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Letters
The Northern Light is published weekly by Point Roberts Press Inc.
Locally owned and managed, the company also publishes the All Point Bulletin, covering Point Roberts, Mount Baker Experience, covering the Mt. Baker foothills area, Pacific Coast Weddings annual guide, and the summer recreation guide Waterside as well as maps and other publications. Point Roberts Press Inc. is a member of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association, Chambers of Commerce of Bellingham/ Whatcom County, Birch Bay, Blaine and Point Roberts and the Bellingham/ Whatcom County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
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The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors.
Letters Policy
The Northern Light welcomes letters to the editor. Please include name, address and daytime telephone number for verification. Letters are limited to 350 words and may be edited or rejected for reasons of legality, length and good taste. Thank-you letters are limited to five individuals or groups. Writers should avoid personal invective. Unsigned letters will not be accepted for publication. Requests for withholding names will be considered on an individual basis. Consumer complaints should be submitted directly to the business in question or the local chamber of commerce. Only one letter per month from an individual correspondent will be published. Email letters to letters@thenorthernlight.com.
Publisher & Managing Editor Patrick Grubb publisher@pointrobertspress.com
Co-publisher & Advertising Director Louise Mugar lmugar@pointrobertspress.com
CAP has successful toy store for families
s The Community Assistance Program (CAP) had another successful Community Toy Store this year. Over 120 families shopped for their children’s Christmas presents at Life Impact Church on December 9-11. The community donated over 1,280 new toys and gift cards that families shopped for at a 75-percent discount. Proceeds will go to The Bridge Community Hope Center’s emergency fund, CAP’s utility bill assistance program and Life Impact Church’s household pantry. Photo by Grace McCarthy
Editor Grace McCarthy grace@pointrobertspress.com
Reporter Ian Haupt ian@pointrobertspress.com
Creative Services Ruth Lauman, Doug De Visser production@pointrobertspress.com
Office Manager Jeanie Luna info@pointrobertspress.com
Advertising Sales Molly Ernst, Gary Lee sales@pointrobertspress.com
Letters
The Editor:
In your front-page article, “Cross-border traffic ticks up,” you note that the U.S. border is open to Canadians and that they do not need a Covid-19 test if they remain in the U.S. for under 72 hours. This is good news for the local economy.
I also noticed that prior to the Canadian government waiving the Covid-19 test requirement to return, all of our local, state and federal politicians were encouraging Canada to reconsider the requirement. This political pressure worked.
Where are these same politicians asking Canada to waive the Covid-19 test for Americans wanting to cross the border for a short visit?
For fully vaccinated Americans, I see no critical concern for Canada for short-term U.S. citizen border crossings. Political pressure works.
Doug Tomaso
Blaine
In an article in the December 9 issue of The Northern Light titled “Timmons runs for state representative,” a word was omitted from Timmons’ quote. He loves the state government.
In an article in the December 9 issue of The Northern Light titled “Scientists see positive results from European green crab trapping in Drayton Harbor,” Emily Grason was misquoted on the crab removal efforts in the Lummi sea pond. The over 70,000 crabs found in the sea pond is likely attributed to the pond’s unique habitat that is favorable for the crabs.
We regret the errors.
Please send letters to letters@thenorthernlight.com no later than noon on Monday.
Corrections
General Editorial Inquiries editor@pointrobertspress.com
Contributors In This Issue Doug Dahl
The Northern Light 225 Marine Drive, Suite 200, Blaine, WA 98230 Tel: 360/332-1777 Vol XXVII, No 27 Circulation: 10,500 copies
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Community Newspaper of Blaine & Birch Bay
We wish each of you a healthy 2022. Thank you to our readers and advertisers for your support.
In celebration of the holiday season, our office will be closed from December 20 through December 24. Our office will re-open on Monday, December 27. Our next issue will come out December 30.
Photo: Louise Mugar
McKinney resigns from school board, plans to move out of state
B y I an h aupt
Blaine school board vice president Laura McKinney sent in her letter of resignation November 29, which was accepted by the board during its December 14 meeting, as she and her family are moving back to South Carolina.
McKinney was recently reelected to another term as district 5 representative. The board will need to appoint a representative for the district, which with the board’s redistricting includes Semiahmoo, areas south of Blaine and north Birch Bay, by March 4, 2022. The appointed representative will serve a two-year term until the next general election.
“It is with a heavy heart that I submit my resignation from the board effective immediately,” McKinney wrote in her resignation letter. “I am grateful for the support of the electorate in the last election, but my family and I have decided to leave the state of Washington and return to South Carolina. I wish the students the greatest success in life, and I hope that they will continue to find motivation and inspiration to reach their potential.”
McKinney moved to Blaine in 2001 from South Carolina. She lived here for a year and a half and then returned in 2014. She has served as a board member since 2017.
“I appreciate the time and service she’s given to the school district, staff and students,” superintendent Christopher Granger said during the meeting. “She was a very good board member and allowed for very healthy discussions at the board level.”
s Laura McKinney. File photo From page 1 calls; the fire chief estimates call volume has grown 20 percent since the new law went into effect this summer. HB 1310 limits law enforcement responsibilities, requiring fire departments to take over things like behavioral health and welfare check calls they’re not equipped or trained to do, Van der Veen said.
