Letters to the Editor

Proud of Blaine
The Editor:
I have read Mr. Connelly’s letter and am very sad that he is ashamed of Blaine. He criticized the Blaine government, but gave no constructive solutions. What change did he have in mind?
I have lived in many areas and I just feel blessed to live in Blaine. I have lots of friends in Ferndale and Canada and have never in 10 years heard a cross word about where I live.
It is a shame that he is so concerned with what people think about where he lives instead of enjoying this great town with its mild temperatures. I respectfully hope he can rethink his statements and enjoy the beauty that surrounds us.
Claire Cornish
Blaine

Sewer moratorium?
Dear Mayor & The Editor:
This letter is addressed to you in your capacity as mayor, but is also intended to additionally address the membership of the city council and the planning commission. Our partnership has several serious concerns about the ability of the existing city infrastructure to appropriately service the demands of future and existing real estate development projects that are currently before the Community Development Department’s Russell Nelson for review and approval.
The following is a list of some of the issues that we feel need to be adequately addressed before additional building permits are issued by the city of Blaine:
1. The present sewer system could well be considered “at capacity” in terms of exceeding 85 percent of its design capacity for the previous three month period. The State Department of Ecology (DOE) is on record of having previously recommended a “voluntary moratorium” be imposed by the city council in order to develop a realistic permanent solution to this problem before a large storm event is allowed to overflow that system into Drayton Harbor, again.
2. The previous litigation at Beachwalker Condominiums has given rise to concerns about the building inspection process at Blaine.
3. There have been questions about the proper siding installation and the retaining wall (or lack thereof) at the Aerie Condominiums and the city’s role in regards to building inspections on that project, as well.
4. The Drayton Hillside development and nearby logging operations have raised significant questions about slope stability and the resulting capability (or lack thereof) to establish proper storm water runoff systems that should be employed to prevent ecological damage. We have legitimate concerns about how well builders can be expected to comply with the difficult geotechnical requirements of building permits issued on such steep and unstable slopes, and about the city’s ability to enforce proper compliance without the homeowners subsequently having to invest huge sums for that purpose.
5. We have concerns that the city’s shoreline program is so old as to not be in compliance with the intent of the current State requirements in that regard and would like to know what the city plans to do about that.
Because of these many unresolved infrastructure problems and because the number of sewer system hookups resulting from just these recent and proposed development projects before the city will increase the sewer system capacity potentially by 15 to 20 percent, we recommend that the city council voluntarily establish a moratorium on sewer system hookups. It is envisioned that such a moratorium would be in force until an approved plan for establishing appropriate long-term sewer system capacity has been created. Exceeding the capacity of the sewer system will not only have catastrophic environmental consequences, it will result in huge DOE fines that would be better spent on pro-actively finding a solution to this serious problem.
Thank you very much for your consideration of our proposal.
Lincoln L. Rutter, Partnership for Responsible Development
Blaine

Letters Policy
The Northern Light welcomes letters to the editor; however, the opinions expressed are not those of the editor. Letters must include name, address and daytime telephone number for verification. Letters must not exceed 350 words and may be edited or rejected for reasons of legality, length and good taste. Thank-you letters should be limited to 10 names. A fresh viewpoint on matters of general interest to local readers will increase the likelihood of publication. Writers should avoid personal invective. Unsigned letters will not be accepted for publication. Requests for withholding names will be considered on an individual basis. Only one letter per month from an individual correspondent will be published.

Please send your letter to:
225 Marine Drive, Blaine, WA 98230 or fax 360/332-2777.
E-mail:editor@thenorthernlight.com

Letters Policy

The Northern Light welcomes letters to the editor; however, the opinions expressed are not those of the editor. Letters must include name, address and daytime telephone number for verification. Letters must not exceed 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. A fresh viewpoint on matters of general interest to local readers will increase the likelihood of publication. Writers should avoid personal invective. Unsigned letters will not be accepted for publication. Requests for withholding names will be considered on an individual basis. Only one letter per month from an individual correspondent will be published.

Please email letters to letters@thenorthernlight.com