A look back at the year that was

January

• Donning costumes, revelers took part in the annual Polar Bear Plunge on January 1 at Birch Bay Beach Park. The event was hosted by the Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce and draws thousands of people each year.

• Newly elected members to Blaine City Council, Alicia Rule, Eric Davidson, Bonnie Onyon and Charlie Hawkins took their oath of office before a regular meeting on January 8. The city council unanimously appointed Onyon as mayor and council member Steve Lawrenson as mayor, pro tempore.

• Serving teens in Blaine and Birch Bay, the Health Youth Coalition hosted its first Teen Nite on January 15 at the Pizza Factory. The event featured live music, games, prizes and pizza. More than 100 people attended, including kids from Blaine, Birch Bay, Ferndale and Lynden.

• Developer Mike Hill announced plans to build a mix of a commercial, office and retail space next to the Chevron gas station he owns on Peace Portal Drive.

• Birch Bay couple Pat and Patty Anderson sat down with The Northern Light to describe their 5,428-mile, 226-day boat journey around the eastern United States, called ‘America’s Great Loop.’

• Whatcom County Council appointed former chairman of the Lummi Nation Business Council Timothy Ballew II to serve a vacant at-large seat on January 16. Ballew was expected to fulfill the position until the next election and told county councilmembers he would not run for the position in November.

• The state Transportation Improvement Board allocated $293,425 to the ‘Peace Portal Community Trail Phase 2’ project. The project aims to create a pedestrian connection from the new pedestrian crossing at the Peace Arch U.S./Canadian border crossing through the city to southern Blaine city limits.

• Krys and Katy Bennet purchased The Railway Cafe, located at 795 Peace Portal Drive, and re-opened it on January 19.

• The Blaine school board approved a resolution to send a $12 million capital levy to voters on January 22 to fund a variety of projects the district wanted to complete over six years. Projects included updating the existing grand stand structure and purchasing property for a school in Birch Bay. Residents would be asked to vote on the levy during a special election on April 24.

• Blaine school district superintendent Ron Spanjer unveiled SafeSchools Alert, an anonymous tip line that allows students, parents and community members to report tips on bullying, harassment, drugs, vandalism or any other safety issues by email, phone, text or website.

• Derek and Debbie Peris opened Barnyard Coffee, an artisan roastery and tasting room, out of their home in Blaine.

• The Washington State Department of Health lifted harvesting restrictions on 129 acres of Birch Bay shellfish beds due to reduced levels of pollution. It took nearly two decades to restore water quality in the bay.

• The city of Blaine announced on January 22 it had received $20,000 from California-based Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment to advance a project to build a new public beach bordering Marine Park.

• Blaine city manager Dave Wilbrecht told Blaine City Council that a mid-size grocery retailer called off plans to build a 15,000 to 20,000-square-foot storefront at the former site of the Blaine Municipal Airport, also called the Gateway Parcel.

• An ultra-rare super blue blood moon graced the Hawaiian Islands, Alaska and western parts of North America on January 31. The phenomenon occurred after a super blue moon entered Earth’s shadow to create a total lunar eclipse. For viewers in Whatcom County, the totality phase ended at about 6:05 a.m.

February

• The Department of Ecology received $900,000 in state funding to clean up the former Blaine Marina Inc. site. In 2015, it was discovered the site contained hazardous materials.

• The 21st annual Arts and Jazz event took place on February 3 at Blaine middle school. The Blaine Fine Arts Association ‘Artist of Note’ was 12th grader Emma Welter. Welter is a participant in the Blaine High School life skills program and featured her piece titled ‘Watercolor of a Student’ in the 2017 Superintendent’s High School Art Show, hosted by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Washington Art Education Association.

• Five people were arrested at a model home, located at 8466 Camas Drive in Semiahmoo, on February 6 for trespassing, among other charges, following an hours-long standoff with law enforcement.

• The 50th Birch Bay International Marathon and Half Marathon took place at Birch Bay State Park on February 11. Olympia resident Curtis Gessner, 28, took first place.

• Blaine City Council approved the allocation of $7,489 to purchase 20 disc golf baskets on February 12 to be installed at Lincoln Park on D Street.

