The Editor:
It’s always with amusement I find that letters in favor of the Gateway terminal come from people who do not live near the railroad tracks or coastline area. Enough said!
Dorothy Bush
Blaine
The Editor:
We have read a number of letters about the negative side of our Blaine Post Office and I’d like to add a positive note. We live in Birch Bay and have our mail delivered by Jeri. Jeri has gone out of her way to drop larger pieces of mail on our front porch. We had to put up a lockbox after we had mail stolen and our mail must go through a slot.
Recently we spoke to Jeri about the ease of using our mailbox from her official mail truck. Jeri mentioned it would be more convenient if our box opening were level with her door. My wonderful husband got right to it! I am writing to encourage other residents along her route to possibly make some adjustments to their mailbox. I suggest 40–45" from the ground to the bottom of the mailbox.
Anne Freeman
Blaine
The Editor:
Tourism expert Roger Brooks said Blaine has the most untapped potential of any city he’d visited in the Pacific Northwest. Brooks believes that “beautifying the downtown will attract tourists,” while Blaine’s city manager and economic development committee think beautifying the downtown will attract shoppers. Not if they don’t have places to shop.
The shoppers Blaine is currently attracting buy online and pick up their parcels at the 15 mailbox businesses in Blaine. Those buyers don’t stop to look at the beautiful downtown; they don’t even stop at the three-way stop at H Street and Peace Portal. So what does Blaine need to do to attract shoppers? Attract businesses. Instead of looking for buyers for empty buildings, why not look for tenants to fill those buildings. Use the monies spent on beautification on rent concessions instead. Empty storefronts and derelict structures don’t shout “thriving economy” for buyers.
Blaine is hopeful Ken Imus will “beautify the building on Peace Portal” after leaving three years ago. Again, why beautify empty buildings if you don’t have tenants to fill them? As a 2-year-old Blaine business struggling to survive, I can only hope the city’s brainstorming results in something more than beautification or there may be one more empty storefront.
Nancy Hamilton
owner, Merry Go Round
Blaine
The Editor:
The most joyous sound we have heard in a long time! My mother and I were visiting your quaint little city from Illinois on a beautiful Friday afternoon.
As we were enjoying lunch on the deck of the Peace Arch Cafe, we started to hear children giggling and laughing. We thought nothing of it at first, but as we continued our lunch, the laughter got louder and louder and we could not help but laugh and giggle too. We started seeing parents with their little children walking down the street wearing swimsuits and beach hats, and carrying beach chairs, so we had to figure out where they were going and where the laughter was coming from.
To our surprise, a half a block away, the city had blocked off a corner of the street to allow children to play in showers of water. What fun! It was such a delight to see children outdoors playing, laughing and having the time of their lives on a warm summer day.
Great job, city of Blaine, for filling our hearts with fun and laughter and bringing back such fond memories of childhood when our city would flush the fire hydrants and let us play in the water.
Beth Ann Swierkosz
Springfield, Illinois
The Editor:
We have a Republican candidate for president who is not afraid to speak the truth in a manner that is honest, on point, not harsh and does not include name-calling or vulgarity. That candidate is Carly Fiorina. At the first Republican debate on August 6, she said, “Hillary Clinton lied about Benghazi, about her e-mails, her servers, and she is still defending Planned Parenthood. All this, and Hillary is still her party’s frontrunner.”
Donald Trump has gained fame because he speaks of a bloated and corrupt federal government, which is full of politicians who cater to crony capitalists. He arrogantly admits that he takes advantage of their stupidity. Beware of this man as he has no character or integrity. Who needs Donald when you have Carly?
Polly Kvamme
Blaine
The Editor:
That the Washington State Democratic Party stands four-square behind Planned Parenthood’s recent brouhaha comes as no surprise. Governor Inslee and his fellow Democrats should, however, pause for at least a single minute before applauding the sale of body parts, fetuses, etc., to medical facilities.
The vast majority of Planned Parenthood centers are in the very minority neighborhoods Democrats claim to support and cater to for votes. Keep in mind you should not abort your future, Governor. Eventually they could wake up!
Terry Montonye
Bellingham
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here