FREE
Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay
May 25 - 31, 2017
HHHECRWSSHHH Postal Customer
Birch Bay Kite Festival returns May 27–28, page 2
IN THIS
ISSUE
Representatives object to I-5 exit 274 project funding veto
Bail set for hit-andrun suspect, page 7
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
BHS hosts college signing event, page 10
Picnic in the Playground draws a crowd to Bay Horizon Park
B y S t e fa n i e D o n a h u e
(See Veto, page 3)
s Just in time for good weather, Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation District 2 hosted Picnic in the Playground on May 20 at Bay Horizon Park. The well-attended event featured superhero and villain-themed games and plenty of food. Photos on page 15.
There’s a full slate of candidates for this year’s election The candidate pool for this year’s election features a mix of familiar faces and eager locals who are looking to test the waters of public service for the first time. The deadline to declare candidacy was May 19 and a total of 154 people filed to run for office in the 2017 general election, according to the Whatcom County Auditor’s Office. Here’s a list of the approved candidates who filed for a county council at-large
seat and on local councils and commissions in Blaine last week: Whatcom County Council; nonpartisan, four-year term: At-large, position A: Current council chair Barry Buchanan and Mary Kay Robinson. Blaine City Council; nonpartisan, four-year term: Ward 1, position 2: Incumbent Bonnie Onyon, running unopposed. Ward 2, posi-
BHS expansion back on track; phase 1 set to finish in August By Oliver Lazenby Phase one of Blaine School District’s $29.5 million high school expansion project is nearly back on track after winter delays and scheduled to finish this August. That phase of construction is taking place south of the current high school and includes a cafeteria, a small theatre, a new greenhouse, space for construction skills and technical education
Birch Bay
Photo by Heidi Holmes
programs, band and choir rooms and other classroom space. Currently, structural steelwork and glasswork is finished. The building is weather-tight, with a roof, and much of the ductwork, electrical work and other mechanical work complete. Cold weather delayed construction this winter but the project should be back on track by the end of May, project manager Jim Kenoyer told the school board at its May 22 meeting.
“At this point, we’re doing pretty well,” he said. “We’ve sent a memo to staff; they have boxes and packing tape ready to go.” Phase two, which includes a two-story classroom building connecting the first phase to the science building will start in late June. The district is still looking into options for building a grandstand, which was originally included in the project but cut by the school board when bids came in over budget last June.
tion 4: Incumbent Charley Hawkins and Justin Ledesma. Ward 3, position 6: Incumbent Paul Greenough and Eric Davidson. At-large position 7: Incumbent Harry Robinson; Barrie Hull; and Alicia Rule. Blaine school district; nonpartisan, four-year term: Director, district 3: Incumbent Joan Lotze, (See Election, page 2)
INSIDE
Last week, Governor Jay Inslee vetoed millions of dollars in funding for a long-awaited project that would improve interstate access to Blaine. The move provoked a flurry of questions from legislators who are now calling on the governor for answers. “The people of Whatcom County, and in particular the people of Blaine, are troubled and confused by your veto of a much needed transportation project at exit 274 on I-5,” read a letter penned by state senator Doug Ericksen (R-Ferndale) to Inslee. “We are all a little fuzzy on your reasoning.” On May 16, Inslee vetoed multiple items from a transportation funding bill that was passed by the state senate in late April. The bill would have allocated $12,100,000 for the first phase of Blaine’s exit 274 interchange project during the 2023-2025 fiscal biennium. In a statement, Inslee cited a lack of information about the scope and cost of the project as the primary reason for the veto. “The I-5/exit 274 interchange project in Blaine does not appear in LEAP Transportation Document 2017-1, nor is there any information about project scope,” he wrote. “This LEAP transportation document should not be amended for a project without sufficient information about its scope and cost. For this reason, I have vetoed [the project from the bill].” But local reps don’t think that’s enough, particularly Ericksen. “I invite you to come to Blaine in the coming weeks to enlighten us as to why
Coming Up . . . . . 14 Classifieds . . . . . 11 Letters . . . . . . . . . 4 Police . . . . . . . . . 14 Sports . . . . . . . . . . 6 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 14
TheNorthernLight.com TheNorthernLight
@TNLreporter
KITE FESTIVAL & PET SHOW
MAY 27 & 28
10 A.M.-2 P.M.
Birch Bay Beach Park 7930 Birch Bay Drive
www.BirchBayChamber.com See ad on Page 2 for more details.
@PointRobertsPress