Year in Review 2018: Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation District 2

By Heidi Holmes, program manager

The Birch Bay Activity Center was the location of a Pickleball Tournament in early January. Players from around the community and Canada participated in this new event. Other tournaments were held in July and October. The district continues to develop its Pickleball program and this summer had two outdoor courts painted for use on Gemini Street. More court time has been added to the schedule as the demand for the sport grows.

The activity center hosted the first-ever vendor artisan craft fair in February called The Great Love A-Fair. A second vendor fair followed in September. These events showcased local artisans selling homemade products and other vendors selling multi-level marketing goods.

With the newly-purchased 11.5 acres property on California Creek by the Whatcom Land Trust, the Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation District 2 (BBBPRD2) sought grants from the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office to help with the purchase costs, demolition of existing buildings and to help develop the land into a park with parking, bathrooms, kayak launch and proposed ADA interpretive trail. Funding will be awarded in the spring of 2019 and the property will be turned over to the district by the Whatcom Land Trust.

Trail easements have been purchased along with a small piece of property along Drayton Harbor Road that will eventually be developed into one phase of the proposed trail to connect Blaine and Birch Bay with a non-motorized pedestrian trail.

BBBPRD2 continued to partner with both the Blaine and Birch Bay chambers to offer many outdoor recreation projects during the summer months. Such programs offered by the park district were a dog obstacle course during the Birch Bay Kite Festival, Pirate Daze during Drayton Harbor Days and the Kids Olympics at Discover Birch Bay Days.

The district partnered with the Cub Scouts Pack 4025, Blaine Barracuda Wrestling Team, Healthy Youth Coalition, Whatcom Conservation District and the Run with the Chums event by providing funding for recreational opportunities to the youth in our community.

The Birch Bay Activity Center was approved to accept the SilverSneaker and Silver&Fit insurance programs at the gym and the Blaine Pavilion, allowing those who have the Medicare supplemental insurance coverage to attend many of the group fitness classes for free. The district continues to add new group fitness programs to both locations. New in 2018 were Pilates, restorative stretch and basic strength classes. With the purchase of a 2007 Chevrolet school bus that holds 14 passengers, the park district can offer field trips to their schedule of events in the next year as well as offering transportation to school age kids to attend the after-school programs at the Birch Bay Activity Center.