School board to vote on first step in Birch Bay property purchase

The Blaine school district is moving forward on its plan to buy property in Birch Bay for a future school.

At a 7 p.m. school board meeting on Monday, July 29, the board is expected to vote on whether to grant FLO Analytics of Portland, Oregon, a contract to find and analyze potential properties and conduct community outreach.

The company’s work would be billed hourly and could cost up to $32,833.

The school district’s 2018 technology and capital projects property tax levy allocated $1 million to purchase property in Birch Bay.

The district does not yet have a timeline or money to build in Birch Bay.

If the board approves a contract with FLO Analytics, the company and school district would likely schedule meetings in the fall to gather community input, said school district finance manager Amber Porter.