News in Brief

Open house for Dr. Dolman set for June 1
The Blaine school district board of directors and administrative team are hosting an open house retirement tea for superintendent Dr. Gordon Dolman on June 1 from 2-4 p.m. in the school cafeteria. Dolman has been an educator for 32 years, arriving in Blaine in 1985 as the Blaine high school principal. After his tenure as a principal, he was then selected as superintendent, and has served in that post for the last 13 years. Dolman has been very active in the Blaine community as a member of the Kiwanis Club, the chamber of commerce, and the United Church of Christ.

Public hearing held for GoldStar resorts
A public hearing regarding the GoldStar Resort�s notice of application for a conditional use, and associated permits related to the project at 7836, 7848, and 7866 Birch Bay Drive was held last Tuesday in county council chambers. This project entails construction of a 62-unit hotel/motel/timeshares/condominium water enjoyment resort-oriented development with accessory parking, swimming pool and spa. Additional amenities include a restaurant, patio/bar, gift shop and lounge. The project�s conceptual design is online at www.goldstarresorts.com/Projects/resortdevelopment/conceptualdev.htm.

County council approves Sunset Farm lease
Whatcom County Council approved a lease agreement between Whatcom County Parks & Recreation and Karen L. Murphy for the operation of Sunset Farm Equestrian Park in Birch Bay. The lease is for a term of three years beginning May 22, 2003 and ending May 21, 2006. Recently, the Whatcom County Parks and Recreation Department was seeking individuals to help operate and manage the 69-acre Sunset Farm Equestrian Park, which includes a farmhouse, garage/shop, horse stable and barn, trail, and jumping station. The farm was taken over by the county parks and recreation department in late 1993, after then- owner Kay Lowry donated half the value of the $1 million property to the parks and recreation department, and in turn, the department applied for and received a grant for $500,000 to cover the other half.

U.S. puts temporary ban on Canadian beef
In what appears to be the first case of Mad Cow Disease in Canada in 10 years, agriculture officials said Tuesday that a cow slaughtered in Alberta in January tested positive for Mad Cow Disease. In a measure of precaution, the U.S. department of agriculture is temporarily banning Canadian beef, although the case appears isolated and that the risk of animal transmission, as well as effects on human health, is likely very low.

City appoints act fast committee
Blaine city council took a major step in the long and complex process of deciding what to do with the wastewater treatment plant. They appointed an 11-member citizens committee to study and make recommendations, including the type of treatment and location of a new plant. The members appointed the to the committee include Frank Bresnan, David Fakkema, Jeff Green, Trevor Hoskins, Jim Jorgensen, Geoff Menzies, Brad O�Neill, Ken Raithel, Jan Hrutfiord, Pam Christianson and Bonnie Onyon.

Second county suspect SARS case reported
A second Whatcom County resident, a child, has been diagnosed as a suspect case of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), according to the Whatcom County health department. The individual was exposed during travel to an affected area in Asia. The child with suspected SARS has not been seriously ill and is following CDC isolation precautions. This new case is unrelated to the first, previously reported Whatcom County suspect SARS case. The condition of the first case has improved, and it is anticipated that his isolation period will be over soon. As of May 13, there were 345 cases in the U.S. reported to the World Health Organization, 26 of which were in Washington state. For SARS information, visit www.whatcomcounty.us/health or call the 24-hour SARS information line at 738-2504 ext. 50842.

Whatcom Red Cross gets national award
Two Whatcom County Red Cross members will receive the national partnership award at the Red Cross National Convention next Thursday, May 29, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Randy Scott, disaster services director and Bob Mark, VISTA volunteer for their teamwork and cooperation in creating the Whatcom County Public Education Team, or PET. Scott, a long-time emergency response professional, and Mark, a recent college graduate, worked together to create a sustainable program, called the Public Education Team (PET) curriculum. PET allowed a training program for potential presenters, shaped localized messages about services and emergency response plans, and communicated with other disaster response agencies to provide inclusive information sharing. The two then began the process of recruiting, training, mentoring, supervising, recognizing and retaining new and existing volunteers.