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Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay
December 16 - 22, 2021
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IN THIS
ISSUE
McKinney leaves school board, page 5
Power outages last up to 26 hours, page 6
School board votes on redistricting map, page 6
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Gateway 1890 Taphouse celebrates opening NWFR plans future without levy increase By Grace McCarthy
(See NWFR, page 5)
s Gateway 1890 Taphouse & Grill had its grand opening for beer enthusiasts on December 11. The taphouse located at 429 Peace Portal Drive is the brainchild of owner Gary Slavin, who opened The Rustic Fork Eatery across the street in December 2020. The family-friendly taphouse serves everything from a hearty burger to fish and chips to go along with over 20 craft beers on tap and 50 international and U.S. produced brews. See more photos on page 2. Photo by Louise Mugar
Horizon developer in contract to purchase Grandis Pond, affordable housing in the works By Grace McCarthy Grandis Pond, the largest east Blaine housing development that’s been decades in the making, could have a new owner. Harbor Custom Development (HCD) announced on December 3 it signed a $14 million contract to acquire the housing development slated to bring 1,000 lots to east Harvey Road in the next 10-15 years. HCD is the Gig Harbor-based real estate company that purchased the Horizon at Semiahmoo housing development in late June for
$14.3 million. Blossom Management president Ken Hertz purchased Grandis Pond in 2005, a 438-acre property that would significantly expand Whatcom County’s desperately-needed housing inventory. The project has been delayed, among many others in east Blaine, because of the expense to bring utility infrastructure to the area. Hertz said he decided to sell the development to HCD president and CEO Sterling Griffin because of HCD’s ability to build the homes, something Hertz said Blossom
12-year-old arrested after school shooting threat found in Blaine middle school bathroom By Ian Haupt Blaine Police Department (BPD) officers arrested a 12-year-old suspect after graffiti threatening a December 15 school shooting was found in a boys bathroom in Blaine middle school on the morning of December 14. The suspect was arrested without incident and booked into Whatcom County Juvenile Detention Center, according to a BPD statement.
This follows a similar incident where the Blaine school district went into lockout around four hours long December 10 while BPD investigated graffiti found in a girls bathroom on the high school campus. The investigation found no evidence of an active threat, superintendent Christopher Granger said in a message released after the incident. Other school districts in the county have experienced similar threats in recent weeks.
Following the district and BPD investigating and resolving the second threat in a matter of two school days, the agencies asked in a joint December 14 statement for community help in future situations. BPD chief Donnell Tanksley and Granger signed the statement. “In the vast majority of cases, these posts turn out to be non-credible threats where (See School, page 6)
Management didn’t have the capability to do. HCD is involved in the full housing cycle, from land acquisition to sales and management. Grandis Pond would be HCD’s largest project yet, according to a company statement. The company has also developed in Texas, California and Florida. HCD’s interest in east Blaine comes as the company is working with three builders to purchase 71 lots in the first phase of (See Housing, page 10)
INSIDE
North Whatcom Fire and Rescue (NWFR) is planning public outreach following voters rejecting its proposed levy rate increase in the August and November elections, which would have funded critical needs for the growing fire district. The levy lid lift would have increased the current rate of $1.15 per $1,000 of assessed value by 30 cents to $1.45 per $1,000 to replace outdated equipment and increase service to the levels needed in north Whatcom County. But voters rejected the levy by 53.8 percent in the August primary and then with even more opposition in the November general election, by 60.2 percent. “We ran it twice and the citizens have spoken,” NWFR chief Jason Van der Veen said. “It’s back to planning what our future will look like.” Van der Veen said NWFR will eventually bring a levy increase back to the table, but right now, he’s planning public outreach to better understand community needs and wants. With the fire district serving 38,000 people in 156 square miles that stretches north of Bellingham to the U.S./Canada border and runs from Birch Bay to just east of Lynden, those needs vary greatly, he said. “The community groups are so large and encompass different areas with different needs,” he said. “Different geographic spots seem to have different expectations.” NWFR commissioners will decide on the best route for public outreach in early 2022, which could include hiring a professional polling group, creating a citizens advisory board or hosting town halls. In the meantime, Van der Veen said NWFR is figuring out how to maintain its current service levels while the number of calls and complexity of issues the district faces grow. Calls surged more than 72 percent between 2011 and the end of 2021, Van der Veen said. The state’s new police reform law, HB 1310, isn’t helping with the difficulty of
Coming Up . . . . . 14 Classifieds . . . . . 11 Letters . . . . . . . . . 4 Police . . . . . . . . . 14 Sports . . . . . . . . . . 7 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 14
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