“The firefighters are really being asked to be social workers and mental health counselors,” he said, adding he hasn’t seen the fire service change as drastically in his 26-year career as it has during Covid-19 and HB 1310.
This is in addition to fire services responding to more primary care, neighborhood disputes and code-enforcement calls to which other agencies would typically respond.
“The fire department has become the bottom of the overall community safety net and we’re not fully sure how to deal with all of these issues,” Van der Veen said.
Inflation and supply chain issues in the past year have also made supplies more expensive and caused delays in replacing equipment. NWFR budgeted $20,000 for EMS operational supplies in 2021, but ended up spending almost $34,000, which required the district to cut training money so it wouldn’t go over budget, Van der Veen said.
Without the voter-approved levy increase, NWFR will hold off replacing vehicles that are past scheduled replacement dates and defer needed building maintenance and minor equipment upgrades. NWFR would have also added personnel to shorten response times.
NWFR’s tax revenue in 2022 was $6.5 million; NWFR commissioners voted during the November budget hearing to add the 1 percent revenue increase. This will only bring an additional $65,000 in 2022, Van der Veen said, which is far less than the $650,000 needed for a new engine or $250,000 for a new aide car for Blaine and Birch Bay.
Van der Veen said he also worries the district’s insurance rating could drop when it’s reevaluated this summer because of aging equipment, which could lead to increased insurance rates for homeowners. The old equipment isn’t necessarily unsafe, he said, but requires a more careful eye by mechanics.
“I was disappointed. It’s hard not to take something like that personally,” he said of the rejected levy increase. “It’s hard being on the inside because you know why the levy increase needs to pass. You second guess your communication with the public, but when it comes down to it, maybe I’m the one who needs to understand.”
CITY OF BLAINE
Due to COVID-19 and the Governor’s Proclamation, meetings are now only open to the public telephonically. Information on how to listen 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 call-in number or location may change.
Thursday, December 23 6:00pm – Planning Commission Meeting
Friday, December 24 City Offices Closed – Christmas Day Observed
Monday, December 27 9:00am – City Council Meeting
Tuesday, December 28 3:00pm – Civil Service Commission Meeting *CANCELLED*
Friday, December 31 City Offices Closed – New Year’s Day Observed
All City offices are currently closed to the public. Contact information for staff and Councilmembers can be found on the City’s website.
Call (360) 332-8311 or visit our website. www.cityofblaine.com
Take And Heat Meals
Please order early, limited availability. Week of 12/15: Lasagna, Salad, Roasted Vegetables, Northwest Fusion Cuisine Anna’s Bread in Blaine Focaccia, Panna Cotta. Week of 12/29 Right Here in Blaine! Beef Stroganoff, Butter Noodles, Roasted Vegetables, Salad & Dessert $14 per meal
Christmas Eve Dinner
Braised Short Ribs, Potato Gratin, Creamed Spinach, House Salad with Beets, Pomegranate, Candied Nuts, Blue Cheese Balsamic Vinaigrette, Eggnog Bread Pudding (made with Anna’s Bread in Blaine Sourdough) with Bourbon Creme Anglaise Pick up December 23 from 2-8 pm. $25 per meal Pair a bottle of wine to take from our extensive list! All wines are 10% off to-go and 15% off for wine club members!
Reservations Recommended • Walk-ins Welcome
December Fun at The Vault
Dec. 16 • 7 pm • Holiday Movie Trivia & Ugly Sweater Contest Dec. 17 • 7pm • Live Music by The D’vas and Alan Dec. 23 • Take & Heat Meal and Wine pick up Dec. 29 • 6:30 pm • Sip & Paint $75 per person includes $30 food/beverage credit, paint supplies, instruction, tax and gratuity. Pre registration required Dec. 30 • 7 pm • Pop Culture Trivia NEW YEAR’S EVE Friday, December 31 • 9 pm-12:30 am Live Music with JP Falcon Grady & Friends, Sparkling Wine and Cocktail specials. Reservations suggested. Walk ins welcome. NEW YEAR’S DAY BRUNCH Saturday, January 1 • 11am - 2 pm Cocktails & Brunch Faire. Reservations highly recommended
Reservations Recommended • Walk-ins Welcome
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B y I an h aupt
Some Blaine residents experienced a nearly 26-hour power outage December 12 after a switch at the substation failed.
Public works director Bernie Ziemianek said a feeder in one of the city’s primary conductors came loose early in the morning of December 12, shortly after midnight, and some residents didn’t get power until 2 a.m. December 13.
Public works crews found a pole line malfunction near Mitch-
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ell Avenue after heavy winds and rain, which Ziemianek said. This did some damage to the electrical facilities, he said.
Puget Sound Energy (PSE) came out to fix the switch at the substation at Hughes and Yew avenues, while public works crews worked to bring customers back onto the system, Ziemianek said.
The majority of city customers’ power was out for about 15 hours, Ziemianek said. The outage did not impact Semiahmoo. PSE restored the breaker 20 hours after the initial outage. In this time, crews restored power to some customers, the last of whom were restored around 2 a.m. December 13.
