November 2 - 8, 2017
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City attorney talks ‘potential conflict of interest,’ page 2
City rolls out results from recent survey
Thanksgiving holiday donations needed, page 5
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Rawganique gets to keep bank account, officials say
B y S t e fa n i e D o n a h u e
s Rawganique CEO Qeanu Wallner shows off rolls of hemp fabric at the company’s Blaine headquarters.
By Oliver Lazenby After weeks of searching for a new bank, Rawganique, the Blaine-based hemp and natural fiber clothing company, will be able to keep its bank account after all, CEO Qeanu Wallner said this week. In early October, Umpqua Bank wrote Rawganique that its account would be closed because it operates an “excluded line of business.” The news sent Wallner searching for a new account, as he continued pressing Umpqua Bank to keep his account. The bank reversed its decision on October 27, and will continue working with Rawganique.
Rawganique designs and sells hemp products such as clothing, hempseed oil, hempseed butter, hemp protein powder and rope. Hemp, a variety of the Cannabis sativa plant, is grown specifically for industrial uses. While it’s considered a Schedule 1 drug under the Controlled Substance Act, the act excludes the “mature stalks of the plant” and products made from those stalks. Growing hemp is federally illegal without a research license. Language on Rawganique’s website raised a flag in Umpqua Bank’s annual review, bank spokesperson Eve Callahan said. Rawganique’s website stated that the
Mark your calendars, ballots are due next week B y S t e fa n i e D o n a h u e If you want your vote to count this general election, be sure to submit your ballot by the deadline. The Whatcom County Auditor’s Office accepts ballots until 8 p.m. on election day, Tuesday, November 7, at 18 drop boxes located across the county. Mailin ballots must be stamped with 49 cent postage, postmarked by November 7 and sent to 311 Grand Avenue, suite 103,
Bellingham, WA 98225. Nearby drop boxes can be found at: Blaine Library, 610 3rd Street, North Whatcom Fire and Rescue, 4581 Birch Bay-Lynden Road and Custer Elementary School, 7660 Custer School Road. On the ballot is an at-large seat on Whatcom County Council, four seats on Blaine City Council, two seats on the Blaine school district board of directors, two seats on the Fire Protection District 21 board of commissioners, one seat on
the Birch Bay Water and Sewer District board of commissioners and two seats on the Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation District-2 (BBBPRD2) board of commissioners. Voters will also decide whether to approve a renewal of the BBBPRD2 property tax levy and a sales and use tax to fund a new jail facility. Ballots were mailed to voters on October 18; to obtain a replacement, visit bit.ly/2yXGbmi. Election results will be certified on November 28.
Photo by Oliver Lazenby
company grows, weaves, knits and sews its products. “Their website said very clearly at the time that they were growing their hemp. Since we are federally insured, we are not able to bank with companies that are in the business of selling or growing marijuana or cannabis,” Callahan said. Rawganique’s hemp is grown by contractors who are mostly in Europe, Wallner said. To prove that, Umpqua Bank required that he hand over two years of tax returns and the company’s articles of incorporation, filled out due diligence paperwork (See Bank, page 3)
Letters . . . . . . . . . 4 Sports . . . . . . . . . . 6 Classifieds . . . . . 11 Coming Up . . . . . 14 Police . . . . . . . . . 14 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 14
INSIDE
Hundreds of Blaine residents responded to a detailed survey that aimed to identify funding priorities for proposed citywide projects and programs. The 38-question survey was part of the fact gathering process undertaken through the city’s Strategic Economic Initiative, which is being guided by city staff and Tom Beckwith of La Conner-based Beckwith Consulting. The initiative seeks to evaluate city finances, plan for the future and determine which projects suggested by local interest groups and community members should be pursued. Blaine city manager Dave Wilbrecht reported survey results to city council on October 30. Overall, 270 residents – 12 percent of all households in Blaine – participated. There were 43 action items identified and ranked by priority; most of the items “have everything to do with downtown,” Wilbrecht said. Two action items involving the enforcement of existing building codes received the “very highest” priority ranking. The items call on the city to demolish vacant and derelict buildings deemed unsafe and to upgrade vacant buildings to meet current seismic, fire and other safety requirements. In the “high” category, survey respondents prioritized action items calling for the condemnation and acquisition of property whose owners don’t comply with city codes, the establishment of a Main Street program, construction of the Peace Portal boardwalk and installation of wayfinding signs, among other items. Several of the priorities identified have already been undertaken by the city, such as code enforcement on vacant and derelict buildings, encouraging new business and development in east Blaine and sale of the Gateway property. And while the city has a major role in the initiative, help from the community is crucial, Wilbrecht said. “It takes effort and work and drive to get things to happen,” he said. “I think it’s going to take a lot of leadership to move forward.”
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