The Birch Bay Community Advisory Committee (BBCAC) plans to spend its first meeting discussing how it can best represent the voice of the community. It meets at Birch Bay Bible Church at 6 p.m. Thursday, February 27.
The meeting will be open to the public, though there won’t be a remote option for the first meeting. Roland Middleton, special projects manager at Whatcom County Public Works Department, will provide a report on public works activity in Birch Bay and will serve as chairperson until the committee elects that position, committee member Doralee Booth said.
Overseen by the Whatcom County government, the advisory committee was approved by Whatcom County Council in December 2024 to serve as a conduit for Birch Bay residents to provide input to Whatcom County. The BBCAC is a separate organization from the Birch Bay Incorporation Association, which is evaluating the pros and cons of Birch Bay becoming its own city.
Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu appointed, and Whatcom County Council approved, committee members Doralee Booth, Daniel Mead Smith and Sheila Wood to represent residents of the Birch Bay Urban Growth Area. They also approved Stephen Nelson as a resident and/or worker within the Birch Bay community, Danielle Gaughen as a representative for the Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce, Bruce Ansell as a representative of North Whatcom Fire and Rescue, and David Wilbrecht as a representative of Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation District 2.
Meetings are tentatively scheduled for the fourth Thursday of every month, though Booth said this could change. The committee will follow the Open Public Meetings Act, which requires meeting minutes and recordings to be posted on the county’s website. Oral public comment will be included at each meeting.
Birch Bay Bible Church is located at 4460 Bay Road. For more information about the Birch Bay Community Advisory Committee, visit bit.ly/3QmWVcX.
