May 14 - 20, 2020
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Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay HHHECRWSSHHH Postal Customer
IN THIS
ISSUE
City to remove problem trees on Peace Portal Drive, page 6
Seniors special section, page 8
Local group providing support to truckers, page 10
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
City of Blaine launches loan program for local businesses By Jami Makan
(See Loans, page 3)
s Brant Baron, owner of Mail Boxes International, is using the slower pace of business to focus on things he can control, like store renovations and creating a referral marketing program that will start once border restrictions are lifted.
Courtesy photo
Mailbox stores lose customers due to border restrictions By Grace McCarthy Mail Boxes International is one of over 20 mailbox stores in Blaine usually bustling with Canadian customers taking advantage of lower U.S. shipping prices. But the stores have been desolate in the weeks since March 18, when the U.S. and Canada made a mutual decision to close the northern border to non-essential travel following Covid-19 concerns. Brant Baron, owner of Mail Boxes International, said that 95 percent of the store’s
customers are currently stuck on the other side of the border. With so many customers absent, dozens of Amazon packages stored in the company’s backroom have piled up, with more deliveries expected in the coming weeks. Mail Boxes International has kept its normal store hours, but many Blaine mailbox stores now have reduced hours, with business down by 75 percent or more since the border restrictions went into effect. “Our business is not built with an expectation that the border closes,” Baron
Food bank receives big donations amid growing need By Oliver Lazenby After a relatively normal March and April, the Blaine Food Bank is serving more and more people, said operations manager Sally Church. In early May, donations helped feed the roughly 460 families supported by the Food Bank, which is an increase from about 400 families per week that was typical before the virus. Members of the Blaine High School Associated Student Body raised $2,850 and
collected 220 pounds of food for the food bank from May 1-8 during a food drive at Semiahmoo. The ASB members, Samantha and Stephanie Boczek, along with incoming eighth-grader Sabrina Boczek, announced the food drive with help from the Semiahmoo community newsletter. “On behalf of the Blaine High School Associated Student Body we would like to extend a special thank you to all the residents of Semiahmoo who gave so gen-
erously to the Blaine Food Bank in our recent food drive,” the sisters said in an email. “We took a brief tour of the Blaine facilities today and were humbled to see so many familiar faces and community members volunteering their time on a beautiful sunny Saturday, working hard to sort, prepare and package food.” The girls are still receiving donations from the Semiahmoo community and have (See Food bank, page 2)
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said. “I think times like these make you appreciate, even more, the opportunity to be of service.” Package pickups accounted for 11 percent of border crossings in 2018, according to Laurie Trautman, director of Western Washington University’s Border Policy Research Institute. “There’s a lot of ties across the border. It’s not just about trade, tourism or consumer spending,” Trautman said. “There are these (See Mail stores, page 3)
INSIDE
The city of Blaine is offering a new loan program for local businesses to help them get through the economic challenges caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Beginning Thursday, May 14, Blaine-area businesses will be able to apply for six different loan options. The options are oneyear, two-year and three-year loans in the amount of either $5,000 or $10,000. The interest rates will be 0 percent for the oneyear loans, 1 percent for the two-year loans and 2 percent for the three-year loans. The city expects to start disbursing funds approximately five to six weeks from now. The application window will be open for three weeks, ending June 3 at 5 p.m. The city only has about $100,000 in funds that it can lend, so between 10 and 20 loans are possible, and applications will be ranked using a 100-point system. The city has established a three-member board consisting of Bonnie Onyon, mayor of Blaine; Michael Ebert, managing partner of Fortiphi Insurance and president of the Blaine Chamber of Commerce; and Dave Freeman of AMS Print and Mail. Each board member will assign points based on various criteria, and the points will then be averaged and a priority list developed based on demonstrated need. To be eligible to apply, businesses must be located in Blaine’s electric service area. In other words, if the business is located inside city limits or pays its electricity bills to the city of Blaine, then it is eligible to
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