March 7-13, 2019
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IN THIS
ISSUE
Pier named after retired port commissioner, page 2
B&O tax may be expanded to include more businesses
Local barista known for his bow ties, page 17
Daylight saving time begins on March 11
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
School district could allow more access to its facilities
By Jami Makan Blaine City Council may introduce modifications to the proposed Business and Occupation (B&O) tax, based on input from councilmembers and the public. As it stands, wholesale and manufacturing businesses that gross $20,000 or more per year would be asked to pay a 0.2 percent B&O tax to help pay for city services. However, at their February 25 meeting, city councilmembers discussed modifying the tax in various ways. Proposals included expanding the tax base to include retail and service businesses; raising the $20,000 gross receipts threshold to exempt very small businesses; introducing tax credits for businesses that create jobs; introducing a phase-in or “honeymoon” period for new businesses; and capping the tax collected at a maximum dollar amount per business. “I think we could raise the [$20,000] threshold significantly to not have as great an impact on the really small businesses,” said mayor Bonnie Onyon at the February 25 meeting. “I also think we should think of adding the service sector, but again with a threshold that would be reasonable and not hurt the small companies.” Mayor Onyon also spoke favorably about the proposal to give companies a tax credit based on the number of jobs they create. “I think that’s a great idea,” she said. She also suggested putting a cap on the amount of tax collected from any business. “We could maybe have a max where they only pay a maximum amount up to a certain amount no matter how large a company they are or how large their gross receipts,” she said. Some of the ideas would be easier to implement than others. For example, an established company could potentially reform and reopen in order to try and take advantage of any special treatment given to new businesses. As a result of the discussion, city council postponed their vote on the B&O tax ordinance to March 25. This will allow them to hold a study session on March 11 to discuss the various proposals.
s Access at Pipeline Fields was one of the most popular topics at a February 25 school board work session.
Access at Pipeline Fields discussed at work session By Oliver Lazenby When Kari Holley moved to the Blaine area from Oregon, she was surprised that the Blaine School District’s complex of baseball and soccer fields, Pipeline Fields, is gated and mostly closed to the public. Her kids previously attended school in two separate districts that both allowed public access to sports fields. “If I wanted to take my son to play baseball on a Sunday I could take him to the school. It was open to everyone,” she said. While Pipeline Fields is available to or-
ganized sports teams, a six-foot-tall chain link fence topped with barbed wire surrounds it and the gate is often locked. A sign by the gate reads, “No unsupervised or unauthorized use is permitted.” Access at Pipeline Fields was one of the most popular topics at a February 25 school board work session on the district’s facility use policy. The policy details the use of everything from sports fields and gyms to classrooms and auditoriums by non-school groups. The school district plans to rewrite the policy over the next few months and the public work session
was the first step. While several people at the meeting thanked the district for allowing more access to school facilities in recent years, most wanted more or easier access. The district doesn’t plan on making its policy more restrictive, as some people feared, school board member Laura McKinney said. “The reason that we opened up a community discussion with this policy is really because so many people are interested in access to the school,” she said. “We just wanted to have a chance to talk about it (See Facilities, page 3)
the public is invited to the Wings Over Water opening dinner and featured artist reception from 5 to 7 p.m. at The Vault Wine Bar, 277 G Street. The cost is $25 a person. A birding expo opens on Saturday, March 16 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Blaine Middle School, 975 H Street. It’s free to the public and will feature live presentations, wildlife exhibitions, arts and crafts vendors and activities for kids. Guests can also participate in photography workshops. Fees apply for some activities. That evening, enjoy a free presenta-
tion by keynote speaker Tim Boyer, who will be delivering a talk, “Understanding Shorebirds: The Miracle of Migration,” at the Blaine Performing Arts Center, 975 H Street. Naturalist and photographer Paul Woodcock will lead a free birding walk around the trails and shoreline within Birch Bay State Park at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, March 17. These are just some of the activities planned for the three-day festival. More information and a full schedule can be found at wingsoverwaterbirdingfestival.com.
INSIDE
Wings Over Water festival returning to Blaine area The 17th annual Wings Over Water birding festival will take place in Blaine Friday through Sunday, March 15 to 17. The festival celebrates the variety of migratory birds that flock to the coastal waters of Drayton Harbor, Birch Bay and Semiahmoo Bay at the northwest corner of Washington state. The event begins in Delta, B.C. on Friday, March 15 with a field trip to the George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary; for $45 a person, visitors will have the chance to view a variety of rare birds, such as sandhill cranes. Later that day,
Photo by Oliver Lazenby
Letters . . . . . . . . . 4 Sports . . . . . . . . . . 6 Classifieds . . . . . 15 Coming Up . . . . . 18 Police . . . . . . . . . 18 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 18
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