August 15 - 21, 2019
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Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay HHHECRWSSHHH Postal Customer
IN THIS
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School district holding back to school fair, page 6
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Blaine ‘Roadeo’ to feature heavy equipment, page 18
BBWSD plant receives ecology award, page 16
OFFICIAL PROGRAM ON PAGES 9-12
Lots to do at Fan Fest and Discover Birch Bay Days By Jami Makan
(See Fan Fest, page 3)
s School board director John Freal, r., congratulates Christopher Granger after the board voted to offer him the position of school district superintendent.
Photo by Oliver Lazenby
Christopher Granger hired as school superintendent By Oliver Lazenby The Blaine school board voted unanimously on August 12 to hire Christopher Granger as the next school district superintendent. Granger was previously an assistant superintendent at Bisbee Unified School District in Bisbee, Arizona. He wanted to move with his wife and four kids – ranging from third to 12th grade – to northwest Washington to be near family. “I’m excited about getting to work, getting to know people and building relationships,” Granger said. “I wanted to go somewhere I could stay a long time and see my kids all graduate from the same high school, and I felt like this is a place I could do that.” The school board made its decision on August 12, after an hour in executive session. The board spent that time reviewing feedback from a round of community interviews earlier in the day. The three candidates for the position spent the day cy-
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cling through four group interviews – one with parents and community members, one with school district staff, one with school district leadership and another with school board directors. “Obviously, it was a very tough decision,” said school board member Todd Berge. “We had three qualified candidates, but it came down to what we thought was best for the district and best for the students.” Berge, a school board director since 2003, has overseen the hiring of two other superintendents. He said this process included more opportunities for public involvement than the previous two. All the school board directors called it a hard decision, and several said feedback from community members and school staff helped reinforce their decision. “The feedback gave us a sense of how other people were seeing the candidates,” director Joan Lotze said. “I think it was more of a confirmation than a swing one
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way or the other.” Granger starts work on August 19. He’ll be sworn in at a school board meeting at 7 p.m. on Monday, August 26. At that same meeting, the board and school community will celebrate (See Granger, page 6)
INSIDE
Discover Birch Bay Days is coming up and features a weekend packed with fun activities for the whole family. The annual beachside event will take place in Birch Bay on August 16, 17 and 18. This year, the event will be combined with Fan Fest Northwest, which is coming to Birch Bay for the first time. Fan Fest is an annual gathering of fans of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. The combined events will result in plenty of activities for the whole family to enjoy, both football-related and otherwise. On Friday, August 16, Seahawks fans can enjoy Coffee with the Mamas – a chance to meet the mothers of current and former Seahawks players. Scheduled to attend are the mothers of current players Jarran Reed and Justin Britt and former players Marshawn Lynch, Michael Bennett and Lawyer Milloy. The meet and greet will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Woods Coffee in Birch Bay Square. From noon until 9 p.m., Birch Bay Beach Park will host a variety of attractions including vendors, live music, a beer garden and the Beast Bus. The Kids Zone Training Camp, featuring punt, pass and kick games, will take place from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m., and there will be a crab competition and crab fishing derby from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. All day long, there will be a chainsaw carving sculpture competition featuring more than a dozen carvers. From 6:30 p.m. until dusk, the Blue Friday Party will take place at the Birch Bay Waterslides. The party will be hosted by the Boot Boogie Babes, a Seattle line dance team, and will feature special guests Mama Lynch and former Seahawks player Hillary Butler. Music will be provided by DJ Non-Prophet, and there will be prize
Letters . . . . . . . . . 4 Classifieds . . . . . 14 Coming Up . . . . . 17 Police . . . . . . . . . 17 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 17
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