Around the City

Development down from 2006
Development proposals submitted during the first quarter of 2007 are down by nearly 75 percent, a report by the city’s planning and development department found.

In a regular council meeting Monday, Blaine planner Alex Wenger outlined the city’s first quarter development status report for 2007.
The report examines development applications, building permit approvals and wastewater connection applications as indicators of growth in the community.

Wenger said during the first quarter of 2007, the city has reviewed three vested land use developments with a total of 19 potential units in central Blaine, as opposed to 91 units during the same period in 2006.
Those new developments include Silver Maple Court, a 17-unit planned condominium project on 1.4 acres of land fronting Adelia and Bayview streets; Madison Heights, a three-lot, single-family residential short plat fronting Georgia Street and Madison Avenue; and the Lighthouse Point water reclamation facility planned for Marine Drive.
There were no vested land use developments in east or west Blaine during the first quarter.

Council votes to keep airport commission
The city of Blaine will retain the services of the airport commission, an advisory group of citizens who oversee maintenance and regulation of the airport and airport facilities, until the airport ceases functioning.

In their regular meeting Monday, council members voted 4-3 not to approve a measure put forth by city manager Gary Tomsic that would have disbanded the advisory commission and place the responsibility of operating the airport with the city manager and council.

Council members Bonnie Onyon, Jason Overstreet and John Liebert voted in favor of the measure.

Local agencies host career fairs this week
Western Washington University has organized a spring career day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today to help connect local and national employers to students and the public in general.

Participating employers include Alaska Airlines, Americorps, Boeing, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Fred Meyer Stores, Merck Pharmaceuticals, Target and Banner Bank. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call 650-3240.

Whatcom County WorkSource, a state-funded job placement agency, has also scheduled a youth job fair from noon to 4 p.m. at Whatcom Community College in the Syre student center.

The event will include employers in Whatcom County construction, health care, manufacturing, retail, and food service industries. Interviews will be conducted on-site and individuals may be able to obtain a food handler’s permit for $10.

A master job application is available by visiting www.worksourcenorthwest.com/pdf. Whatcom Community College is located at 237 W. Kellogg Road in Bellingham.

Blaine’s Lake Missoula Winery featured in winemakers week
A Blaine winery will be featured in a county-wide Whatcom winemaking celebration this week.

Tracey DeGraff, a Blaine resident and co-owner of Lake Missoula Winery in Blaine, will be featured from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday, April 29, at the Ferndale Haggen grocery store to present information about the winery and answer questions about the wine making process during their Whatcom Winemaker’s Week.

Four other Whatcom County winemakers will also be featured during the event. They are: Vartanyan Estate Winery in Bellingham, Chuckanut Ridge Wine Co. in Ferndale, Mount Baker Winery in Deming, and Samson Estates Winery in Lynden. For more information, visit www.Haggen.com.

Semiahmoo Regatta organizers seek volunteers for event
Organizers for the upcoming Semiahmoo Bay international benefit regatta, a two-day festival of wind, waves and water April 28 and 29, are looking for volunteers to help with event operation. For more information call Stewart Peddemors at the White Rock/South Surrey Chamber of Commerce at 604/536-6844.

School board hearing to discuss long-range planning, growth
The Blaine school district will hold a community forum regarding long-range planning and prioritization of facility projects from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. April 30, in the Blaine middle school cafeteria. Topics will include a review of district growth trends and projections along with information on projected short- and long-term facility needs. The results of the meeting will be used to prepare a recommendation for school directors regarding potential facility upgrades and improvements.

Also, prior to the forum, board members will hold a hearing to review initiative 728, an annual requirement of funding used to support student achievement. Both meetings are open to the public and participation is invited. For more information, call 332-5881.

Birch Bay author schedules book signing, wine tasting
Birch Bay author Maureen Kelly and La Cantina owner has organized a wine tasting and second signing for her new book from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 2 at La Cantina restaurant in Birch Bay.
She recently published the book, “Wine Types: Discover Your Inner Grape,” which pairs individuals with different varietals based on their personality profiles.

Kelly, who has more than 15 years in consulting based on the Myers-Briggs personality profiles, said she published the book in December 2006, after looking for a way to blend her love of wine and knowledge of interpersonal dynamics.

La Cantina restaurant is located at 7876 Birch Bay Drive. The event will feature a wine tasting by Samson Estates Winery in Ferndale and the music of local musician Jeff Peters. Her book is available for $7.99 by visiting www.winetypes.net.

Also, on Saturday, May 5, La Cantina has scheduled a Cinco de Mayo celebration with the music of Birch Bay musical group, The Replayzmentz.For more information, call 371-7466.

Group aims to get dog park rolling
A local group of dog owners interested in creating an off-leash dog exercise area in Blaine has distributed and collected 160 questionnaires from area pet owners to help design the facility and get some added volunteer involvement.

The city council approved Skallman Park as the location for an off-leash dog area last year and the dog owners, led by Terry Johnston, are looking for others who want to become involved in setting it up.
For more or a questionnaire, contact Johnston at 371-7017 or at terry@nwrecreation.com.

Expert to discuss rising sea levels May 3
The Whatcom County Marine Resources Committee will host a presentation and panel discussion at 7 p.m. May 3 in the bottom floor conference room of the Bellingham public library, on predicted sea level rises in Puget Sound.

University of Washington professor Douglas J. Canning, a spokesperson for the university’s Climate Impacts Group, will address the potential consequences of sea level rise including inundation and flooding, coastal erosion, seawater intrusion, and habitat disturbance. The event is free and open to the general public.

By Tara Nelson