September 1 - 7, 2016
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Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay HHHECRWSSHHH Postal Customer
IN THIS
ISSUE
District welcomes teachers to Blaine, page 4
Development proposal draws public response
Athletes prepare for a new season, page 6
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
How to stay active in Birch Bay this fall, pages 8-9
Blaine students return to class for another year
B y S t e fa n i e D o n a h u e A band of residents from Semiahmoo convened at Blaine City Hall on August 25 to sound their concerns and acclaim for a development proposal submitted to the city in late June. Led by Bellingham-based Rimland Pacific, the proposal recommends single-family, and potentially multi-family, residential housing development and the construction of an indoor storage facility, a small commercial center and a park at the southwest corner of Semiahmoo Parkway and Drayton Harbor Road. Planning commissioners at their August 25 meeting fielded a multitude of responses from the public – and it wasn’t the first time residents aired their opinions. A meeting back in April noted attendance of more than 90 people, and several left written comments behind. It is the responsibility of Blaine’s Planning Commission to archive public comment and later use it as a frame of reference when they compile a recommendation to the city council for a final vote. The project proposal calls for development of about 19 acres of land. The location sits north of the North Whatcom Fire and Rescue firehall and is currently home to wildlife and green space. The triangular plot is bordered by Semiahmoo Drive, Semiahmoo Parkway and more greenery. Project proponents would like to see the construction of a gated community comprised of 40 units designated for single-family townhouses or paired units in the first wave of development. A potential second phase of development would increase that total to 78 to 119 units. The proposal also includes an indoor storage facility, spanning 22,000 square feet, adjacent to Semiahmoo Drive. A small commercial center and park, to be owned either by the city or a neighborhood association, could come later, if approved. Development will result in changes to traffic patterns and density, alterations to existing roadways and access points and the partial elimination of the existing wildlife habitat – all just a few of the (See Project, page 2)
s Parents and young learners including Averill Gamble, left, and Shauntel Burgess-Royce, right, started the day early on August 31 for the first day of school. All grades except kindergarten started school on Wednesday; Tuesday, September 6 marks the first full day for kindergarteners. More information can be found at blainesd.org
Photo by Molly Ernst
Electrical problems fixed for first school day at Blaine High School By Oliver Lazenby Electricity was off a little longer than expected at Blaine High School after an electrical mishap on August 18 damaged some wiring and equipment, but everything was back in working order for the first day of school on Wednesday. Electricity was shut off on August 4 so that work crews could move a transformer and install new wiring, one of the first steps in the $29.75 million high school expansion. An attempt to reestablish power to the campus failed and damaged some
copper ground wire and infrastructure for the school’s clocks and bells. “I think it lasted 15 seconds before it melted down,” project manager Jim Kenoyer said at an August 22 school board meeting. Kenoyer estimated the damage will cost $100,000, but the contractor will have to pay for the additional costs. “In the end the district should not incur any cost on this,” Kenoyer said. “If there’s good news in it, it’s that the equipment was supposed to be replaced in high school phase two construction.”
Workers are currently installing water, sewer and stormwater infrastructure at the high school. A hole north of the track – the future home for new tennis courts – will soon be filled with crushed gravel and a stormwater retention system called StormTech, which diverts rainwater to a series of fiberglass chambers partially filled with crushed rock. The chambers retain rainwater and release it slowly, reducing impacts downstream. (See School, page 2)
B y P at G r u bb Smoked marijuana? Not an American? Better think twice before you unburden your guilty conscience to a U.S. border official. Ted Gilliat likes to go down to Point Roberts with his four- and six-year-old daughters to fly kites at Lighthouse Marine Park. He won’t be doing that anytime soon after undergoing over four hours of examination at the U.S. port of entry on Sunday, August 21 – a harrowing experience that led to his permanent exclusion from the United States.
His offense? He admitted to border personnel that he smokes marijuana. He’s not the only one recently banned from entering the States. According to Blaine immigration attorney Len Saunders, “I am aware of two exclusion incidents involving marijuana use, past and present, that happened in Point Roberts last week.” Gilliat, 46, grew up in Tsawwassen, B.C. and has crossed the border countless times from his childhood onwards. In November 2005, he rode across the border on his bike and was discovered with 11 grams (less than 0.4 oz.) of marijuana in his backpack.
He was not prosecuted or fined and was allowed to return home to Canada. In 2011, he applied to the Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Admissibility Review Office for advance permission to enter the States. That August, he received what is referred to as a September Letter which stated: “Upon examination of the incident you were not arrested nor convicted, nor did you admit to committing acts which constitute the essential elements of a violation of any controlled substance (See Border, page 3)
INSIDE
U.S. border cracking down on past pot use Coming Up . . . . . 14 Classifieds . . . 11-12 Letter . . . . . . . . . . 4 Police . . . . . . . . . 14 Sports . . . . . . . . . . 6 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 14
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