April 27 - May 3, 2017
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Pizza Factory hosts ribbon cutting ceremony, page 3
State senate approves funding for interchange project on I-5
Season heats up for Blaine track, page 6
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
City to pen agreement with Chuckanut Bay Foods, page 13
Blaine Food Bank honors longtime volunteers
B y S t e fa n i e D o n a h u e
(See Interchange, page 2)
s Blaine Food Bank volunteers were honored for their service during a celebration at the Blaine Senior Center on April 22. Volunteers Jerry Bladies and Evelyn Bonallo were recipients of the The President’s Volunteer Service Award for lifetime achievement on behalf of the Corporation for National and Community Service. More photos on page 7.
Birch Bay park plan approved: fundraising comes next By Oliver Lazenby Whatcom County Council unanimously approved the Birch Bay Community Park Master Plan on April 18, but with a caveat. The council wanted to amend the plan to reflect that it expects Birch Bay residents to help raise money to build the park. The council’s amendment to its resolution to approve the 93-page plan reads, “Be it further resolved, the Whatcom County Council expects the community to bring forward funding options for this plan.”
The plan for the approximately 4.1-acre beachside park calls for about 124 parking spaces, a public restroom, beach access, a natural play area and several acres of open space dotted with trees and picnic tables. In addition to detailing the layout of the park, the master plan covers the park’s planning meetings, phases of construction, estimated cost and geological and archaeological findings at the site, among other things. The plan doesn’t include a funding strategy for the park, which is projected to cost about $4.4 million to build and $109,540 annually to maintain, and that
Voters in favor of sales tax hike, initial tallies show B y S t e fa n i e D o n a h u e Blaine is on its way to joining a series of cities throughout Washington that fund transportation projects for streets, sidewalks and trails through a sales tax thanks to Blaine residents who voted in the April 25 special election. With the majority of ballots counted, a measure to increase Blaine’s sales tax by .2 percent has received overwhelming support from Blaine voters. At press time, more
Photo by Trish Loop
than 1,200 ballots had been counted; 884 voted in favor of the measure, while 333 voted against – that’s 72.6 percent in favor and 27.4 against. The election garnered an approximate 36 percent voter turnout. The measure requires approval from a simple majority of voters and is set to raise the sales tax from 8.5 to 8.7 percent. City staff estimate the increase will generate $200,000 per year for the next 10 years. Money would be collected through a Transportation Benefit District, which the city
council voted to form in January. The funding is slated to address needs outlined by residents out of the city’s recent strategic economic initiative. Out of the 933 responses derived from citywide surveys, trails and streets were near the top of the priority list. Following the initial count on April 25, Whatcom County Auditor Debbie Adelstein said the majority of votes had been tallied. The results will be certified on May 5.
frustrated some councilmembers. In 2014, when county council voted to purchase the park property at 7930 Birch Bay Drive for $2.4 million, councilmembers cited community enthusiasm and willingness to help plan and fund the park as factors in the decision. “I really hope the community remembers its enthusiasm for this acquisition and its promises to raise the money, because that was really important to me when I voted for this,” councilmember Ken Mann (See Park, page 13)
INSIDE
The wheels are finally turning on Blaine’s long-awaited exit 274 interchange project thanks to the state senate, which approved an extensive transportation package last week. Still awaiting final signature from Governor Jay Inslee, the bill was approved on April 21 and allocates millions of dollars of transportation project funding to agencies throughout the state. Blaine’s exit 274 interchange project was allotted $12,100,000 to begin the first phase. “The public benefits for this project will be substantial for economic development and improving freight mobility,” said district 42 representative Luanne Van Werven (R-Lynden). “Blaine has so much to offer in the way of local shops and a beautiful waterfront and a southbound off ramp will provide access for thousands of travelers to stop and visit Blaine.” After the senate vote, District 42 representative Vincent Buys (R-Lynden) sounded pleased with the outcome. “It’s been something we’ve been fighting for the last couple years,” he said. “I look forward to seeing the project hit the ground.” The state aims to add a new southbound off-ramp on Interstate 5 at Exit 274 onto Peace Portal Drive. Improvements also include the construction of a direct northbound connection to the industrial area from the existing northbound off ramp; the route will be reconfigured to connect to Odell Street. Currently, exit 276 is the first southbound exit from the border and is 6 miles away from the next available off-ramp. The new exit will improve access to Blaine. “This project is critical to economic development in south Blaine by providing access to and from south-bound I-5; without it, no opportunity exists to stop and visit Blaine,” read the city’s initial project funding request. The project’s genesis dates back to 2009 when the city completed an Interchange Justification Report to study interstate access points. In 2016, the project yielded a $45 million price tag and had yet to receive
Coming Up . . . . . 14 Classifieds . . . . . 11 Letters . . . . . . . . . 4 Police . . . . . . . . . 14 Sports . . . . . . . . . . 6 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 14
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