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Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay
July 16 - 22, 2015
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Days preview, page 3
Council sends charter amendments to ballot
Bellingham teen survives deadly plane crash, page 6
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Pet care special section, page 8
Splashdown in Birch Bay
By Steve Guntli Nine new amendments, including some that could change the shape of the county’s voting districts, were added to the ballot for this November’s election. At its regular meeting on July 7, Whatcom County Council voted 6–1 to add an amendment to this November’s ballot that would redistrict the county from three districts to five. The five districts are still being determined, but Bellingham would have two to itself. The current three-district system divides Bellingham between the districts. If the new system is approved, five of the council members would come from the districts and two would be at-large. The five-district proposal was sponsored by RE Sources for Sustainable Communities, an environmental activist group in Bellingham. The council also introduced two new amendments that would potentially undermine the Whatcom County Charter Review Commission’s attempts to implement district-only voting for council members. The charter commission is an elected body that convenes once every 10 years to propose changes to the charter, which is essentially the county’s constitution. Three hours before the July 7 council meeting, staff proposed two new amendments to introduce at the evening’s meeting. The first amendment would require a supermajority vote (10 out of 15 commission members) before a charter amendment is put on the ballot. The second amendment would require countywide voting for new council members. The second introduction is particularly damaging to conservatives on the charter commission. The commission, ostensibly a nonpartisan organization, has been divided sharply along party lines since it convened for its latest session in January. (See Charter, page 6)
s A visitor shoots down a slide at the Birch Bay Waterslides. The Waterslides recently partnered with Blaine-Birch Pay Park and Recreation District 2 to offer Waterslide Day Camps. Visit bbbparkandrec.org for more information. Photo by Heidi Holmes
Developer Ken Imus returning to Blaine By Steve Guntli Two years after he withdrew from the city, acclaimed developer Ken Imus is returning to Blaine. While the details so far are thin, Imus, president of Jacaranda Land Development, confirmed he is planning a renovation on his property at 648 Peace Portal Drive. Imus is best known for revitalizing Fairhaven in Bellingham, turning the seaside community into a thriving tourist destination. Imus expressed interest in the past of making the Blaine and Birch Bay areas his next projects. Imus said he has hired architect Kathleen Hill to redesign his Blaine building. Hill was the architect responsible for renovating the Blaine Bank Building into the Black Forest
Steakhouse. Imus said Hill is finishing a project in Salt Lake City, Utah, after which she will return to Blaine to work on the renovations. Imus said the building will be remodeled to have retail space on the ground floor and condominiums upstairs. Blaine city manager Dave Wilbrecht said city officials are excited to be working with Imus again. “We’ve talked to him about the renovations,” Wilbrecht said. “We don’t have any specific plans or a timeline laid out just yet, but we’re excited about the idea of him coming back. We’ve spoken about things he would like to do to beautify that building, which is one of the premiere properties downtown.” Imus withdrew his money and support from Blaine following a contentious interaction with Blaine City Council in
Earn cash at sandcastle competition this weekend By Steve Guntli High school students can sculpt their way to a college scholarship at this weekend’s sand sculpture competition in Birch Bay. The competition is entering its 32nd year in Birch Bay, and this year’s event is bigger than ever, spread out over two days and offering bigger and better prizes than
in previous years. The Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce is offering up nearly $5,000 in scholarship money for the best sand sculptures from high school students. Students from throughout the state are invited to participate in four-person teams to show their school spirit and celebrate their communities. The high school division will compete on Saturday, July 18.
The judging criteria for the sculptures are on a 40-point scale, but students who use a theme of school spirit have a chance to earn an extra 10 points. First place for the high school division is a $2,400 scholarship. Second place is worth $1,600 and third place is worth $800. (See Sand, page 2)
January 2013. In 2010, the city imposed a five-year moratorium on general facility fees (GFCs) in the hopes of spurring new development in the city. GFCs charge new owners for infrastructure investments made by previous owners. In 2013, the council decided the GFC waiver wasn’t attracting the development the city hoped, and voted to withdraw the moratorium. The GFC waiver was part of the agreement Imus made with the city, and when the council voted to reinstate the fees, Imus withdrew his financial support. Imus is hopeful the city will be able to work with him now. “They’ve been difficult to work with in the past,” he said. “I’ve walked out of negotiations before. But they’ve got a new city manager who’s been easy to talk to, so I’m optimistic.”
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