July 10 - 16, 2025
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IN THIS
ISSUE
New Blaine Senior Center operations director, page 3
Orcas return to Drayton Harbor, page 6
July 4 trash cleaned from Birch Bay, page 10
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Nature’s Path Fourth of July packs streets of downtown Blaine provides large donation to food bank By Nolan Baker
(See Food bank, page 3)
s A group of riders led by Paso del Norte owner Miguel Ramos closed out Blaine’s Old-Fashioned Fourth of July parade with a performance of dancing horses. Thousands of people filled downtown Blaine for the Independence Day celebrations, which included a street fair, car show, live music, beer garden and fireworks. See pages 8-9 for more Fourth of July photos. Photo by Louise Mugar
East Blaine de-annexation ballot measure to go before council Measure vote slated for July 14. If approved, it will appear on Nov. ballots By Grace McCarthy Blaine City Council is expected to vote on whether it will place a ballot measure in the November election that would allow city residents to vote on removing 552 acres of the Grandis Pond property from city limits in east Blaine. If the measure passes in the election, council would then vote on adding urban growth area (UGA) near Semiahmoo and near Odell Road to be developed in the future. Council will consider the resolution to
place the de-annexation measure on November 4 ballots during its Monday, July 14 meeting in council chambers, 435 Martin Street. City officials have said Blaine may be the first city in the state to try to de-annex. Ahead of its vote, the city is already seeking people to serve on committees providing statements for and against the measure in the voter pamphlet. In a July 2 notice, the city requested three city residents serve on each committee and set an application deadline of Thursday, July 10.
Peace Portal Drive construction expected through mid-September By Grace McCarthy A section of the main thoroughfare in downtown Blaine will be under construction from July until mid-September as the Downtown Revitalization Project makes Americans with Disabilities Act and other improvements. Peace Portal Drive will be closed to vehicle traffic from H to Boblett streets starting Monday, July 14. Construction is expected to last until Sunday, September 14.
A detour for vehicles will be set up on 3rd Street. Businesses will remain open during the construction. There will be a pedestrian crossing on Martin Street, between the west end of Peace Portal Drive and 3rd Street. Pedestrian crossings will also be established on Clark Street, between Peace Portal Drive and 3rd Street, and in the alley behind Peace Portal Drive. The construction is for phase one of the
Downtown Revitalization Project. The first phase will have sidewalk replacement, tree removal, electrical work, installment of pedestrian rails and crosswalk repainting from H to Boblett streets, Blaine Public Works Department director Harpiar Gandhi said. Council voted May 16 to cut $500,000 from the already trimmed $3.8 million project in light of budget concerns. Premium Services, Inc. is contracted to do the construction.
If council approves placing the measure on ballots, it will also appoint committee members during the July 14 meeting. City staff first presented council with the proposal to de-annex part of east Blaine and swap the lost UGA last October. Staff formulated the swap after realizing the new owners of Grandis Pond likely wouldn’t start construction before the land use entitlements were set to expire. The property had been slated to bring over (See De-annex, page 3)
INSIDE
Nature’s Path, an organic cereal and granola manufacturer in Blaine, recently stopped by the Blaine Food Bank with a donation on July 7. Not just any donation – this was the first installment of a planned donation of roughly 30,000 pounds, going out across northwest Washington. The first installment from the organic food company tallied 7,000 pounds – with another 23,000 pounds coming over the next few weeks. It’s too much for the Blaine Food Bank (BFB) to store and distribute on its own, so the two organizations have partnered to deliver organic cereal and granola to food banks across Whatcom and Island counties. Lisa Dobbin, BFB’s executive director, said the donation is the largest single-source corporate donation the food bank has ever received. “It’s an overwhelming world right now, and the need is getting greater and greater every day,” Dobbin said. “I don’t think there’s really any appropriate way we can ever fully appreciate them for everything they’re doing.” It’s one part of a track record of philanthropy from the Blaine-based Nature’s Path. Through the company’s “Bite4Bite” program, Nature’s Path donates a minimum of $2 million worth of food every year to agencies fighting hunger across North America. For the past 25 years, Nature’s Path has also partnered with Feed the Children, a nonprofit fighting childhood food insecurity, providing 1.3 million pounds of food to children in need. It’s also not the first time the company has donated to BFB. Nature’s Path has made intermittent donations for years and provided gift bags during Christmas. Nature’s Path decided to give back to its
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