17 minute read
Q&A with new county parks director
Q & A with new Whatcom County parks and recreation department director
B y G race M c c art H y
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Bennett Knox started working as the new director for the Whatcom County parks and recreation department at the beginning of September. Knox joined the county from Louisville Metro Parks, where he worked for 20 years, most recently as parks administrator for the natural areas division and Jefferson Memorial Forest.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in natural resource conservation from the University of Kentucky and master of engineering management in resource ecology at Duke University. The parks department oversees 16,000 acres of land including natural areas, parks, campgrounds, historic buildings and nearly 70 miles of trails. It also manages eight senior centers, a community center and a rifle range.
The Northern Light sat down with Knox and asked him about his biggest priorities for the new position, how he plans to connect with the community and which trails are his favorite so far in Whatcom County.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What interested you in the position?
I had a longtime interest. I initially applied to graduate school in the Pacific Northwest. This job was going to involve types of properties that I had been doing in Louisville’s natural area management, which attracted me as a next step. We did a lot of programming, not as much farmland management and land acquisition. The ability to bring the experiences I have working with the community as well as do a lot more attention on resource management was really attractive.
What are your top three goals in your first year for Whatcom County and how do you plan to execute them?
I’m still developing my goals. In all honesty, I’m in a bit of a learning phase right now. We have a project backlog, so that’s got to be a top priority and involves building staff capacity. One of my big goals for the year, hopefully I’ll make a lot of progress on it early, is developing an understanding of what the community looks like here and how best the parks department can support that.
What are your biggest priorities for the Birch Bay area?
I’m trying to get a sense of how the parks we have right now fit together with the goals of what the community wants to see. I think we have a great plan for the Birch Bay Beach Park. I’m excited to move this project forward. We need to work toward raising the funding to implement the phased plan. Trying to get started on the first phase elements of that plan is really important for next year.
Do you know when the Birch Bay Beach Park could be finished?
It’s probably going to take a few years. The cost estimate we had done in 2016 was around $6 million fully executed and it’s been a few years so there’s been
s Bennett Knox.
Photo by Grace McCarthy
(See Parks, page 10)
Birch Bay Village man found guilty of harassment, serves 73 days
A Birch Bay man who allegedly threatened to kill his neighbors and an on-duty Birch Bay Village security guard in July was found guilty of harassment in Whatcom County District Court last month. The Northern Light previously reported that his case had been dismissed in Whatcom County Superior Court, which was due to a plea in the district court.
Scott Brandon Peterson, 50, was sentenced to 364 days in jail after he was found guilty of harassment on September 2 in Whatcom County District Court. Peterson will serve 73 days in a jail alternative center after 291 days of his sentence were suspended, according to court documents.
Peterson was booked into Whatcom County Jail July 9 on suspicion of harassment, carrying a weapon, reckless driving and third-degree malicious mischief. He was released September 4 from Whatcom County Jail having served 57 days and earned 16 good time credits, according to Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) corrections chief Wendy Jones.
Peterson’s felony charges were either dropped or dismissed without prejudice in Superior Court. He pled guilty September 2 to the misdemeanor harassment charge at the district level. District courts handle misdemeanor criminal cases with jail sentences of less than a year and/or a fine up to $5,000.
Peterson, in the early morning of July 9, reportedly threatened an on-duty security guard at Birch Bay Village and told the guard he was going to kill his neighbors, according to the affidavit of probable cause. He then proceeded to stab the security podium, cut camera wires, broke glass in the street, threatened to kill his neighbors and himself, and later tried to avoid WCSO deputies.
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Birch Bay man pleads guilty to elder abuse
A Birch Bay man who was arrested April 3, 2021, after a 71-year-old woman he was supposed to be caring for was found lying face down covered in her feces will serve over a year in jail.
Robert William Savage, 53, was convicted of second-degree criminal mistreatment, domestic violence, after pleading guilty October 3 in Whatcom County Superior Court. Savage received a 13-month sentence, which is the minimum given for such an offense, and a five-year nocontact order.
The woman’s son and granddaughter visited the trailer April 2, 2021, in the 7000 block of Jackson Road and found the woman lying face down on the floor wearing a nightgown that was soiled in her own feces and urine while Savage slept, according to the affidavit of probable cause (APC).
It took the woman’s son and granddaughter 15 minutes to wake Savage. According to the APC, when asked why he didn’t help the woman, Savage said he couldn’t pick her up.
