Volunteers to clean up downtown

By Meg Olson

Members of the Blaine beautification committee are hoping community members not busy cleaning out their yards and garages will chip in to tidy up the city.

The primary project the committee has scheduled for the May 18 Blaine clean-up day is to build a small park where Clark Street dead-ends into Peace Portal Drive. The small park, designed by Peace Arch State Park head gardener June Auld and high school horticulture teacher George Kaas, would involve two levels, room for sculpture displays and space to picnic. “They’re looking at something low-maintenance, that maintains viewscapes,” said committee member Lori Hart, “a quiet place you can kind of get away to during lunch.”

Besides needing volunteers to help build the park, committee members have chosen several clean-up sites on their list of target areas, including the vacant space beside the library and down along the Cain Creek walking trail. “Most of it is trash pickup but that’s so important,” Hart said. “It’s what people see first.”

Beyond the Blaine clean-up day, the beautification committee is always looking for volunteers to help them check off eyesores in the city. An upcoming target is the southern entrance to the city from Portal Way, where plans are to clear a portion of city right of way and plant flowers. The committee is also compiling a list of privately owned properties that violate city junk ordinances in order to spur enforcement and clean-up. “We’re just always looking for people who are interested in projects to beautify Blaine.”
May 18 prospective volunteers should meet at C and Third streets at 9 a.m. People interested in volunteering on other days or who have a favorite eyesore they want on the committee’s list should contact the city clerk, Shirley Thorsteinson...

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