Nov. 30 - Dec. 6, 2017
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Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay HHHECRWSSHHH Postal Customer
IN THIS
ISSUE
Mike Dodd attends final BSD board meeting, page 3
City’s legislative agenda for 2018 session prioritizes infrastructure
High school basketball season begins, page 6
Meals on Wheels and More in demand, page 13
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Hundreds of Thanksgiving meals given to families in need
B y S t e fa n i e D o n a h u e
(See City, page 2)
s On November 22, volunteers with the Community Assistance Program and North Whatcom Fire and Rescue prepared turkey dinners with all the trimmings to families from Blaine, Birch Bay, Custer and Point Roberts who were without the means or ability to cook up a meal of their own. They distributed meals to an estimated 265 families at the Cost Cutter mall. Photo by Stefanie Donahue
Holiday Harbor Lights festival takes place this weekend All ages are welcome to attend the annual Holiday Harbor Lights festival, which culminates on Saturday, December 2. The event kicks off with the homemade arts and crafts Christmas bazaar at 674 Peace Portal Drive next to the Peace Arch City Café from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday. From 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, a slew of performers, including local musicians Matt Audette and Allie Ryser, will
set the stage at the holiday bazaar. Blaine’s school choir and band will play at the H Street Plaza from 4 to 5 p.m. that day. The sixth annual Holiday Lights Dash commences at 3 p.m. on Saturday and features a 1.5-mile obstacle course that begins in H Street Plaza and winds through H Street and Peace Portal Drive. All types of holiday attire are encouraged. The community tree lighting and caroling will take place at 4:30 p.m. on Sat-
New program could bring higher density housing to Birch Bay By Oliver Lazenby A new Whatcom County program could use Birch Bay as the first area to test denser single-family housing, in exchange for a fee that would benefit the preservation of farmland. On November 21, Whatcom County Council passed a zoning amendment that would allow developers to build up to 14 single-family homes per acre, up from seven, in the resort commercial zone in Birch Bay. Developers would need to buy
a “density credit” at a proposed cost of $4,000 for each additional unit beyond what current zoning allows. The fees would be used for the county’s purchase of development rights program, which pays owners of qualifying farmland to abandon their right to develop their land in the future. “The county essentially purchases an easement that says you can’t build more houses on the property, but you can continue farming it,” said county senior planner Matt Aamot.
The county’s purchase of development rights program began in 2001 and to date has purchased 127 development rights totaling 899 acres. The council will determine what to charge for density credits at its Tuesday, December 5 meeting, Aamot said. Multiple county committees suggested that credits should cost $4,000. Council member Barbara Brenner entered the sole vote against the amend(See Housing, page 2)
urday at the H Street Plaza and Santa and Mrs. Claus will arrive soon after to offer candy canes, hot cocoa and family photos. Free horse-drawn carriage rides will be offered from 5 to 7 p.m. and boats of all shapes and sizes will be decorated in lights for viewers at the Blaine Visitor Dock from 6 to 7 p.m. Learn more about Blaine’s annual Holiday Harbor Lights Festival on page 8 and 9 or visit blaineholidayharborlights.com.
INSIDE
In anticipation of the 2018 legislative session beginning in January, Blaine City Council voted for state lawmakers to prioritize two major infrastructure projects for Blaine. By a 5–0 vote on November 27, the city council requested the state legislature allocate funding for the I-5/Exit 274 project and to extend utilities to Blaine’s eastern city limits. “These two elements are our primary legislative goals and objectives,” said Blaine city manager Dave Wilbrecht. “I know these are important projects to the council.” The 2018 legislative goals agenda is a guiding document and does not include a specific funding request for the I-5/Exit 274 project. Wilbrecht said the city will start working with the Washington State Department of Transportation this week to determine costs and will eventually submit a funding request to the state legislature. For the east Blaine utility extension, the city is requesting $3.2 million in capital funding. This year, Blaine’s legislative agenda is much shorter than last year’s which, in addition to the I-5/Exit 274 project and east Blaine utility extension, also prioritized the relocation of the Vehicle and Cargo Inspection System (VACIS), the reinstatement of the passenger train stop in Blaine and an increase to the one-cent per gallon gas tax. None of the city’s 2017 projects received funding. Although the legislature approved funding for the first phase of the I-5/Exit 274 project in the state’s transportation bill, Governor Jay Inslee later gave it a line-item veto, citing a lack of information. The state legislature also turned down a request from
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