Medical personnel were called to the scene and the woman was taken to the hospital for concerns of sepsis and dehydration. The woman was in satisfactory condition as of April 8, 2021, according to a PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center spokesperson.
A doctor who examined the woman at the hospital told deputies it was possible the woman had burns on her body and could have been on the floor between one and four days. She was admitted to the hospital due to her injuries and condition, and the doctor listed her diagnosis as elder abuse.
The woman’s son had requested a welfare check April 1, 2021, after not hearing from his mother since mid-March.
When Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded, Savage told them the woman was sleeping and he didn’t want to wake her. Deputies had no reason to doubt Savage and left, the APC says.
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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. The letters to the editor column is primarily intended to allow readers to voice their opinions on local issues of general interest to local readers. A fresh viewpoint will increase the likelihood of publication. 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.
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The Northern Light 225 Marine Drive, Suite 200, Blaine, WA 98230 Tel: 360/332-1777 Vol XXVIII, No 19 Circulation: 10,500 copies Circulation Independently verified by:
Next issue: Oct. 27 Ads due: Oct. 21 The Northern Light wins ad of the year
s Co-publisher and advertising director Louise Mugar, l., and designer Ruth Lauman won the Ad of the Year at the Washington News-
paper Publishers Association’s 2022 Better Newspaper Contest, held in Bellingham on Saturday, October 8. The ad was designed for Blaine by the Sea and featured artwork by Blaine artist Georgia Donovan. For additional awards please see page 15.
Photo by Molly Ernst
The Editor:
I would like to thank the good Samaritans who helped my husband Jim on Wednesday, September 21 around 5:30 a.m. Jim was involved in a major car wreck on the way to the airport at the intersection of Kickerville and Bay roads. Both cars were totaled. Jim’s car ended up sideways in the ditch and the other car flew into the field. Jim only has vague memories of getting out of the car. He heard several voices asking, “Is anyone in there?” and “We need to get you out,” as the car was smoking.
He does not remember if he went out the door or out the sunroof. He does remember someone cutting the seatbelt, hands lifting him out and climbing on someone’s shoulder who helped him to safety. He also remembers people going back in the car to search for his glasses and cellphone.
All of this happened before the police and firefighters arrived at the scene. I am thankful that I live in a community with people who do not hesitate to rush to another person’s aid. Again, thank you so much. With warm wishes to all,
Pauline Nefcy
Blaine The Editor:
This election cycle’s Voter’s Pamphlet has hit most of our mailboxes. Like many others, I welcome the information contained therein, particularly from candidates on the ballot that are running for positions in our district.
Of particular note to me was the information submitted by Simon Sefzik. His position as senator is a result of the unfortunate passing of Doug Ericksen. Allowing him to continue in the same capacity would be equally tragic in this writer’s opinion.
This 22-year-old is a graduate of Patrick Henry College in Virginia, an institution that lists its enrollment as 304. To quote from their website: “The Mission of Patrick Henry College is to prepare Christian men and women who will lead our nation and shape our culture with timeless biblical values and fidelity to the spirit of the American founding.”
Is anyone else here aware of the founding fathers’ resolve to separate church and state? Do the women voters in this district anticipate, as many of us do, how the indoctrination of an education such as Mr. Sefzik’s will affect women’s health and reproductive choices should he be given a voice in such matters?
I strongly urge those who support the rights of women and who reject the notion that Christianity should be intertwined with how we are governed to reject Mr. Sefzik at the polls.
John M. Horgdal
Birch Bay
The Editor:
Sefzik has signs by the hundreds, and perhaps thousands, on virtually every road in Whatcom County. Sefzik has the signs but Sharon Shewmake has the knowledge and experience that Sefzik lacks to be an effective senator for the 42nd Legislative District. Sefzik, according to The Seattle Times (10/17/22), interned in the Trump
Letters
(See Letters, next page)
Editor’s note: The Northern Light does not publish political support letters a week before an election. Next week’s issue will be the last to have such letters published before the November 8 election.
Please send letters to letters@thenorthernlight.com no later than noon on Monday. Additional leters are posted online at thenorthernlight.com.
