July 30 - August 5, 2020
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Blaine man charged with meth smuggling, page 3
Drive-in movies coming to Birch Bay, page 6
Annual Peace Arch art exhibit open, page 10
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Pause on phase Peace Arch Sculpture Exhibition open now advancement, dining limits among new Covid-19 rules By Grace McCarthy
EXPERIENCE THE
! N FU
s A piece titled “Rocketman” on display at Peace Arch Park as part of the annual exhibition. Artist Ron Simmer said in the exhibition brochure that the sculpture “symbolizes man’s urge to explore the world and the universe.” See story and photos on page 10 Photo by Kyra Planetz
City accepts downtown bid by Nimbus By Oliver Lazenby The city of Blaine will sell a vacant downtown property at 665 Peace Portal Drive to Nimbus Properties LLC for $325,000, slightly above its asking price of $300,000. City council voted unanimously in favor of the sale at its July 27 meeting. The purchase and sale agreement includes a $39,000 incentive for Nimbus to have a completed building ready for business within 18 months of the agreed upon closing date of December 1, 2020. That incentive comes in two six-percent rebates: One for submitting a building permit for a mixed-use structure within six months of closing and another for getting an occupancy permit from the city within one year of receiving the building permit. That would essentially make the purchase price $286,000 – just above the amount the city spent on preparing the property for sale – if Nimbus meets
those deadlines. The city acquired the property, currently the site of a concrete pad on the Drayton Harbor side of the street just south of Blaine Bouquets, in lieu of foreclosure in October 2019. It spent about $283,000 overall in staff time, legal fees and other expenses to demolish a derelict building at the site that required asbestos abatement and other toxic abatement. The council voted to list the property for $300,000 at a June 29 meeting and received three offers within two weeks of putting the property on the market. Of the three, offers from Nimbus and Sall LLC were highest, though very different. Nimbus offered up to $360,000, depending on the next highest viable offer. Sall LLC made an offer of $429,000, but $129,000 of that was a deposit that would be returned to Sall LLC if it obtained a building permit within six months of closing.
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Both potential buyers proposed to take advantage of new incentives the city offered for completing a project in a timely manner. At its July 13 meeting, the council discussed the offers in executive session and (See Nimbus, page 7)
Letters . . . . . . . . . 4 Recipes . . . . . . . . . 8 Home & Garden . . 9 Traffic Rules . . . . 13 Police . . . . . . . . . 14 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 14
INSIDE
Governor Jay Inslee announced an indefinite pause on counties advancing in the state’s Safe Start phased reopening plan on July 28. This follows new changes that he introduced to the plan during a June 23 press conference, including dining restrictions and a new rent moratorium. Starting July 30, indoor dining will be limited to household members, alcohol sales must end at 10 p.m., restaurants must close game areas, and bars will close indoor service. The mandate defines bars as taverns, breweries, wineries, and distilleries. Breweries and wineries with restaurant licenses can continue restaurant operations if they follow guidelines for dine-in restaurants. Gyms and fitness centers in phase 2 will be limited to five people or fewer. Whatcom County is in phase 2. For counties in phase 3, restaurant table size will be reduced to a maximum of five people and total occupancy will be limited to 50 percent of building capacity. Indoor movie theatres and fitness centers in phase 3 will be limited to 25 percent occupancy. This includes gyms, indoor pools, ice rinks, indoor volleyball courts and indoor tennis facilities, Inslee said. There will also be a prohibition on indoor family entertainment and recreation centers like mini golf, bowling alleys and arcades. Indoor movie theatre occupancy will be limited to 25 percent for counties in phase 3 and indoor cardrooms will be prohibited. Starting Monday, August 10, wedding, funeral ceremonies planned before the memorandum can continue but receptions will be prohibited. Indoor occupancy at these events must be 20 percent capacity or 30 people or fewer, whichever is less. A maximum of 30 people is allowed at outdoor ceremonies. If an event was planned after the memorandum, the new guidelines will go into effect July 30. Inslee said his efforts to constrain the (See Inslee, page 3)
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