Nov. 26 - Dec. 2, 2015
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Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay HHHECRWSSHHH Postal Customer
IN THIS
ISSUE
Hunger Run 5k returns, page 3
Western students to present rail station feasibility study
A delicious and easy Thanksgiving dessert, page 8
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
“The Nutcracker” coming to Blaine, page 15
Hit the slopes
By Ian Ferguson
(See Rail, page 15)
s The Mt. Baker Ski Area opened for business on November 19, the first ski area in Washington to open for the season. The resort had up to 63 inches of snow in places.
Photo by Ian Ferguson
Repairs will cause delays on Mount Baker Highway By Steve Guntli The Mt. Baker Ski Area has opened for the season, but skiers and snowboarders should be prepared for some delays before they can hit the slopes. The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) began work on November 20 to repair a section of road on eastbound State Route 542. The road was damaged early last week when the overflowing Nooksack River eroded approximately 90 feet of its bank along the eastbound shoulder and undermined the
highway. Guardrail posts were left exposed along the eastbound lane between mile markers 39 and 40, approximately 6 miles east of Glacier. WSDOT crews reduced traffic to one lane on November 17 to assess the damage. Crews are using portable traffic lights to alternate traffic through the westbound lane. Workers will use the eastbound lane for materials and equipment, and WSDOT officials caution skiers that some minor delays could slow down traffic during daylight hours. “We are actively coordinating with the Mt. Baker Ski Area to minimize impacts to
Alcoa to lay off 880 in Ferndale and Wenatchee By Steve Guntli Alcoa has filed a notice with the state announcing its intention to lay off 465 workers at its Ferndale aluminum plant. The company also announced plans to dismiss 415 employees from their Wenatchee facility. The layoffs could begin as soon as January 18. Citing a stagnant global aluminum market, the company announced earlier this month it would be idling operations at the
Intalco aluminum plant in Ferndale. The company had not indicated at the time the number of employees who would be laid off. Alcoa filed the notice, called the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN), on November 19. The state requires WARN notices at least 60 days in advance before a company can initiate layoffs. This allows the state to put programs into place to help workers make the transition. The Ferndale plant employs 583 people.
The remaining employees will be retrained to work in the cast house, which is where molten aluminum is tempered and shaped to be used in creating components for various products. Alcoa representatives said they expect the idling process will be complete by the end of March. The prospect of resuming production will depend on a recovery of global markets and the company’s capital investments plan.
drivers as we respond to this emergency,” said WSDOT assistant regional administrator Todd Harrison. “We understand this could be an inconvenience for some skiers and snowboarders, but the river continues to wash away the bank and threaten the highway, so we need to make repairs immediately.” To accommodate ski area traffic, portable traffic lights have been programmed to provide longer green lights for eastbound drivers starting at 8:30 a.m. and longer greens (See Baker, page 3)
INSIDE
A group of students from Western Washington University have been studying the feasibility of a rail station in Blaine from a business perspective. The students, who are studying international business under professor Tom Roehl, studied the potential market for a rail stop in Blaine. Each student rode the Amtrak train from Bellingham to Vancouver and interviewed passengers along the way. They also studied demographics and travel times for the lower mainland, and compared Blaine to similar cities with rail stops in the U.S. The idea was to determine how many Canadians from south of the Fraser River would utilize a station in Blaine. The students will present the results of the study to the Blaine public works advisory committee at a public meeting on Thursday, December 3. The meeting begins at 10 a.m. at the Blaine municipal building, 435 Martin Street. Public works director Ravyn Whitewolf helped coordinate the study. “We wanted to open up some dialogue with Canadians,” Whitewolf said. “There are no stops between Bellingham and Vancouver, B.C., and it might be less of a hassle for Canadians living south of the Fraser River to use the Blaine station instead of driving into downtown Vancouver to go south on the train.” The results of the study were varied, and the specifics will be detailed during the public presentation. “There were pluses and minuses,” Roehl said. “The city of Blaine would have to market its station as an option to the lower mainland, but the number of people that the station could serve and the potential travel time savings are intriguing.” The results of the study could be used
Letters . . . . . . . . . 4 Sports . . . . . . . . . . 6 Classifieds . . . . . 11 Police . . . . . . . . . 14 Coming Up . . . . . 14 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 14
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