September 19 - 25, 2024
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Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay HHHECRWSSHHH Postal Customer
IN THIS
ISSUE
Drayton Harbor Oyster opens farm store, page 2
Petition circulates requesting Blaine Harbor fuel services
County sexual harassment investigation, page 3
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Joyce Vanderpol’s life remembered, page 8
‘Catoberfest’ raises funds for Blaine Food Bank
By Grace McCarthy
s Beach Cat Brewing co-owner Jake Gobeille, r., leads the ‘Catoberfest’ costume contest at Blaine Marine Park on September 14. Beach Cat, which held the event to raise money for Blaine Food Bank, organized taps from 10 breweries, food trucks, live music, a costume contest and lawn games. See more photos on page 15. Photo by Ruth Lauman
NWFR mulls future of Semiahmoo station By Nolan Baker
North Whatcom Fire and Rescue (NWFR) chief Jason Van Der Veen started his career in firefighting at Station 62 in Semiahmoo. In the mid-1990s, the small fire station had room for three resident firefighters, living in dormstyle rooms that left just enough space for one fire engine and one aid car. To Van Der Veen’s knowledge, that was the last time the Semiahmoo station was fully staffed. Three decades later, the building sits empty most days, without a crew to staff it, in desperate need of renovations and with its future in question. A June emergency declaration by (See Harbor fuel, page 5) tjohnson;Seattle;Clean Air Heating & Cooling;C33432-154586;10x2-4C (24Fa-B1)NWFR said the station, at 9001 SemiReceive up to $1,500 in rebates when you purchase the Ultimate Comfort System™*
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ahmoo Parkway just north of Semiahmoo Golf and Country Club, will require more than the original $350,000 upgrade approved in December 2023 to mitigate “severe water damage.” With a NWFR board of commissioners meeting set for Thursday, September 19, Van Der Veen said the department commissioners will discuss the future of the station, including considering relinquishing the property back to the city of Blaine. NWFR purchased property from the city of Blaine for $1 as part of a quit claim deed on May 8, 2013. According to the purchase agreement, the city would consider the property to be surplus so (See Fire station, page 5)
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A petition asking the Port of Bellingham to bring a fuel pump to Blaine Harbor has resurfaced conversations on fueling for boats mooring in the harbor, which have relied on Semiahmoo Marina to power their boats for nearly a decade. Previously, the now-shuttered Blaine Marina Inc. offered fuel to both recreational and commercial boats mooring in Blaine Harbor. The Semiahmoo Marina Condominium Association (SMCA) competed with Blaine Marina Inc. for the best pricing, according to the petition, but that fuel service ended when Blaine Marina Inc. closed in 2015 after 60 years in business. In 2016, the port discussed bringing back fuel services to Blaine Harbor over several meetings. During the April 5, 2016 meeting, Semiahmoo Marina harbormaster Doug Romano and Paul Barlock, then president of SMCA board of directors, presented to the port commissioners about offering fuel discounts to boats mooring in Blaine Harbor as an alternative to restarting fueling in Blaine. Barlock told commissioners that Semiahmoo offering fuel would let the port to save money on installing and operating a fuel dock, allowing the port to allocate that money to other improvements in the harbor. Milan Slipcevic, then president of Whatcom Commercial Fishermen’s Association, said during the April 2016 meeting that he was concerned about the lack of competition for Semiahmoo. “The intent is not to become a commercial monopoly as much as spend your money wisely and if we can help the port, we want to help you,” Barlock had said. Dream Boat Company owner Randall Parten said the discount ended several years ago along with a discount for commercial boaters and Semiahmoo Yacht Club tenants. Parten, who operates the yacht brokerage out of Blaine Harbor, created the petition to the Port of Bellingham calling on the port to prioritize bringing fuel services
Coming Up . . . . . 14 Classifieds . . 11, 12 Letters . . . . . . . . . 4 Police . . . . . . . . . 14 Sports . . . . . . . . 6, 7 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 14
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