Letters to the Editor

The Editor:
We hope everyone enjoyed this year’s Old Fashioned 4th! Thanks to these great volunteers who made it all happen: Blaine Public Works Department, Pizza Factory, Glenn and the sound crew, Pacific Building Center, the parade crew, the car show crew, Bob Hines and many others.
Special appreciation goes to our sponsors: City of Blaine, Semiahmoo Resort, Golf & Spa, Northwest Podiatrics, BP Cherry Point Refinery, Blaine Marina, Inc., and Silver Stag Knives.
We would also like to express our gratitude for all the community support we receive and for all your donations to our fireworks show.
Carroll Solomon
Blaine

The Editor:
Doesn’t that cold water taste delicious? Having only been in the Birch Bay/Blaine area for three years I have come to covet the fabulous water we have in our area. Deep well water, thousands of years old, with little need for treatment! One problem, we are allotted only so much water and the supply is not a renewable resource. On hot days, as we have experienced this past week, it is really important to be extra vigilant of our personal water usage. 
Here are some ideas to help get things rolling. If you have a lawn and have to water it either water in the morning or the evening to help prevent evaporation. Place an empty tuna fish can, or the like, in the area you are sprinkling, when it’s full the lawn is too. Watering potted plants or gardens? Either use a watering can or a hose with and on/off nozzle. Check to be sure all outdoor spigots are not dripping at the hose connection. Turn off the water while brushing your teeth. Also, try out limiting showers to three minutes.
Do you hear a hissing from your toilet? It is not a snake, check out the innards and be sure all fixtures are working properly.
When doing dishes by hand avoid running the water continually, wash and then rinse.
For that nice cold glass of water put a container of water in the fridge to avoid running the water until it is cold enough to drink.
These are just a few ideas to help conserve and preserve our wonderful water resource!
Conserving H2o in Birch Bay
Vikki Farrell
Blaine

The Editor:
I witnessed the Berkley, California wildfire in the 1990s. One of the major problems was narrow roads and too few of them. People were trying to get away from the fire while emergency vehicles were trying to get up the hill to fight the fire. I have seen first hand the irresponsibility of allowing roads that can’t handle emergency exits.
We at Semiahmoo live in a wooded area with mandatory shake shingled roofs. I’m not being an alarmist, but rather a realist that the same thing can happen here. How will we exit if our only out is Lincoln Road?
The Helton’s meritless lawsuit is putting us all in peril. I realize they are enjoying a traffic free road, but they chose to live on Drayton Harbor Road and should be held responsible for holding up the repair work.
I must once again remind everyone of the Semiahmoo firehouse, or lack of. I was told by the fire chief it would take seven to 10 minutes to get from the new house to Boundary Ridge, however, when he was going for more funding it was 22 to 25 minutes in the paper.
With the firehouse on Birch Bay Road being volunteer now we need two ways out of the resort and homes.
I am asking the Helton’s to withdraw their suit and if not for the county to enact some swift justice before a judge.
Kathleen Norman
Birch Bay

The Editor and Mr. Kremen:
Members of the Terry family have lived on Drayton Harbor Road since 1944.
I was there in 2005 and personally watched the road be beaten up and crack open when there was a sewer crisis at Semiahmoo and a parade of dump trucks ran back and forth – illegally – ignoring the road limits.
If the Helton’s and other residents of the road are challenging the county that the way they were informed of a meeting caught them unprepared, they have a right to be heard.
Mr. Kremen implies that it’s too bad the “county code doesn’t currently make provision for summary disposition” – otherwise, for throwing out an appeal that “lacks significant merit.”
I submit that their challenge not only has significant merit and deserves a hearing, but that Drayton Harbor Road itself being used for a speedy shortcut to Semiahmoo needs serious reconsideration.
A few years ago when Semiahmoo was subdivided the western end of Drayton Harbor Road along the shoreline was abandoned in favor of a higher route – now a beautiful, wide scenic road that dwindles down to the old narrow end of the east.
Perhaps it would be more practical to abandon the existing section in favor of a higher route.
The tone of Mr. Kremen’s “Real Deal on Drayton Harbor Road” paints the Helton’s as some kind of public enemy, which assure you they are not.
Rebecca Terry
Custer

The Editor: 
How wonderful, that finally, eastbound travelers wishing to turn north from H Street onto SR 543 have a dedicated left turn traffic signal! I’m sure persons wishing to leave Blaine and continue across the border into Canada are relieved they won’t have to wait excessively and then dash across the road when the lights turn yellow, or worse, red.
But wait! What happened to the corresponding left turn signal for westbound drivers on H Street desiring to turn south onto SR 543 and continue onto I-5 and down to Ferndale or Bellingham or Seattle? What are we, chopped liver?
What twerps just spent thousands and thousands of our tax-dollars to erect new lights on both sides of the road but failed to give southbound travelers the same consideration of a left turn signal?
Perhaps it’s because so many local people have long-since become frustrated with the lack of proper left turn signals and have been re-routing themselves via “take the back roads” to enter the freeway from Peace Portal.
Maybe somebody did some kind of traffic count and didn’t think a left turn signal from H Street onto SR 543 was warranted because these department of transportation people who love to tinker with our lives just didn’t know about the substitution of that back-road route. This feels like an endless summer of construction and traffic snarls. And now we can anticipate southbound freeway traffic pouring into downtown Blaine.
Perhaps great for local businesses, but what a new nightmare for traffic! I guess the good Lord is trying to teach us all patience – evidently something I fail at regularly.
And before I forget: my thanks to the many people who personally told me they appreciated my previous (from June 14) letter to The Northern Light editor (about the loud trucks, and the long waits at H Street and SR 543. I encourage you to speak up as well, and not to always “suffer in silence.” The beauty of democracy is that your voice does count for something.
If nothing else, it feels good to get it off your chest – and then to learn that others empathize is quite rewarding.
Jeanne Halsey
Blaine

The Editor:
Why is it you can trust a stranger to owe you a dollar at your garage sale? They say they will be back with the dollar and you say only come by if you’re in the area. They do show up and pay you the dollar. Now that’s honesty.
You lend someone you think you know a large amount of money. You think you can trust them. They do not repay. Get it in writing. I’ve learned my lesson.
K.A. Mace
Blaine

The Editor:
The Friends of the Blaine Library would like to thank all who attended and participated during the July 4th used book sale at the Blaine Library. A special thanks to Christy at Northern Meadows for the use of her label machine, also, Kathy and Stephanie for their delicious cookies.
Because of your generous support, the FOBL have an additional $2,000 to invest in future special interest programs, magazine subscriptions and children’s activities. A variety of used books are always on sale at the library during regular open hours. Kudos to our reading community.
Kathy Richardson
FOBL Secretary
Blaine

The Editor:
Having trouble sleeping lately? Have you noticed increased jet plane noise? 
The southern approach to the Vancouver airport was recently moved to the west, directly over Birch Bay and Blaine. 
For anyone wanting to let the Vancouver airport know what they think about the change, you can leave a message at 604/207-7097 or e-mail noise@yvr.ca.
Patty Campbell
Birch Bay

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 email letters to letters@thenorthernlight.com