• Property owners received sizable tax bills in the mail in mid-February, largely due to the state legislature’s decision to hike the state education levy to comply with Washington State Supreme Court’s McCleary decision. State education taxes were expected to increase from $2.23 to $3.20 per $1,000 of assessed value.

• The Blaine Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual Bite of Blaine on February 19 at the Semiahmoo Resort ballroom. The event, which is a fundraiser for Blaine’s Old Fashioned Fourth of July, featured food samples from local restaurants as well as live and silent auctions.

• Brothers Ryan and David Robinson opened Blaine’s Games at 477 Peace Portal Drive. The pair sold, bought and traded video games at the business.

• The Birch Bay Water and Sewer District released a new study that gave insight into the quantity and quality of deep aquifer groundwater found in the Blaine Groundwater Management Area (BGMA). The results highlighted the potential of the BGMA to supply water to other parts of Whatcom County.

• Local residents Joel Sellinger and Ben Docksteader sat down with The Northern Light to discuss their invention, LifeDoor. The product hangs on interior doors and automatically closes doors when a home smoke detector sounds.

• Blaine city manager Dave Wilbrecht announced on February 26 that he would retire on June 15. Wilbrecht worked for the city of Blaine for approximately five years.

March

• Developer Mike Hill released design plans for the 2,650-square-foot and 1,500-square-foot buildings he was building next to the Chevron station he owns on Peace Portal Drive. Hill confirmed that Starbucks would lease one of the new properties.

• State lawmakers adjourned their 60-day session on March 8. The highlights for Blaine included the allocation of $1.2 million to extend utility infrastructure to east Blaine and $550,000 to update an Interchange Justification Report for a project to add a new southbound off-ramp on I-5 at exit 274.

• Through a crowdfunding campaign, the community raised more than $9,000 for a Blaine family that lost their home in a house fire on March 14.

• Acclaimed pianist Bob Milne performed in Blaine for the third year in a row on March 16 to raise money for the Blaine Library.

• The Wings Over Water NW Birding Festival took place on March 16–18 in Birch Bay. The 16th annual event offered a look at the migratory birds that pass through the area on the Pacific Flyway, which extends from Alaska to Patagonia.

• In an interview with The Northern Light, interim police chief Michael Knapp outlined the changes he had made to the Blaine Police Department, such as restructuring staff, initiating the switch to a new dispatch system and paying for a third-party analysis through the Loaned Executive Management Assistance Program, also called LEMAP.

• Joining hundreds of thousands of protesters in cities across the globe, approximately 75 people, including students, parents and teachers, took part in ‘March for Our Lives’ in Blaine on March 24 to protest mass shootings at U.S. schools and to call on lawmakers to tighten gun restrictions.

• Blaine City Council voted on March 26 to hire Issaquah recruiting firm Prothman Company for assistance with recruiting a permanent chief of the Blaine Police Department. The recruiting services cost the city approximately $17,500.

• State legislators approved a $1 million grant for the Birch Bay Community Park on Birch Bay Drive to partially compensate Whatcom County for the $2.46 million it spent to acquire the 3.6-acre property in 2014.

April

• The city of Blaine, the Healthy Youth Coalition and the Pizza Factory Coalition held a ribbon cutting ceremony at Blaine Skate Park on April 10 to dedicate a new anti-bullying bench. The bench is part of Pizza Factory’s corporate-wide “No Bully Zone” program.

• In partnership with Blaine’s Alaska Packers Association Cannery Museum, Alaskan historian Katie Ringsmuth shared stories about cannery life at the lodge in Semiahmoo Park on April 14. Ringsmuth is developing educational materials and an exhibition on the topic called “Mug Up” for the Alaska State Museum. More than 80 people attended the event.

• Locals came together on April 17 to host an information session about the Community Toy Store. It marked the first step in launching the charitable program in Blaine and Birch Bay this year.

• Part-time Birch Bay resident Arlene Hartley organized a tribute concert to country music singer Loretta Lynn at the Wheel House Bar and Grill in Blaine on April 14. Lynn got her start playing at taverns in Custer and Blaine.

• Blaine City Council appointed Michael Jones as interim city manager on April 16, replacing city manager Dave Wilbrecht who retired on June 15. Jones began working for the city in 2007 and is the city’s former community development director.

