February 12 - 18, 2015 HHHECRWSSHHH Postal Customer
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ISSUE
Dropping loonie affects county retail sales, page 3
Army Corps of Engineers needs more information before considering Lummi GPT request
Active Seniors special section, page 8
PRSRT STD U. S. Postage PAID Permit NO. 87 Blaine, WA 98230
Reevaluating Daylight Saving, page 13
Fresh flowers for Valentine’s Day
By Steve Guntli The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has responded to the Lummi Nation’s request to deny the Gateway Pacific Terminal (GPT) permit. In a letter addressed to Lummi chairman Tim Ballew on February 3, USACE Colonel John Buck asked the tribe for more specific information before considering the request. The Lummi Nation requested the USACE deny the GPT permit in early January, claiming the new facility would impede on their protected tribal fishing grounds. “While the information you provided supports historic and current fishing practices in the subject waters, we need detailed information for our administrative record on the Nation’s specific use of the project waters and how the facility’s construction and operation would affect access to, and use of, these waters,” Buck wrote. As an example, Buck requested specific details of harvesting shellfish and sea cucumbers, so the USACE could determine how the GPT would affect the process. “The information submitted is helpful, but additional information is needed to make a decision,” Buck wrote. The Lummi have had success in the past blocking projects that impeded on tribal fishing grounds. In 1996, the courts ruled in favor of the tribe in a case against a 1.4-acre salmon farm in Rosario Strait. On February 3, the Lummi Nation rejected an offer by GPT’s parent company, SSA Marine, to come to a compromise. In a letter to Skip Sahlin, project developer on the GPT project, Ballew stated he could see no way to avoid the impacts of the terminal. “While we appreciate your desire to engage on these issues, we remain steadfastly opposed to this project and do not see the utility in pursuing any further discussion,” Ballew wrote. Officials at SSA Marine, in a statement (See GPT, page 7)
s Mary Amsberry prepares Valentine’s Day bouquets at Blaine Bouquets on February 10. See more on page 16.
School bond receives overwhelming support By Steve Guntli The Blaine school district will receive some much-needed upgrades after voters chose to pass a $45 million bond. Early results from February 10 show 69.7 percent support for the bond. The bond will pay for several improvements at Blaine High School and add additional all-day kindergarten classrooms to the primary school. Ron Spanjer, superintendent of the Blaine school district, said he
was overjoyed by the news. “We are just absolutely thrilled,” he said. “It’s an incredible statement of support from all three communities: Blaine, Birch Bay and Point Roberts. Nearly 70 percent of the vote is, I believe, the largest percentage on a ‘yes’ vote that a school bond in this district has ever received.” The majority of the funds raised by the bond, approximately $38 million, will go toward remodeling Blaine High School. The facility was built in the early 1970s to accom-
Consuls from four countries to gather at Peace Arch event By Steve Guntli The treaty that ended the War of 1812 and established a lasting peace between the U.S., Canada and the U.K. is once again being celebrated at Peace Arch Park. Diplomats from four countries will be present at a ceremony to commemorate the ratification of the Treaty of Ghent. The treaty was signed in Belgium on Christmas Eve, 1814, officially ending the
Photo by Steve Guntli
War of 1812. The treaty was ratified on February 16, 1815, and signed by President James Madison on February 17. The Peace Arch monument in Blaine was originally designed to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the treaty, but its construction was pushed back to 1921 as the onset of World War I diverted national funds to the war effort. Christina Alexander of the U.S. Canada Peace Arch Anniversary Association
(USCPAA) organized the event. This is the second event honoring the treaty in the last two months. On Christmas Eve, community members gathered at the Peace Arch to celebrate the anniversary of the treaty’s signing with historical reenactments, musical performances and a festive lighting of the Arch. Consuls from four countries have (See Peace, page 3)
modate around 300 students. Today, however, approximately 650 high school students use the facility, and have to share cafeteria space, a library and computer labs with the middle school. Voters shot down similar proposals in 2008 and 2011. The 2011 bond for $32 million earned 59 percent of the vote, just shy of the 60 percent needed to pass the measure. In 2012, voters approved a smaller, (See Bond, page 15)
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