On December 12, city administration were brought in to answer calls around 2 a.m. and calls went out to those affected around 3 a.m., Ziemianek said. At 4:30 p.m., a city announcement said crews had located the problem and were working with PSE to install a new switch at the substation. It said time of restoration was still unknown and that the outage could extend into the late evening or early morning.
The power outage was long enough that the Blaine school district canceled school December 13 because the outage affected multiple locations on the district’s campus.
“At this point in time I think we’re all buttoned-up,” Ziemianek said in a December 13 phone interview. “I haven’t had a chance to talk to staff yet since they are just getting in now after working 24 hours straight.”
School board adopts second redistricting plan after Birch Bay push
B y I an h aupt
During its December 14 meeting, the Blaine school board voted 4-0 to adopt a revised redistricting plan, which Birch Bay community members pushed for in order to have more representation on the board.
The plan gives Birch Bay two of its own districts, Blaine two of its own and one split amongst them. It also leaves current district 4 board member Charles Gibson without a district.
The revised plan was drafted after superintendent Christopher Granger worked with Birch Bay community members to address their concerns in the redistricting process. The first proposed plan kept all board members in their respective districts but also stretched the district boundaries long and thin across the school district, which Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce secretary Doralee Booth said did not give the Birch Bay community “a sense of place.”
Granger said Booth and other Birch Bay community members wanted Birch Bay to have its own districts separate from Blaine. This way they would have representation on the board. “The feedback we got from the [Birch Bay] community is that they will work really hard to make sure there’s people to run,” he said.
District boundaries must be reviewed every 10 years following the release of the U.S. Census to ensure equal representation on the board.
Boundaries in the first proposed plan were drawn so as to include all board members in their respective districts. Washington state law does not say district boundaries have to be drawn to include the current board member, but board members also cannot be removed from office by redistricting.
Because the adopted plan draws Gibson outside of his district, he will finish out his term on the board, acting as the district 4 director, then someone from within the new district 4 boundaries will take his seat in the next election.
“It feels like it’s a good map that will get us through the next 10 years,” Granger said. “And we’ll see what happens with upper H Street development, what happens in Birch Bay development, this could look different 10 years from now.”
Granger said the plan is a good representation of the district community as a whole, not enrollment numbers. The redistricting process is based off census data, which looks at population.
According to 2020 census data, 58 percent of children – persons under 18 years of age – in the school district reside in Birch Bay, and 80 percent of children under 5 years of age reside in Birch Bay. Through 2021 tax contributions, Birch Bay residents also contribute 36 percent of the school district’s funding, while Blaine contributes about 24 percent.
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School ...
From page 1 students did not intend harm or do not have access to weapons that could cause harm to a school,” the statement read. “Students will often say the online post or threat was a joke. We want to emphasize to you that the safety of our children is not a joke.”
The statement goes on to say both agencies will take every threat seriously and investigate it thoroughly, and there are consequences for those guilty of threatening schools, students and staff.
In order to prevent such incidents, the statement asks parents to talk to their children about consequences of sharing threats of violence and monitor children’s online activity. It also asks parents to remind their children that if they see something, they should say something to school administration, use the school’s anonymous online tool, “Report It!” or text a tip to 844/201-8732.
The statement closes saying, “Our intent in sending this letter is not to cause worry or angst. It is to share what really happens when students make these choices, and to inform on the significant impacts it causes for them, their family and our entire community.”
To view the statement in its entirety, go to bit.ly/3dVpGdA.
Communication
During the first incident investigation last Friday, many parents expressed their frustration that they found out about the lockout through social media rather than the district directly. An automated call to parents announced the lockout was being lifted because it was near the end of the school day and needed for student release. Some wished they had received a call earlier regarding the lockout.
In the December 12 follow-up message to parents, Granger apologized for the lack of communication during the event.
“We sincerely regret the communication failures that occurred Friday and offer our apologies,” he wrote. “I’d also like to thank all of you who have provided us feedback and the opportunity to improve.”
Granger said previously automated calls have been used only when action is required of a parent or guardian. But following the incident, he said the district will now add an automated call to its initial notification process.
After the investigation was completed, the district lifted the lockout; pick up and student release occurred as usual at 2:50 p.m.
According to a district notice sent out during lockout, there was no verified threat on any of the district’s campuses, but no one was permitted to enter or exit any of the campuses from about 11 a.m. to 2:50 p.m. while classes continued as usual. With threats in multiple Whatcom County schools in the past few weeks, BPD investigated the situation and provided an increased presence on the district’s campus.
A lockout is called when there is a threat or hazard outside of the school building.
In his message, Granger said BPD would continue to have an increased presence on and around school campuses during the week as a safety precaution.
BPD reminded parents of the classroom response protocols in an announcement.
“Entering a school during a lockout or lockdown is very dangerous and irresponsible,” a BPD spokesperson wrote. “Anyone who does so puts themselves, the children, staff, and law enforcement at risk of severe injury. School staff will be taking attendance during and after an incident to make sure every child is accounted for and safe.”
