July 18 - 24, 2019
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Canoe journey Paddle to Lummi approaching, page 7
How to register to vote in the primaries, page 13
County burn restrictions now in effect, page 15
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Advocates push for passenger rail stop in Blaine By Jami Makan Advocates of an Amtrak passenger rail stop in Blaine met over the weekend, but organizers cautioned that much work remains to be done before it becomes a reality. A meeting hosted by rail advocacy group All Aboard Washington (AAWA) took place on July 13 at the Semiahmoo Resort. The turnout was high, with many in the audience arguing that an Amtrak passenger rail stop in Blaine is long overdue. On the Amtrak Cascades service, there are currently no stops between Fairhaven Station in Bellingham and Pacific Central Station in Vancouver, B.C. The event featured presentations by Bruce Agnew, director of the Cascadia Center; Dr. Laurie Trautman, director of Western Washington University’s Border Policy Research Institute (BPRI); and others. Audience members including Blaine city manager Michael Jones, Blaine mayor Bonnie Onyon, state representative Luanne Van Werven and White Rock city councilor Scott Kristjanson also addressed the gathering. The consensus was that a rail stop in Blaine would not only serve north Whatcom County, but would also serve those living in southern B.C. According to statistics presented at the meeting, there are almost a million B.C. residents who live south of the Fraser River. “That’s bigger than Snohomish County, which has three rail stops,” said Agnew. In order to determine how many of those B.C. residents would use a Blaine rail stop, the next step is for an “investment grade” ridership study to be carried out, said Agnew. The study would address the requirements of the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) in terms of new station development, measuring potential ridership through surveys of Washington and B.C. residents. In order to fund the research, AAWA and the Cascadia Center will draft a scope of work and a potential budget, which they plan to bring to state legislators and the (See Amtrak, page 2)
s A runner dressed as Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean takes off from the starting line of the Ragnar Northwest Passage relay race at Peace Arch State Park on July 12. In the annual race, relay teams run an approximately 200-mile route from Blaine to Langley, on Whidbey Island.
Photo by Oliver Lazenby
Birch Bay celebration to feature car show, sand castles By Jami Makan An upcoming event in Birch Bay will feature a car show, sand sculpture contest, live music, beer garden, craft fair, food vendors and more. The Birch Bay Rollback Weekend and Sand Sculpture Competition is scheduled to take place on Saturday, July 20 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday, July 21 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 7930 Birch Bay Drive. Rollback Weekend and the sand sculpture competition are annual Birch Bay events that were held separately in the past.
This year, however, the Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce decided to combine the two events into one. “The sand castle competition has always taken place in the bay, but the park space wasn’t being used,” said Danielle Gaughen, the chamber’s event coordinator. “Having the car show in there at the same time will help utilize the park space in the best way possible.” Last year’s car show attracted about 200 classic and high performance vehicles. This year, organizers are hoping for an even higher number. Registration costs $10 for each car per day, and can be done online
at birchbaychamber.com. Participants can also register in person at the show, which is being sponsored by Vicious Autoworks. Meanwhile, there is no cost to participate in the sand sculpture contest. Participants can register online at birchbaychamber.com or in person at the event. Each morning on Saturday and Sunday, participants can check in at the registration booth at Birch Bay Beach Park. A plot will be assigned, and building can begin at 10 a.m. depending on the tide. A judging panel of local community members will judge each sand sculpture at
School board to vote on public access to facilities By Oliver Lazenby The Blaine school district board of directors will vote on an update to a policy about public access to school facilities at its Monday, July 29 meeting. The district’s “Use of School Facilities” policy governs how the community and outside groups can use sports fields, playgrounds, gymnasiums, theatres and other school district property. The policy was last updated in 2004, and district staff is updating the language
to reflect current practices and working to make the fees more clear and specific. The district wants the public to be able to use school facilities as long as it doesn’t cost the school district money. A draft of the new policy states that the public is encouraged to use school facilities, but the district aims to “ensure that funds intended for education are not used for other purposes.” The policy sets new rental rates for sports organizations and other groups that use school facilities. Rates vary by
type of organization based on how directly those organizations support local kids and whether they charge money. For example, youth-oriented nonprofits can rent the multipurpose room for the cost of any extra custodial time, whereas a business would pay $40 an hour in addition to custodial fees to use the same facility. During the first reading of the policy, at a June 24 board meeting, board member (See Facilities, page 3)
INSIDE
(See Rollback, page 3)
Letters . . . . . . . . . 4 Classifieds . . . . . 11 Coming Up . . . . . 14 Police . . . . . . . . . 14 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 14
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