What about our libraries?

‘Without libraries what have we? We have no past and no future,” said Ray Bradbury, American author best known for writing Fahrenheit 451 and The Martian Chronicles.

He added, "Libraries raised me. I don’t believe in colleges and universities. I believe in libraries because most students don’t have any money. When I graduated from high school, it was during the Depression and we had no money. I couldn’t go to college, so I went to the library three days a week for 10 years,"

While we don’t agree with Bradbury’s beliefs about colleges and universities, we do applaud his opinion of libraries (found in colleges and universities in addition to city and county locations).

The Whatcom County Library System, along with many other library systems in the state and county, is facing insufficient funding to support the current level of service. Without approval of the levy lift measure on the November 3 ballot, we may lose much of what we know as our library.

Birch Bay’s bookmobile service and the Blaine’s branch library are among the sites threatened with reduced hours of operation and reduced staff. Library service users could face increased fines and fees.

“The variety of opportunities offered by the library is amazing!” Debbie Farmer, Blaine Branch Manager, said.  “The public library is truly a thriving hub in the community!”

Events at the Blaine branch include Wii nights, art classes, book discussion groups, a chess club, and story times.

Circulation at that branch increased 9.3 precent this year over last, from 192,028 materials checked out in 2008 to 132,083 checked out through August 2009.

The Birch Bay bookmobile saw circulation rise an astounding 56 percent from 4,891 in 2008 to 4,845 through August 2009.

Washington libraries get their funding though a levy based on assessed property values. The last levy increase was 29 years ago. The current rate is $0.338; the requested level is $0.44. That figures out to an annual increase of $15.30 on a $150,000 property - less than a dinner out. Washington State law allows for $0.50 per thousand dollars of assessed valuation, so the measure requests an amount well below the maximum.

Without our libraries, where would we be? Vote YES on on the library levy lift November 3.

Please comment - in agreement or not.

rah

All communities lose as Whatcom County works to comply with the state Growth Management Act; Bill Grant won some back -- will he get more?

The few smiles in the rotunda of the county building last Thursday evening, 9.17, were the result of changes County Executive Pete Kremen recommended for Birch Bay, reinstating the town center node at the intersection of Blaine and Alderson roads. The main beneficiary of this change is Bill Grant, Birch Bay's biggest builder, who owns property there and has a multi-use plan. *

Lisa Guthrie was not smiling. She is the public face of Homestead Northwest that would lose zoning for more than 200 family homes at the eastern end of the Sea Links property. Proposed zoning is one home to five acres; Ms. Guthrie says that would mean only three houses could be built there.

Inside, the chamber was packed for a joint hearing – actually listening – by the county council and the planning commission. After Whatcom County Planning Director David Stalheim briefed the council and commission members on the highlights of Mr. Kremen's revised recommendations, representatives of the county's communities, starting with Mayor Pike of Bellingham, spoke. Most are unhappy with the lack of significant changes from Mr. Kremen's original proposal.

But Kathy Berg, who serves as chair of the Birch Bay Steering Committee, was thankful for Mr. Kremen's change from his first recommendation that she called “draconian”, cutting the heart out of the Birch Bay Community Plan. She was the only representative to recognize the need for the UGA revisions: “Lack of compliance cuts the county off from funding sources that are needed to address pressing issues in Birch Bay.” (Like The Berm.) For her full presentation and more Birch Bay information, see www.birchbayinfo.org.

Blaine, according to an earlier memo from Mayor Onyon to Mr. Kremen, would like to keep 400 acres in its west side that Trillium wants to develop. However, neither Ms. Onyon or anyone else from Blaine was at this hearing.

Representatives from Columbia Valley and Everson supported Mr. Kremen's general recommendations, but suggested improvements relating to their borders.

Dennis Rhodes, Ferndale's planner who formerly was on the county planning staff, spoke vigorously about the county not recognizing his city's need for commercial development space. (Is Ferndale preparing to sue?)

Amy Haskel, who is popular with the county staff, represented the city of Lynden. During the public period, she was followed by a handful of other speakers beginning with Mayor Jack Louws. Each of these speakers, council members, planning commissioner, city administrator, and city attorney, presented a different argument portraying Lynden as a model city. Included was a letter from prominent farmers stating that the land the county plan reserves for agriculture is not good for growing crops.

After two hours, when all of the council members and commissioners still appeared to be paying attention, we left. (Jared Paben of the Herald reported that 58 people spoke for over four hours.)

*A bigger challenge is coming for Mr. Grant Tuesday night, 9.22, when the county planning commission takes up “LAMIRDS” issues. These include the “land grab” near Birch Bay Square.  Mr. Grant's Gold Star Resorts owns undeveloped land where Birch Bay–Lynden Road meets I-5, which would lose considerable value if downzoned.

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We enthusiastically welcome comments.

Now a Trench

First it was pot-holes, all over the beach at low tide. Now it is a trench, threatening to exceed the Mariana Trench dimensions.
Please, clammers, fill in your holes.

Apart from making an unsightly moon-scape of the beach, the holes are walking hazards.

But most importantly, marine life is disturbed by clamming activity and the best you can do to minimize that impact is to return the material as close as possible to its original state.

Residents, visitors and future clammers thank you.


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