August 31 - September 6, 2017
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Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay HHHECRWSSHHH Postal Customer
IN THIS
ISSUE
Winter coat drive starts on September 1, page 5
Activities galore await guests at Discover Birch Bay Days
BP construction begins, page 10
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Borderites prepare for the football season, page 13
Summer Fun in the Park draws hundreds to Marine Park
B y S t e fa n i e D o n a h u e
(See Discover, page 12)
s Live music, food vendors and an evening movie drew hundreds to Marine Park for the Summer Fun in the Park event on August 26. The event was organized by Windermere Real Estate duo Jen Freeman and Leah Crews and took place just days before the Blaine school district started classes on Wednesday, August 30. See more photos from the event on page 12. Photo by Molly Ernst
Crews race to finish Blaine High School construction By Oliver Lazenby On Tuesday, August 29 at the new portion of Blaine High School, construction crews and district staff hustled to get the building ready for the first day of school the following day. “We’re going to have a busy day,” project manager Jim Kenoyer said at a school board meeting on Monday, August 28. “[The district’s contractor] will have a
cleaning crew there first thing in the morning and they’re in for a long day.” By mid-day Tuesday, the four teachers in the new space were moved in to classrooms but waiting for a truckload of desks to arrive, district staff cleaned the dusty interior and contractors finished painting while concrete poured in the morning dried. The district also still needed the city of Blaine to issue a certificate of occupancy. By the end of the day, nothing was on
Blaine City Council authorizes mid-year budget adjustments Last month, Blaine entered into its third financial quarter for the year, and according to Blaine finance director Jeffrey Lazenby, the city’s budget is largely on target with expectations. Since passing the budget in December 2016, the city’s general fund contained 50.82 percent of the original budget estimate. Revenue was up by 5 percent in the second quarter in comparison to 2015 and expenditures were up 16 percent compared to 2015 and up 2 percent compared to 2016, according to a city staff report.
In conjunction with the mid-year budget report, Blaine City Council voted to approve a budget amendment, which will allocate an additional $661,000 for needs and services not originally approved in the annual budget. The funding will be pulled from six separate sources – uncommitted general funds, grants, equipment reserves, private contributions, one-time R.E.D. funds and capital funds. A total of 10 items were included on the approved list, most notably $350,000 for Sweet Road waterline improvements. The
budget amendment also allocates $100,000 for demolition costs of condemned buildings (costs will be recouped through property liens); a combined $70,000 for Lincoln Park trail improvements and the Cain Creek Park acquisition; $70,000 for Cain Creek stormwater improvements (75 percent of costs are covered by a Department of Ecology grant); $30,000 for street improvements west of Peace Portal Drive ($15,000 is covered through a Port of Bellingham grant); $20,000 (See Budget, page 15)
A Weekend of Family Fun!
TH
3N8UAL
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school district facilities supervisor Alan Pomeroy’s checklist that couldn’t be done with students in the building. The start of the school year marks the end of phase one of the three-phase high school addition and modernization project, a roughly $38 million project funded by a bond that voters passed in 2015. (See School, page 3)
INSIDE
Folks at the Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce are packing this year’s Discover Birch Bay Days agenda chock-full of activities for all ages. Now in its 38th year, Birch Bay’s crab-themed event will take place Saturday and Sunday, September 2 and 3, at 7930 Birch Bay Drive. Here’s a quick look at what’s on deck for the weekend: Starting at 10 a.m. on Saturday, more than 70 food and craft vendors will open shop and a handful of chainsaw-wielding woodcarvers will begin preparing for Sunday’s Extreme Chainsaw Sculpture auction. At 11:30 a.m., runners and walkers in the Discover Day Dash will take to the streets to race. At noon, the much-awaited Discover Birch Bay Days parade will begin. This year, the Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce booked Whatcom County Sheriff Bill Elfo as the parade’s grand marshal. Golf carts, floats, custom cars, walkers and even pets can participate, and event organizers are encouraging parade participants to deck their floats in beach, favorite sports team, “your community” or crab-themed décor. The top three floats will receive ribbons and the Birch Bay Chamber’s new “traveling” trophy will be awarded to the community that brings in the most golf carts. Participants in the parade are asked to complete an online registration form at bit.ly/2wchGhP before Saturday, September 2. The Birch Bay Chamber also requires participants to arrive at 11 a.m.
Coming Up . . . . . 14 Classifieds . . . . . 11 Letters . . . . . . . . . 4 Police . . . . . . . . . 14 Sports . . . . . . . . . . 6 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 14
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DISCOVER BIRCH BAY DAYS & CRAB FEST Birch Bay Beach Park - 7930 Birch Bay Dr.
See page 3 for details!
SEPT. 2 & 3 Details: BirchBayChamber.com