Letters to the Editor

The Editor:
On Thanksgiving Day I had the very great honor of cooking and helping put on the Blaine Community Thanksgiving dinner at the Blaine Senior Center. I have done this for the past four years for the American Legion Peace Arch Post 86, but I could not do it without the great bunch of volunteers from the post and community. I would like to thank all of them.
Chuck Muggy
2nd vice, American Legion Post 86
Ferndale

The Editor:
Not snow, nor ice nor dark of night could keep Santa and Mrs. Claus from their appointed rounds at Blaine’s Christmas lighting! We certainly appreciate everyone who braved the cold to join us downtown for caroling around the tree.
We’d like to thank the downtown merchants who put up lights and served refreshments and the great volunteers who worked so hard to make the evening a success. Special thanks to Blaine public works department, Jim Jorgensen & Jackie Robbins, Blaine city staff, John Paradis & Kim Shea of Sterling Savings Bank and Kendall’s Tree Service & Nursery for donating the beautiful tree. Best wishes to all!
Carroll Solomon
Blaine Chamber of Commerce
Blaine

The Editor:
My name is Tami Day, the mother of a junior at Blaine high school. I would like to thank the high school for all of its support of my son, Joshua Day, over the last few months.
The community of Blaine has been wonderful to him and to our family and I thought that this letter would be one way of our family saying thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all they have done for us.
We came to Blaine two years ago, had a rocky start and as of late have been embraced by everyone.
Our family cannot thank the sports staff, both football and wrestling and the staff at the high school for all they have done to give Joshua all the opportunity he needs to flourish.
Joshua loves school more and more every day and I know that this is because of the coaches (coach Jay Dodd and his staff, and coach Craig Foster along with his staff), the administration, and his teachers, all of whom support him and encourage his best all the time!
Thank you, the Day Family!
Mrs. Tami L. Day
Birch Bay

The Editor:
First of all I’d like to thank the city council for their vote approving the airport master plan – expanding the field. Blaine has a long history of shortsighted decisions; it was really gratifying to see an important decision being cast, which affirms both our community and its quality of life.
Unfortunately since I started this letter another decision has been rendered apparently negating the first, or at least giving it the quality of a “maybe” – which is no quality at all. I would like to remind the council that the single most important, and truly bad, decision they have ever rendered was to sell our harbor to the Port of Bellingham. The Port, supposedly a non-profit entity, operates in a self-interested culture of greed and corruption that is breathtaking to behold.
Exorbitant taxes for all on one hand, coupled to exorbitant fees and rents for users on the other, all wrapped up with a layer of stifling bureaucracy and senseless regulation. The best interest of the Port has never been and never will be in line with the interests of the citizens of Blaine. Far from encouraging small business they are the single greatest force choking it out.
The airport master plan originally approved provides an economically robust usage for the land, insures the city’s future needs will be met and keeps both the revenue from and the control of the property within Blaine. In short, an excellent plan, easily the best for Blaine in both the immediate future and in the long-term. It is the latter that really gets me excited, the bottom line of an airport is transportation – uniquely fast, convenient transportation. I cannot imagine a progressive community cutting itself out of the loop.
Small field aviation is growing strongly nationwide (even the Port of Bellingham will tell you that), the people and the businesses it brings to Blaine are of first quality, as is the service for the residents of this town, whether for general business and tourism, medical needs or simply the best access imaginable to the islands, state or lower mainland of B.C.
To sell the field and its 43 acres of land removes all the benefits for the citizens of this town and gives them to a corporate entity from elsewhere – whether the airport itself closes or not. Not what I call good local government, nor a decision in the interests of this community. I urge the city council and the citizens of Blaine to consider this carefully.
Brad Hrutfjord
Blaine

The Editor:
We live on D Street east of the current construction on the truck route. We have handled the inconvenience and the increased traffic from the construction pretty well but now we need your help. We were notified by Duty Free of America Stores that they are fencing in their property the first week in January.
This will block all traffic from the truck route and force it through our neighborhood. Already we have most of the brokerage employees on the east side, the duty free employees, the construction employees and the smaller delivery trucks using the Allen/D Street detour.
This blockage will cause the semis that pick up and deliver to the Fed Ex and Livingston warehouses and the remainder of the construction trucks to also use these streets. Needless to say, the streets were not built for semi traffic. The Allen/H Street corner is already disintegrating from the delivery trucks. The semis will destroy the road, endanger the children and old people in the neighborhood and possibly block traffic as they try to negotiate all the sharp, narrow corners.
We see only two possible solutions. One, Duty Free America must be encouraged to keep their driveway open. I understand their desire to keep their business lanes open and don’t blame them for feeling the need to block traffic through their lot but possibly they could wait until the D Street corner is complete.
Two, the state and Imco Construction could push 14th Street through from the D Street corner south to H Street so the trucks could have a straight shot from H Street to the warehouses. Unfortunately, time is very short to come up with a solution as we were just notified of this situation Tuesday and Duty Fee America is planning to take action in two weeks, most of which are holidays.
We have notified Mike Haslip of the Blaine police of this situation. He knew nothing of it until our e-mail. We urge the city of Blaine, DOT and Imco Construction and our state representatives to help find a solution to our traffic situation. Thank you.
Jane and Woody Woods
Blaine

