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May to run for state legislature
May to run for state representative
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Blaine councilmember Richard May has announced he is running as a Democrat for the state’s 42nd Legislative District Position 2 seat.
May is vying for the seat currently held by representative Sharon Shewmake (D-Bellingham), who announced last week she will be running for state Senate.
May has served on Blaine City Council since 2020 after serving on the city’s planning commission for 10 years where he worked on rezoning to increase economic development in downtown Blaine. He was also the former president of the Everson Nooksack Chamber of Commerce and owned two restaurants in Whatcom County.
Through working with the city, May said he’s overlapped state work for things like advocating in Olympia for state funds for the Bell Road and Peace Portal Drive intersection.
May said he’s running because he would like to create policy for roads and education, a smart route for job recovery, and basic respect for people and the environment without barriers to reasonable work conditions, housing, health and childcare. He would also like to address the state’s business and occupation tax, which he says is unfair to small businesses.
May said he is fully committed to serving city council as he runs for the state position in 2022. May’s term on city council ends in 2023. s Richard May. File photo
City council gives the city manager a raise
Blaine City Council unanimously voted to give city manager Michael Jones a 5 percent increase to his salary, which is currently under the state’s salary average for city managers. Jones will now make $143,280 per year. City council reviewed Jones’ performance in November and determined the city manager was performing well enough to receive a raise.
After looking over the salaries of city managers who ran cities of similar size and tax base, council found Jones’ salary was 6 to 9 percent below the state average. City budget constraints from Covid-19 and the U.S./Canada border closure limited Jones’ increase, keeping him under state average minimum by 1 percent.
IPAA fundraising for Peace Arch holiday lights
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The International Peace Arch Association (IPAA) is fundraising for holiday lights to decorate the U.S. and Canada sides of Peace Arch Park.
The nonprofit hopes the winter lights will become a new annual tradition in celebration of easing cross-border travel restrictions between Canada and the U.S., IPAA founder Christina Alexander said.
The Blaine-based nonprofit has received $1,260 of its $4,500 goal for LED lights for the six hedges around the base of the Peace Arch, Alexander said. The lights will hang December through January.
“Americans and Canadians have endured the pandemic together and found great solace in their peace park. So let’s come together to celebrate the re-opening of our borders,” Alexander wrote in a statement.
If the park receives more donations, it will expand past its first goal for lights. IPAA hopes to eventually reach a second phase for an additional $7,000 that would add two U.S. and Canadian 8-by-6-foot commercial LED flags. A third phase for an additional $8,000 would add lights to wrap two giant trees in U.S. side of Peace Arch State Park. Total funding for the three phases would be $19,500.
The Gill family, owners of Blaine Mart and the D Street Shell gas station, donated $700 to the winter lights, Alexander said.
People who would like to donate may do so by donating online at bit.ly/3G1mjO3 or by writing a check to IPAA. Those who would like to write a check should contact Alexander at 360/3327165.
Jones’ salary will increase in December and be included in the city’s 2022 budget.
CITY OF BLAINE
Due to Governor Inslee’s proclamation in response to COVID-19, this City Council meeting will be conducted remotely. Information on how to watch to the meeting live will be on the City Council agenda which is located on the City’s website homepage under Your Government, City Council, City Council Agenda. Please check the agenda prior to each meeting as the location may change.
Thursday, December 9 9:00am – Park and Cemetery Board Meeting 6:00pm – Planning Commission Meeting
Monday, December 13 6:00pm – City Council Meeting
Tuesday, December 14 8:00am – Blaine Tourism Advisory Committee Meeting
Thursday, December 23 6:00pm – Planning Commission Meeting
Friday, December 24 City Offices Closed – Christmas Day Observed
Contact information for staff & Councilmembers can be found on the City’s website.
Call (360) 332-8311 or visit our website. www.cityofblaine.com
ANNUAL LISTING OF VACANCIES AND ANTICIPATED VACANCIES
THE CITY OF BLAINE IS CURRENTLY SEEKING MEMBERS FOR THE FOLLOWING COMMISSION, BOARD, AND COMMITTEE: BLAINE TOURISM ADVISORY COMMITTEE
REGULARLY MEETS ONE TUESDAY MORNING PER MONTH FOR ABOUT TWO HOURS ONE POSITION TO FILL A PARTIAL TERM ENDING DECEMBER 31, 2023 ONE POSITION TO FILL A TERM ENDING DECEMBER 31, 2025
PARK AND CEMETERY BOARD
REGULARLY MEETS AT 9:00 AM ON THE SECOND THURSDAY OF EVERY MONTH FOR ABOUT AN HOUR AND A HALF ONE POSITION TO FILL A PARTIAL TERM ENDING DECEMBER 31, 2022 TWO POSITIONS TO FILL A FULL TERM ENDING DECEMBER 31, 2025
PUBLIC WORKS ADVISORY COMMITTEE
REGULARLY MEETS AT 2:00 PM ON THE SECOND THURSDAY OF EVERY MONTH FOR ABOUT AN HOUR AND A HALF TWO POSITIONS TO FILL A FULL TERM ENDING DECEMBER 31, 2025
Members of boards, committees and commissions receive no financial compensation, but the payoff is great. Members meet other residents with similar interests, they learn about the City, and they help shape the future of Blaine!
Being on a board, committee or commission does require a significant personal commitment, so applicants should consider their ability to commit their time and personal energy before applying.
If you are interested in serving on a board or commission, applications and descriptions of duties are available in City Clerk’s Office at Blaine City Hall, 435 Martin St., Suite 3000, or online at www. cityofblaine.com. Please submit your application by 4:30 PM on Friday, December 3, 2021. The City will continue to accept applications until vacancies are filled.
