-long Marine Park Reconstruction Project. The playground will be closed until Wednesday, February 15. The project’s second phase will repair the remaining shoreline and add two pocket beaches near the Lighthouse Point Water Reclamation Facility this fall. Read more on page 5. Photo by Molly Ernst
City eyes UPS building as future justice center By Grace McCarthy The city of Blaine is considering purchasing the UPS building on Peace Portal Drive to become a justice center that could house an expanded police station, evidence storage, municipal court and other city offices. Blaine City Council unanimously voted for the city manager to sign a letter of intent on the property after an executive session in the January 9 council meeting. The letter would allow the city time for a feasibility study on whether the UPS supply Chain Solutions building at 2150 Peace
Portal Drive could have city offices and departments such as the police department, which has special building requirements. The feasibility study would also allow the city to develop cost estimates for purchasing and renovating the building that Blaine residents would ultimately vote on in a future election, according to city documents. “We’re going to need a police station that’s going to cost a lot of money to build it new. I think this is a great option to look at,” councilmember Eric Davidson said during the meeting. “I look forward to seeing what they find, not only for the police
Looking back at a year that just was
By Grace McCarthy Continued from last week ... July • David Wilbrecht was sworn in as interim city manager following the resignation of former manager Michael Jones. Wilbrecht served as the city’s manager from 2013 to 2018. • Cabana Cuts hair studio opened in Birch Bay on July 1. • The first northern giant hornet nest found in the U.S., in east Blaine, was put on display at the Smithsonian National Museum
of Natural History in Washington, D.C. • Blaine had its Old-Fashioned Fourth of July parade for the first time since the pandemic. Thousands attended for the parade, car show, live music, vendors and fireworks show. • The Northern Light sat down with Harmit Gill, the new U.S. Customs and Border Protection port director for the Blaine area. Gill, a longtime Blaine resident, discussed what he hoped to accomplish in his first year and how he’s improving transparency within the agency.
• The Pacific Arts Association brought back in-person performances and classes at Blaine Harbor Music Festival and Camp for the first time since the pandemic. • Whatcom County Library System hosted Pride in the Park to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community at Blaine Marine Park. • The national suicide and crisis hotline changed to 988 to create better access to services. • Former mayor and Blaine Food Bank op(See Year in Review, page 3)
department, but for other potential tenants for revenue for Blaine.” The current city council has had discussions on expanding the police station since the beginning of 2022. The station has been in the former post office, built in the ‘60s at the corner of H and 3rd Streets, since the mid-90s. The previous city council had asked the city to give one-third of the adjacent old city hall property for the station’s expansion. City staff gave council the choice to (See UPS, page 2)
INSIDE
Although the project was ditched in 2020, the city of Blaine will be seeking grant funding in February with the support of BNSF Railway to build a bridge over the railroad crossing on Bell Road near its intersection with Peace Portal Drive. The city of Blaine has hired David Evans and Associates, Inc. to conduct a feasibility study for the Bell Road grade separation project that will help the city write grants for funding. Blaine City Council approved the $80,000 contract during its December 12, 2022 meeting. The Bell Road and Peace Portal Drive intersection, which connects downtown Blaine to Birch Bay and Semiahmoo and offers access to I-5, causes delays for many commuters during rush hour and when a train is present. The angled street approach to the four-way stop often leaves drivers confused as to who has the right-of-way. Interim city manager Dave Wilbrecht said the city needs a fix for the dysfunctional intersection. A grade separation was considered in 2020, but was deemed too costly, so the city pursued adding streetlights and additional traffic lanes. When BNSF officials monitoring the grade separation project contacted the city in late 2022 to offer support, Wilbrecht said the city decided it was the best solution and began work toward securing funding. The feasibility study will determine the scope, design and cost elements of the project to support the city with future grant applications, Wilbrecht said. French Thompson III, public infrastructure and investments general director for BNSF, told The Northern Light in an email that BNSF sees a grade separation as the long-term solution. BNSF will be offering the city grant writing support along with its federally mandated 5 percent contribution to the cost of the project. Thompson also said with the passing of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) in November 2021, this is an ideal time to
Coming Up . . . . . 14 Classifieds . . . . . 11 Letters . . . . . . . . . 4 Police . . . . . . . . . 14 Sports . . . . . . . . . . 7 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 14
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