July 5 - 11, 2018
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Community Newspaper of Blaine and Birch Bay HHHECRWSSHHH Postal Customer
IN THIS
ISSUE
Note from the editor, page 5
Silver Stag opens retail store, page 6
Outdoor pickleball court opens in Birch Bay, page 9
New business briefs, page 15
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Drayton Harbor New Old Time Chautauqua comes to Blaine, Birch Bay Music Festival is back July 8 to 14
s Performers from the New Old Time Chautauqua, a Port Townsend-based nonprofit traveling variety show, perform for Blaine seniors and the Boys & Girls Club at the Blaine Senior Center on June 29. More photos on page 10. Photo by Oliver Lazenby
Plans for Birch Bay condos submitted to the county By Oliver Lazenby A developer plans to demolish Richmond Resort, an RV and manufactured home park at 8086 Birch Bay Drive in order to build three apartment buildings with up to 39 units. Whatcom County is accepting comments on the proposed project, called Sunset Bay Apartments, until Friday, July 20. The 2.54-acre property, which is just north of Birch Bay Drive’s intersection with Harborview Road, currently has a total of
52 trailers and manufactured homes, according to the conditional use application submitted to Whatcom County. Plans for the property call for 37-39 units in three separate buildings, 69 parking spaces in first floor garages and outside, and a looped access driveway and parking lot. A three-story building along Birch Bay Drive would have 27 units and be 30-feet tall, a building in the northern corner of the property would be 35-feet tall with 10 units, and a building in the
Few days remain to register to vote in the primary election B y S t e fa n i e D o n a h u e Register by Monday, July 9 to vote in the Tuesday, August 7 primary election. Whatcom County Auditor Debbie Adelstein reminds residents that they have until July 9 to register to vote or update their address by mail or online at myvote. wa.gov. Individuals who have never registered to vote in Washington can do so in person until 4:30 p.m. on Monday, July 30 at the Whatcom County Auditor’s Office at 311 Grand Ave., Suite 103, Bellingham. Ballots will be mailed to registered
voters at their mailing address on Wednesday, July 18. This August, Whatcom County voters will choose from a pool of more than 60 candidates who are vying for positions serving the state and county. The top two candidates who receive the most votes, despite party affiliation, will move to the Tuesday, November 6 general election. Per state law, partisan races go up for a vote during the primary election despite the number of candidates. Among the key office positions featured on the primary election ballot is U.S. Sena-
tor, which serves a partisan, six-year term. A total of 29 candidates are running for the senatorial position, including incumbent Maria Cantwell (D). As stated on a sample ballot, 13 of the candidates are Republican, while five are Democratic. The remaining candidates identify with other parties. Five people are running for U.S. Representative in the first congressional district (which serves a two-year, partisan term) including, incumbent representative Suzan DelBene (D), Jeffrey Beeler (R), Scott (See Vote, page 13)
eastern corner would be 30-feet tall with two units, according to the site plan submitted to Whatcom County. Property owner Steve Taberner couldn’t be reached for comment by press time. Tony Freeland of Bellingham engineering firm Tony Freeland & Associates submitted the applications for the project. According to the application, “the proposed buildings will be modern in (See Condos, page 7)
INSIDE
Starting this weekend, residents and visitors can get their fix of world-class music at the Drayton Harbor Music Festival. The annual event runs from Sunday, July 8 through Saturday, July 14 at venues throughout Blaine. It is hosted by the Pacific Arts Association, a non-profit that was established in 2000 to promote arts in the community by offering events and concerts. Drayton Harbor Music Festival is the association’s biggest event of the year and features concerts at the G and H Street Plaza as well as a music camp for kids. Each year, faculty members teach jazz, classical and contemporary music to student musicians age 12 to 19 at the camp, according to the association’s website. A graduate of The Juilliard School of music, Theodore DeCorso, is the artistic director. “Our faculty is world-class, but it is important to us to teach any young musician who has the desire and interest, regardless of where they may happen to be in terms of development and economic viability,” DeCorso said in a statement. “So we go the extra mile to ensure that any kid who has that spark of interest can attend the festival.” Monday through Friday, July 9 to 13, students and faculty come together to offer the public free concerts at the G Street Plaza beginning at noon. Evening concerts are also offered. Unless otherwise noted, the concerts listed below will take place at 7 p.m. at the Blaine Performing Arts Center (PAC); entry by donation: Sunday, July 8: Jovino Santos Neto, Charlie Porter and Gregor Huebner will perform a kick off concert called, “Serenata Brasileira.” Monday, July 9: Greta Matassa Trio will perform at 7:30 p.m. at Jansen Art Center. Tickets: jansenartcenter.org. Tuesday, July 10: Festival jazz faculty will perform, “A Few of my Favorite Things.” Wednesday, July 11: The classics to contemporary faculty will perform. Thursday, July 12: The Big Band Benefit starts at 7:30 p.m. at the Blaine Pavilion and features a dinner. Tickets: bit.ly/2Ngg6mW. Friday, July 13: Students will showcase their work with festival faculty. Saturday, July 14: From 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., students will perform at the H Street and G Street plazas at the ‘Jazz by the Sea’ craft fair. Learn more at draytonharbormusic.org.
Letters . . . . . . . . . 4 Classifieds . . . . . 11 Coming Up . . . . . 14 Police . . . . . . . . . 14 Tides . . . . . . . . . . 14
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