Dec. 20, 2018 - Jan. 2, 2019
FREE
Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay HHHECRWSSHHH Postal Customer
IN THIS
ISSUE
Locals celebrate Birch Meet Blaine school district’s Hear from Blaine’s ‘Youth of Bay playground, page 6 full-time police officer, page 7 the Year’ nominees, page 12
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Ring in New Public samples oysters at annual ‘Shell-ebration’ Year at Birch Bay events
s Drayton Harbor Oyster Company owner Steve Seymour, c., helps prepare oysters during the ‘Shell-ebration’ at the G Street Plaza on December 14. The event celebrated the second anniversary of recreational and commercial shellfish harvesting restrictions being lifted on more than 800 acres of Drayton Harbor. More ‘Shell-ebration’ on page 9. Photos by Dylan S. Green
BP donates $100,000 to future Birch Bay library By Oliver Lazenby BP Cherry Point donated $100,000 to Friends of the Birch Bay Library on December 17, kick-starting the group’s effort to fund a new library. It’s the first major public donation to the library, which will be built at 7290 Birch Bay Drive on
property the Whatcom County Library System purchased in 2017. “This is our kick off, really,” said Dianne Marrs-Smith, president of Friends of the Birch Bay Library. The friends group is responsible for funding construction. “I think this donation makes this project real. It’s really happening.”
Transitional home to address housing needs in Blaine B y T ay l o r N i c h o l s For homeless families living in Blaine, finding a place to sleep at night often means splitting up between men’s and women’s shelters in Bellingham. One step will be taken to solve this problem when a single-family home intended to help a homeless family will open in Blaine in the new year. Grace Lutheran Church in Blaine is partnering with the Interfaith Coalition, a Bell-
ingham-based organization dedicated to ending homelessness by providing housing, food and clothing for those in need, to open and manage Grace House. Grace House will provide a homeless family with affordable, temporary housing for up to one year until they are able to stabilize and move into a permanent home. The housing program is designed to help get families back on their feet through a joint effort between Interfaith, Grace Lutheran and the family themselves.
Pastor Aaron Zuch said the church is in the final phases of purchasing a four-bedroom home in Blaine and plans to have it available for a homeless family in need by mid-February. Once selected by Interfaith, the family will rent the home, which is located near the church, at a reduced rate based on family size and income. The tenants will also be responsible for utilities. (See Housing, page 14)
Before BP’s donation, the group had $20,000 in private donations. They expect it will take $3.5 to $3.7 million to build the library and five years to raise that amount. The Whatcom County Library System, which will operate the future library, held (See Library, page 4)
INSIDE
Two events in Birch Bay are sure to start the New Year off right. Beginning at 7 p.m. on Monday, December 31 is the Ring of Fire and Hope. As part of the annual event, participants line the shore of Birch Bay and light road flares as a symbol of peace and hope. “It’s a visual representation of community spirit,” said Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce executive director Douglas Bennion. “Dress warm and bring good thoughts.” Complimentary road flares will be available for pickup at 5:30 p.m. on December 31 at the Visitor Information Center, located at 7900 Birch Bay Drive. Road flares can also be purchased at Pacific Building Center, located at 2677 Bell Road. Bennion said chamber of commerce board members Billy Brown and Iain Buchanan helped pay for the chamber’s supply of road flares this year. “[Ring of Fire and Hope] is a chance for people to engage in the community,” he said. On Tuesday, January 1 is the Polar Bear Plunge, which draws hundreds of swimmers to Birch Bay Beach Park each year. Many who take part in the annual tradition don costumes for their goosebump-producing splash in the bay. Participants are asked to register online at bit.ly/2CjXUFP or in-person in order to receive a certificate or to participate in a costume contest, of which there are several categories, including ‘Best Dressed,’ ‘Most Creative Under Age 12,’ ‘Most Creative Team’ and ‘Best Dressed Pet.’ On-site registration begins at 10 a.m., the costume contest begins at 11 a.m. and the Polar Bear Plunge begins at noon. Bennion said there will be warming stations as well as food and drink vendors. Commemorative t-shirts and sweatshirts can also be pre-ordered by emailing info@birchbaychamber.com and picked up at the event. To learn more, visit birchbaywa.org.
Letters . . . . . . . . . 4 Sports . . . . . . . . . . 8 Classifieds . . . . . 15 Coming Up . . . . . 18 Police . . . . . . . . . 18 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 18
TheNorthernLight.com TheNorthernLight
@TNLreporter
@PointRobertsPress
36th Annual Birch Bay Polar Bear Plunge January 1, 2019
Birch Bay washin gton
10 am Registration Begins • 11 am Costume Judging • The Plunge at Noon! Birch Bay Beach Front • 7930 Birch Bay Drive
Free to take the Plunge!
Register online www.BirchBayChamber.com or at the Birch Bay Visitor Center *There are NO awards for length of time in the water. Swim at your own risk.