Community Newspaper for Blaine, Birch Bay and Semiahmoo, Washington

VIEWPOINT

By Bryan Johnson

ON September 18, 2001 Blaine voters will be asked to approve funds for the construction of a new station. The present station, located on H Street, has been declared seismically unfit for further use and has been vacated.

Equipment and personnel are being temporarily housed in a warehouse on Yew Avenue pending the construction of a new facility. Based on studies of future population growth (the population is anticipated to double in the next 10 years), and with the accompanying increase in medical emergency and fire responses, it is anticipated that a 10,000 square foot structure would provide Blaine with a state-of-the-art fire station. This would be home to sufficient staff, equipment bays, office space, as well as day and sleepover accommodations for both paid and volunteer fire fighters.

To enable Blaine to build its new station, Fire District 13 would purchase the land for the Blaine station, leaving the city of Blaine only responsible for the building. While no piece of property has been selected, there are several promising locations under consideration. These pieces of land have been chosen for their proximity to Blaine’s area of greatest population density, and for their quick access to major local roads. The construction of the Blaine station is in no way linked to the November vote on annexation, nor would the new station be used as a headquarters for the newly formed North Whatcom Fire and Rescue Services entity. When the annexation vote passes, the new station would be used to serve the citizens of Blaine.

Construction costs of the station would be funded through the issuance of a $1.6 million bond with a 20 year maturity. As was the case in the 1994 construction of the community center, the bond issue would be put to a vote of the citizens of Blaine. Blaine taxpayers would not experience an increase in their tax rates. The levy of $.27 per $1,000 would be deferred until 2003 when the $.27 ten-year levy to fund the community center is paid off. One levy would simply replace the other.

During recent weeks, a team of local fire fighters traveled around the state visiting fire stations to gather ideas for the Blaine design. They found a number of stations that they liked. The new building will offer the citizens of Blaine and its fire fighters a state-of-the-art facility to meet the city’s emergency needs with few drills and architectural grandeur.

The new station would provide much needed space for decontamination of personnel and equipment, a dormitory area, separate washroom facilities for men and women, a training area, an area for storage of medical supplies, and a kitchen facility. It will be a facility that will also lend itself to use for community functions, as well as engender a sense of pride in paid and volunteer fire fighters alike. A series of community meetings are planned to underscore the need for a new facility and to address citizen concerns. There will also be a number of small gatherings at the Yew Avenue site and other locations followed by two large meetings in late August, one at the community center and the other at the Inn at Semiahmoo.

There are few families in Blaine whose lives have not been touched by the professional and efficient members of the Blaine fire department. The citizens of Blaine are urged to vote to approve the construction of a new fire station to provide a modern home for these essential public services.
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