April 19 - 25, 2018
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Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay HHHECRWSSHHH Postal Customer
IN THIS
ISSUE
Speakers address Healthy Youth Coalition, page 4
Planning commission greenlights downtown project
Varsity baseball team celebrates win, page 6
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Readers submit their fave pet pics, page 8-9
National Bookmobile Day draws readers from Birch Bay
A few apartments in addition to a restaurant, coffee and barber shops slated for construction B y S t e fa n i e D o n a h u e Yet another developer is vying to bring new business and residents to Blaine. The latest proposal comes from Peter Gigante, who approached the city in 2017 with a plan to convert the old office building at the corner of H Street and Peace Portal Drive into a mixed-use space comprised of three apartments, a specialty restaurant, a coffee shop and a barber shop. The project requires a shoreline substantial development permit, due to its proximity to the marina, and a land use variance, to reduce the amount of required parking stalls from three spaces to zero. In a 7–0 vote, Blaine Planning Commission approved the permit and variance, with modifications. The seven-member commission is the final authority for shoreline developments permits and variance applications. According to a staff report from the city, the building, located at 685 Peace Portal Drive next to H Street Plaza, was last used as office space, but has remained vacant for several years. It was built in the 1920s and a 400-square-foot addition was attached to the basement level in 1973. “The building is currently in rough shape and needs significant repairs,” according to the report. “Much of the interior of the building has been stripped down and the foundation is starting to settle.” Shortly after purchasing the building in 2016, Gigante told city staff he wanted to restore it, while maintaining its historic structure. At the time, Gigante said he wanted to refurbish the existing commercial space and construct a handful of apartments. In 2017, Blaine Planning Commission
s Whatcom County Library System (WCLS) bookmobile employee Greta Haas helps young readers pick out books on National Bookmobile Day on April 11. The bookmobile parks at the site of the future WCLS library at 7968 Birch Bay Drive, from 3 to 7 p.m. each Wednesday.
(See Downtown, page 2)
(See Cannery, page 3)
Photo by Chuck Kinzer
Packed house turns out for presentation about cannery life An upwards of 80 people visited Blaine last weekend to learn and share stories about working at salmon canneries. The gathering was prompted by Alaska historian Katie Ringsmuth who is working to get the “Diamond NN” in South Naknek, one Alaska’s oldest salmon canneries, on the National Register of Historic Places. As part of the project, she is developing materials to educate people about what it was like to work at a salmon cannery as part of an exhibition for the Alaska State
Museum called “Mug Up” that features stories, photos and objects from workers. The Alaska Packers Association, which operated a cannery in Semiahmoo, transformed the NN Cannery from a packing saltery into a salmon cannery in 1895. It remained in operation until 2015 and is now owned by Trident Seafoods. The now historic structure still remains. With support from Blaine’s Alaska Packers Association Cannery Museum, Ringsmuth led a brief presentation about the project at the cannery lodge in Semiahmoo Park to about 80 people on April 14.
Don’t forget – special election ballots are due next week B y S t e fa n i e D o n a h u e If you plan to vote in the special election on Tuesday, April 24, be sure to submit your ballot on time. Up for consideration is a $12 million, six-year capital projects and technology levy for the Blaine school district that would go into effect in 2019. If approved, the levy would cost property owners 51 cents per $1,000 of assessed home value. Whether or not the levy passes, the school district’s maintenance and oper-
ations levy will decrease by 46 cents per $1,000 of assessed home value in 2019. Ballots must be returned by 8 p.m. on election day at an official drop box location; mailed ballots must be postmarked no later than April 24. Mailed ballots require 50 cents of postage. Voters can drop special election ballots off at Custer Elementary School, 7660 Custer School Road, Blaine Library, 610 3rd Street and North Whatcom Fire and Rescue, 4581 Birch Bay-Lynden Road. To learn more about the capital proj-
ects and technology levy, read ‘How the school levy would affect your tax bill’ (bit. ly/2H8PJMw) or ‘What would Blaine’s $12 million school levy pay for?’ (bit.ly/2vpPb3m). Both articles were published in The Northern Light and provide a detailed assessment of the levy and its impacts to property owners. If you did not receive your ballot by Friday, April 13 or you have questions for the county auditor’s office, contact Debbie Adelstein at 360/778-5105, or the chief deputy Diana Bradrick at 360/778-5130.
She, along with a curator, scanned photos and collected objects from guests, some of whom worked at salmon canneries in Blaine and Alaska years ago; several people also shared their stories. “It was pretty amazing how many people came out and really seemed to care about this project,” Ringsmuth said. “A lot of people hadn’t seen each other for decades.” Some people came as far as Seattle for the event, she said, bringing all types of mementos from their time working at
Letters . . . . . . . . . 4 Sports . . . . . . . . . . 6 Classifieds . . . . . 11 Coming Up . . . . . 14 Police . . . . . . . . . 14 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 14
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