The Editor:
I would like this to go out to whomever it was who thoughtlessly took it upon themselves to steal my 10-year-old son’s bike right before Christmas. My son saved his own birthday and chore money for months to buy his black and green mongoose bike with plastic spokes. Needless to say my son is devastated that his bike was stolen. 
There has to be someone out there who has seen someone with a new bike that matches this description and no explanation of how they obtained it. I implore someone to please talk to the person who took the bike into returning it to our yard on G Street or if they have seen the bike to take it to the police station so that my son truly will have a Merry Christmas. Thank you. Have a nice day.
Misty Gibbins
Blaine

The Editor:
Well, the airport controversy is back in the news again and I’m as puzzled as ever. I’m a licensed pilot and biased in favor of keeping and improving the airport.
Practically every place I’ve lived has had an airport nearby and a reasonably active aviation community. This seemed natural and correct to me.
This is the first time I’ve heard of a community trying to get rid of an airport.We’ve heard the arguments pro and con, I doubt that I can add anything new there. My take on it is that the city of Blaine owns a valuable piece of infrastructure, and if the appropriate grant proposals are submitted, and if those who want to lease airport property for hangars and businesses are allowed to do so, then the airport will grow.
My impression is that, if Mr. Jim Jorgensen's comments during at least one city council meeting are any indication, the Port of Bellingham would rather not see Blaine airport continue to exist. I’m not sure if that has to do with some obscure turf battle, or if Blaine’s airport is seen as competition for federal funds, but even this behavior is unlike what I’ve come to expect from people involved in aviation.
Maybe this is because I’ve been involved with aviation since I was six. It’s a little like Robert Fulghum’s book, “Everything I Need to Know About Life I Learned in Kindergarten.” Whatever my attitudes are now spring mainly from my association with aviation:
If someone’s in trouble, you go and help.
If you are responsible for something, take that responsibility seriously.
Remember that any authority you are given comes with an equal weight of responsibility.
If you embark on any venture, those that are with you are in your care, and you should educate yourself as best as possible on how to keep them safe.
These lessons have served me well, and I think I’m better for having learned them. Maybe that’s why I consider the airport so valuable – as an example to coming generations that life can be richer, and that we can meet loftier goals.
Bob Aiken
Blaine

The Editor:
Tara Nelson is to be congratulated on her accurate coverage of a difficult and emotional Blaine council meeting on December 11.
There are times when we all get a little angry and express ourselves too strongly but the council needs to maintain class and dignity.
The airport issue is a tough challenge and it requires patience and professionalism if the right decision is to be made for the future of Blaine. Doug Fenton has conducted himself with this kind of dignity.
I still believe there is more information the council needs to obtain to properly make its decision. The six-month moratorium, while continuing to work with the FFA makes sense, but getting involved with the Port of Bellingham sounds, to me, like putting the fox in the hen house. Experience is a wonderful thing – it enables us to recognize a mistake when we make it again!
This time of the year is a good time for all of us to show a little more patience and kindness to our fellow men. I hope some members of the council will remember this and that wisdom and cooler heads will prevail.
Trevor Hoskins
Blaine

Letters Policy
The Northern Light welcomes letters to the editor; however, the opinions expressed are not those of the editor. Letters must include name, address and daytime telephone number for verification. Letters must not exceed 350 words and may be edited or rejected for reasons of legality, length and good taste. Thank-you letters should be limited to 10 names. A fresh viewpoint on matters of general interest to local readers will increase the likelihood of publication. Writers should avoid personal invective. Unsigned letters will not be accepted for publication. Requests for withholding names will be considered on an individual basis. Only one letter per month from an individual correspondent will be published.

Please send your letter to:
225 Marine Drive, Blaine, WA 98230 or fax 360/332-2777.
E-mail:editor@thenorthernlight.com

Letters Policy
The Northern Light welcomes letters to the editor; however, the opinions expressed are not those of the editor. Letters must include name, address and daytime telephone number for verification. Letters must not exceed 350 words and may be edited or rejected for reasons of legality, length and good taste. Thank you letters are limited to five individuals or groups. A fresh viewpoint on matters of general interest to local readers will increase the likelihood of publication. Writers should avoid personal invective. Unsigned letters will not be accepted for publication. Requests for withholding names will be considered on an individual basis. Only one letter per month from an individual correspondent will be published.

Please send your letter to: 225 Marine Drive, Blaine, WA 98230, fax 360/332-2777 or E-mail:editor@thenorthernlight.com