Burglaries in Birch Bay -- Community Meeting

Whatcom County Deputy Sheriff Zac Reimer held a community meeting Wednesday, August 28, to discuss the recent spate of burglaries in Birch Bay, particularly in Bay Crest, and to explain how to prevent crime by keeping doors and windows locked tight. John Gargett, president of the Chamber of Commerce has extensive information on Deputy Reimer's advice at the Chamber's blog, BirchBayBuzz.com.

What is of interest to this blog was the turnout. This was the first opportunity for us to see the inside of the spacious new building of the Birch Bay Bible Community Church, located at the intersection of Bay Road and Blaine Road. The sanctuary held 275 chairs. An assistant pastor, who operated the sound system, counted 215 occupied.

This is the largest attendance of any meeting we've attended in almost 10 years. More than the meetings for the Growth Management Plan, Design Criteria, BBWARM Planning, Incorporation Feasibility or Candidate Nights.

 

ak

Action in the South End

 Week after week this summer the Birch Bay Market at the corner of Alderson and the Drive has been gaining vendors and customers Friday through Sunday. The Pats (Alesse) and Nancy Firsdell have made this happen.

The August 4th weekend was the ultimate: Saturday was SnipFest – nine hours of music – to benefit WeSnip.org, the emergency clinic that neuters dogs and cats. The magic behind this comes from Tammy Pearce and Dave Bucknell of the Bay Cafe, located across the road from the Alesse's C Shop.

That's Tammy holding the microphone. Last year SnipFest raised $4,000; Tammy expected the total to be well over $5,000 this year. The woman to her left is Nancy Firsdell, who did much of the work to attract 50 vendors. The band on stage is Black Out Alliance that drew in many of the other performers and closed out the show.

Both of the sponsoring businesses flourished and brought the action to the South End of the Bay once again.

Vote for Darcy Burnder

How you get ahead in this society: You're born in Alaska and adopted by a family in Nebraska. The father had enlisted in the Army after high school. The mother, who already had two sons, wanted a girl. But Darcy was a tom-boy geek. (A second daughter was a girl-girl, now a nurse.)

Darcy applied to Harvard and worked her way to a degree in computer science. Then to Seattle and Microsoft where she wrote code and rose to become manager of a significant project and a successful product.

When Darcy decided to run for office she went to see one of the oracles of the Congress who told her to concentrate on fundraising. Instead, Darcy Burner joined a number of significant organizations including the Afghanstan Study Group whose report on ending the war was endorsed by Republicans as well as Democrats.

A few weeks ago, Burner was impressive as keynote speaker at the Netroots Nation conference. More impressive than Elizabeth Warren, running for the Senate in Massachusetts. Darcy has been going around the new 1st Congressional District with Retired Major Gen. Paul Eaton, who was a leader in Iraq. Recently they talked at the Blaine Senior Center about the cost of the Afgahanstan war in money and lives. Here's a summary in a devastating New Yorker article – July 9-16 issue – by Dexter Filkins who was co-winner in 2010 George Polk award for coverage of this war:


After 11 years, nearly two thousand Americans killed, sixteen thousand Amerricans wounded, nearly four hundred billion dollars spent, and more than twelve thousand Afghan civilians dead since 2007, the war has come to this: mission not accomplished.


Burner and Eaton note that 80 percent of Americans are against this war, as measured by opinion polls. They argue the end should be now rather than 2014, as the President has projected.

The trend in TV ads and direct mail is for candidates to keep the message simple, easy to understand by children of all ages. Examples are the mailing pieces we are getting daily from Suzan DelBene and Laura Ruderman. Darcy Burner's brochure is a small book that covers the major issues.

The 1st Congressional is a district that was structured – not gerrymandered – for an equal contest. There are six Democratic candidates.

With phone calls and knocking on doors we have been surveying voter attitudes. Many are disgusted with the lack of substance. Darcy Burner is a candidate who is showing the way to better politics.




ak

Nosin' Around for News

The new Birch Bay Cafe and Bistro will open in about a month in the building we know and love as the “Blue Fish.” This according to Mr. Yoon, the proprietor, who I met Wednesday evening. He was working hard and sweating from cleaning the place up but smiling as he pointed to the liquor license application on the door.

But the picture is bleak at the Beach House that many are wistfully calling Stefanie's again. I'm hearing that, if new management doesn't appear soon, the season will be lost. A former employee explained that when Wynstra folded the leasing company pulled out all the equipment and that will take time to replace.

Down the drive, the CJ Wijns space was purchased by 'Grand Bay' condo owners who are advertising for an operator. There, too, nothing is left – including that nice furniture.

Word is the golf course is an impossible situation because the high cost of water to keep the grass alive could never be covered by green fees.

Turning to the beach, we understand Birch Bay and Blaine have been separated in a petition by ReSources to require participation in stormwater permit requirements. There was consideration that Blaine does not have enough population to be included but that, we understand, has been resolved. This is a WIN for the folks who run the Blaine city government – Dept. of Ecology pressure will enhance their stature of having the 97^th worst polluted body of water in the state.

ak

New Precinct Map

This map shows the new precinct alignment; you should have received a card from the Auditor that states which precinct you are now in. We've circled all those that relate to Birch Bay. Parts of some are outside the existing Urban Growth Area. Because we are “county,” the precinct delineation process made no effort to fit the new lines into the UGA as was done with cities. The Birch Bay Community Council will want to deal with this when the growth plan is reviewed.

Comments are encouraged.

ak