• Blaine planning commissioners voted unanimously to approve a shoreline substantial development permit and land use variance, with modifications, for a mixed-use project at the corner of H Street and Peace Portal Drive. The project, led by Peter Gigante, included three apartments, a specialty restaurant, a coffee shop and barber shop.

• The Blaine school board approved a cost estimate for supplying a full-time School Resource Officer (SRO) on April 23. Prior, the school district funded a half-time SRO position.

• Voters narrowly passed a six-year capital projects and technology levy for the Blaine school district during a special election on April 24. The school district was seeking the levy to raise money for maintenance and replacement projects.

• Long-time city employee Sheri Sanchez retired. From 1996 to 2004, she was the city’s deputy finance director. Up until her retirement, she was the city’s administrative services director and city clerk.

May

• The Blaine High School drama club debuted ‘Shoe,’ a musical performance, at the new high school theater on May 3. The performance addressed the challenges associated with mental illness.

• The Bellingham Sail and Power Squadron, in partnership with the Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons, hosted the SeaSkills Boating Festival on May 12 at Blaine Harbor. The event featured a series of boating classes, vendor booths, safety checks, vendors and more.

• During candidate filing week on May 14–18, 77 people threw their hats in the ring for 17 positions serving the state and county. Races with more than two candidates were to be winnowed down during the August 7 primary election.

• Whatcom County Council unanimously passed an ordinance allowing golf carts on select roads in Birch Bay on a trial basis on May 22. The zone, which will sunset at the end of 2019, includes Birch Bay Drive from Birch Point Loop to Point Whitehorn and roads immediately connected to the drive that have 25 mph speed limits.

• Blaine City Council voted to reject an offer from an investment firm to purchase 6 acres of land on the city’s Gateway Parcel, formerly the site of the Blaine Municipal Airport, on May 29. They buyer, Uppal Investments, intended to build a truck/fuel stop, a coffee shop, a fast-food restaurant and a 20,000-square-foot grocery building on the site. Blaine mayor Bonnie Onyon later explained the city wasn’t interested in a gas station at the site.

• More than 4,000 people attended the Birch Bay Kite Festival on May 26 and 27. The event was hosted by the Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce and featured live music, pet activities, several contests, kite flying and much more.

June

• Plenty of events kept Blaine and Birch Bay residents and visitors busy on June 2, including visits by tall ships Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain, a Hawaiian luau dance party hosted by the Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation District 2, the opening of the Gardener’s Market and annual slug races, Ride to the Border and Beach Fest and Feast.

• Former North Whatcom Fire and Rescue (NWFR) firefighter John Swobody was honored by hundreds at a memorial service and procession on June 6 at Christ the King Church. Swobody passed away following a years-long battle with lung cancer. His death was deemed a result of his profession by NWFR, making it the first line of duty death of a firefighter in north Whatcom County’s history.

• The city of Blaine hosted a public reception on June 7 to allow the public to meet three candidates who were vying to serve as chief of the Blaine Police Department to replace Mike Haslip who retired in October 2017. Just days after the reception, the city announced Los Angeles Police Department lieutenant Allen Schubert accepted the job offer. He was expected to start within 60 days.

• More than 140 seniors graduated from Blaine High School on June 8.

• Hands Across the Border took place at Peace Arch State Park on June 10. International Peace Arch Association representative Christina Winkler said more than 1,900 people attended.

• The first of three Birch Bay library design meetings took place on June 11 at the BP Heron Center. The community got involved to help shape the design and function of the future library.

• Blaine city manager Dave Wilbrecht retired on June 15.

• Whatcom County announced that construction on the 1.6-mile sand and gravel berm and pedestrian walkway slated to be built along the beach at Birch Bay would not start in the fall, as planned. This was the third delay since the Birch Bay Drive and Pedestrian Facility Project began in 2016.

• A nonprofit based in Port Townsend called the ‘New Old Time Chautauqua’ performed in Blaine and Birch Bay and June 29 and 30. One performance at the Blaine school district’s Performing Arts Center featured dancing, juggling, music and more.

The second installment of the ‘Year in Review’ series will appear in the next edition of The Northern Light.