Per Blaine Municipal Code (BMC) 2.08.028, concurrent service on more than one board or commission is precluded.
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Smoking server forces BPD evacuation, no injuries
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The Blaine police department (BPD) was evacuated just after noon November 29 due to smoke billowing out from the department’s server room, according to a BPD Facebook post.
BPD records supervisor Amy Ebenal said an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) failed and began to smoke, which set off the department’s alarm system. North Whatcom Fire and Rescue (NWFR) crews arrived on scene but did not locate a fire. “But boy was there a lot of smoke,” she said.
IT personnel repaired the UPS, and NWFR crews ventilated the building, which Ebenal said took about 20 minutes.
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Covid-19 in Whatcom County, by school district boundaries:
Recent two-week case rates, cumulative counts and vaccinations
Meridian
Vaccination: 64% Case rate: 107 New cases: 12
Nooksack Valley
Vaccination: 51% Case rate: 192 New cases: 22
Bellingham
Vaccination: 78% Case rate: 93 New cases: 105
Mount Baker
Vaccination: 47% Case rate: 100 New cases: 16
s The case rate is the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people over the past two weeks.
New cases are the total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the last week. Vaccination is the percentage of the population that has had at least one vaccine shot. Rates were updated November 27.
Covid-19 case rates decreased in all Whatcom County school district areas except for Nooksack Valley. The Blaine school district area decreased from 196 cases per 100,000 people to 175 cases per 100,000 this week. Blaine school district has 33 new cases since last week and has the third highest case rates in the county, behind Lynden and Nooksack Valley.
Blaine school district has a 70-percent vaccination rate, making it the second highest vaccination rate area in the county following Bellingham with a 78-percent vaccination rate.
To date, Whatcom County has had 175 confirmed deaths since the pandemic started. The number of deaths make up 1 percent of total confirmed Covid-19 cases in the county.
On December 1, 29 people at St. Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham had either been admitted for Covid-19 or tested positive for Covid-19 after being admitted for another reason.
For more Whatcom County information, visit whatcomcounty. us/covidvaccine and whatcomcounty.us/coviddata. State information is available at bit.ly/3r2URJj. dangerous for residents to enter and four homes are in danger of collapsing into the river.
Gargett said the water in Sumas City Hall was twice as deep as 1990, damaging all of their computer and phone equipment. The city of Sumas estimates it’s lost 40-50 percent of its road network, which is similar to Everson, but Nooksack roads fared better, Gargett said.
The county found damage to about 60 areas of county roads, bridges and levees, according to public works. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is doing emergency repairs to three levees, but the county’s bridges didn’t have structural damage.
“There’s a lot of damage out there, no question about it, but the amount of major infrastructure damage is pretty modest considering the extent of this flooding,” Hutchings said of the levee and river systems. “It’s pretty amazing it withstood that amount of water for as long as it did.”
Whatcom County public works encouraged east county residents to prepare for the flooding November 24 as residual water was still left behind from the first flood, increasing the likelihood of more flooding and landslides.
On November 24, Whatcom County officials held a community meeting at Nooksack Valley High School to answer the public’s questions on the first flood. Among those in attendance were U.S. Congresswoman Suzan DelBene, county executive Satpal Sidhu, Washington state Emergency Management Division director Robert Ezelle, Gargett, Hutchings, east county mayors, county health department director Erika Lautenbach, sheriff Bill Elfo and 42nd district representatives Alicia Rule and Sharon Shewmake.
During the 3-hour meeting, county residents voiced concern on the county’s emergency response to the flooding and asked the county to resume dredging the Nooksack River.
Sidhu waived permit fees for emergency building repairs on November 24 and the county said it would refund those who paid for the permit fee before Sidhu’s executive order.
Following the meeting, on November 26, the Washington state National Guard deployed along with county emergency workers to help with more heavy rainfall that was expected after Thanksgiving.
The Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) began distributing disaster cash assistance on November 30 in Everson. The aid ranged from just over $400 for one person to $1,290 for a family of eight or more people, according to a sheriff’s office media release.
For more information on the county’s flood response, visit bit. ly/3d7EHIX.
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Flood ...
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Farmers.
A Ferndale feed producer and eastern Washington farmers helped while the Sumas feed mill was down, he said.
“It was neat to see farmers and truck drivers hauling feed,” Likkel said. “It was neat to see the community come together.”
BNSF Railway train tracks used to transport the feed were restored around November 24 after being damaged during the first flood, Likkel said. BNSF Railway has been able to get product that was waiting in Everett while the tracks were broken up to Sumas, he said.
“It was pretty nerve-wracking in the beginning but we were able to get through it with minimal damages,” Likkel said.
Farmers are now carefully watching cattle to observe what sort of stress the flooding may have caused, like standing in water for several days, which can make them more susceptible to diseases. Crop damage will become more evident later, Likkel said, adding that raspberry and blueberry fields don’t do well in standing water.
Farmworkers are facing these challenges requiring them to work overtime to keep farms going all while many have had their homes destroyed during the floods, Likkel said.
“Our farmers are a resilient group and they’ve had a really ‘pick each other up’ attitude,” he said. “I’m really proud of them.”
s Birch Bay Leisure Park began flooding for a second time November 28, with waters reaching up to 2.5 feet. Photograph taken November 29.
Photo by Grace McCarthy
How to report damages
Whatcom County residents with any flood-related damages to homes or businesses need to call 360/788-5311 or report damages at whatcomcounty.us/ damageform by December 6.
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