CiviC Meetings
Birch Bay Water & Sewer District: Second and fourth Thursdays, 4 p.m., district offices, 7096 Point Whitehorn Road, Birch Bay. Info and Zoom meeting link: bbwsd.com. Blaine City Council: Second and fourth Mondays, 6 p.m., Blaine City Council chambers, 435 Martin Street. Info and virtual meeting login: ci.blaine.wa.us. Blaine Planning Commission: Second and fourth Thursdays, 6 p.m. Info: blainepc@cityofblaine.com. Info for joining Zoom meetings: bit.ly/2CiMKnk. Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation: Second Tuesday, 5:30 p.m., location varies. Info: bbbparkandrec.org. Virtual meeting info: bbbparkandrec.org/board-meetings. Blaine Park and Cemetery Board: Second Thursday, 9 a.m., virtual meeting. Info: 360/332-8311, ext. 3330. Blaine School Board: Fourth Monday, 7 p.m., Blaine school district offices. Info and virtual meeting link: blainesd.org. North Whatcom Fire & Rescue: Third Thursday, 11 a.m., Station 61 at 9408 Odell Road and via Zoom. Info: nwfrs.net.
From previous page
White House. If you are following the national news, you know why this is not a good time to put Trump-aligned candidates into state legislatures. Please vote for Sharon Shewmake.
Pat Anderson
Blaine
The Editor:
By now you must have seen or heard stories from Blaine and Birch Bay residents to the effect that postal service has suffered badly in recent months. Well, this past week my issue of The Northern Light paper never showed up (first time in 10 or so years); and while my nextdoor neighbor received her voter information packet, I did not. No mail today for either of us as I write this note, around 5:30 p.m. on Saturday.
To me it doesn’t make any difference whether this failure is caused by staffing shortages, or by other systemic flaws introduced deliberately by our self-dealing idiot of a postmaster general, Louis DeJoy. Those letters, papers and packages must have gone somewhere. I wonder what our secretary of state, Mr. Steve Hobbs, would think about election materials going missing? I wonder what your advertisers would think if they discovered that your circulation is not what it seems to be.
I’m writing this because I respect our postal workers (who are taking heat through no fault of their own), but also because I worry that this critical system seems to be broken, and sooner or later we’ll all come to regret allowing that to happen.
Brian Bell
Birch Bay
The Editor:
In response to all the letters to the editor over the past two months from the stalwart and courageous citizens of Bellingham, who continue every week to remind us, the ordinary and humble peoples of Blaine, how to make the right choice at the ballot box in November; thank you.
As I prepared to write this note, it dawned on me that we owe thanks for so much more than just helping us to know what the correct answer is, you also ensured we understand why.
Thank you for helping us to understand which lives matter most, appropriately acknowledge whose land we occupy, better and more compassionately understand what a woman is, know when, why, and how to wear masks, and which views are acceptable to protest.
You also taught us who to #Believe, who to #Resist, dutifully informed us when the science had changed, educated us on the need to improve the not inclusive enough pride flag, and stressed the moral imperative to
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(See Letters, page 13)
CITY OF BLAINE
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.
Monday, October 24
4:00pm – Study Session: Public Works Department Budget 5:15pm – Study Session: BTAC Interviews 6:00pm – City Council Meeting
Tuesday, October 25
3:30pm – Civil Service Commission Meeting *CANCELLED*
Thursday, November 10
9:00am – Parks and Cemetery Board Meeting 10:30am – Public Works Advisory Meeting 6:00pm – Planning Commission Meeting
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
is currently seeking members for the following commission:
Civil Service Commission
Regularly meets one Tuesday of the month for about an hour. One position to fill a partial term ending December 31, 2025 One position to fill a full term ending December 31, 2028
If you are interested in serving on the Civil Service Commission, applications and descriptions of duties are available online at www.cityofblaine.com.
CITY OF BLAINE NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING BLAINE CITY COUNCIL
Notice is hereby given that a public hearing for the 2023 revenue sources and proposed Property Tax Levy is scheduled for Monday, October 24, 2022, at 6:00pm. The meeting will be held in-person and virtually. Information on how to attend the City Council meeting virtually will be included on the agenda. City Council meeting agendas are published the Friday before the City Council meeting.
If you do not want to give testimony during the public hearing, please email your testimony to CityCouncil@cityofblaine.com. Please note that emails and letters sent to the entire Council are public record and they will be included on the City Council meeting agenda.All City Council meeting recordings are on the City’s website.
Anyone wishing to attend and participate who may need special accommodation to do so should contact the City Clerk’s office no later than seventy-two hours (72) hours prior to the scheduled meeting.
For further information on the 2023 budget, please contact the Finance Department, 360-332-8311.
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