April 2019
IN THIS
ISSUE
www.AllPointBulletin.com
Bhutan – happiest place on earth, page 9
County gives up on dock at Lighthouse Park
Off to the races in Point Roberts, page 17
ECRWSS PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 14
FREE
Being PREPared on the Point, page 18
Point Roberts, WA 98281 Postal Patron Local
Spring has sprung...
B y P a t G r u bb Those idyllic days of fishing on the dock at Lighthouse Marine Park are a thing of the past, it seems. Whatcom County Executive Jack Louws and county parks director Michael McFarlane confirmed that the county does not intend to repair and re-install the dock this spring despite previous assurances by Louws that the county was going to give it one more college try. The confirmation came in emails in late February sent to Point Roberts Taxpayers Association president Mark Robbins and the Point Roberts Community Advisory Committee (PRCAC) after Robbins questioned conflicting accounts of the county’s intentions. County parks design and development supervisor Rod Lamb had discussed plans for the dock at the PRCAC meeting on February 21, but various attendees had different interpretations of the county’s direction. Some thought the county was going to repair the damaged dock and put it back in the water while others thought it was already a goner. Robbins’ emails to all and sundry resulted in the bad news being delivered straight from the horses’ mouths. Last July, the dock was taken out after “stress cracking” was discovered throughout the structure, according to Lamb. “This was the third time it was in the water,” he confirmed, as reported in the September 2018 issue of the All Point Bulletin. The dock was originally launched in 2015 to replace the old wooden dock that was removed from service in 2009. It failed after a month in the water and the county spent $27,000 in materials to repair it, sharing the rest of the costs with the dock manufacturer and installer. It was back in the water in mid-2016 and survived the 2017 season before the most recent damage caused the county to pull it for safety reasons. (See Dock, page 3)
s Darlene Gibbs, owner of Ladybug Nursery at 339 Windsor Drive, has been busy getting ready for the gardening season that is now upon us. The nursery is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Monday. Photo by Louise Mugar
Speak your piece or forever hold your peace By Meg Olson The Point Roberts Community Advisory Committee (PRCAC) is asking community members to come up with a list of what is wrong, and what is right, about local zoning. “We will have a series of these meetings so this is certainly not your last opportunity to share your thoughts,” PRCAC chair Linda Hughes told a sparsely attended meeting on March 9 intended to gather
community input as the committee moves into a five-month review of Title 20.72 of Whatcom County zoning code: the Point Roberts Special District. The special district is an overlay zone “which imposes additional controls and creates opportunities not available in the underlying zone districts to fit the needs of Point Roberts. This district is designed to protect the rural character of Point Roberts while allowing opportunities for community growth and self-reliance,” according
Roberts Bank expansion subject of public hearings By Meg Olson The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA) review panel conducting the environmental assessment for the proposed expansion of the Roberts Bank container terminal has scheduled public hearing dates for the project. Beginning on May 14 and continuing to June 1, the panel will hold a series of hearings in Tsawwassen on such varied topics as the effect of additional noise on marine
mammals, biofilm and shorebirds, human health impacts of the proposed expansion, and the possible benefits to the community the expansion would have. “The primary objective of the public hearing is for the panel to gather the information it still requires to complete its environmental assessment of the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 project and marine shipping associated with the project,” the CEAA announced on March 1. The public hearing is open to anyone,
including Point Roberts residents. Participants who wish to present oral or written submissions must register in advance at the Canadian Environmental Assessment Registry website at bit.ly/2Wy2K9H. Those who are registered as participants can also ask question of anyone who makes an oral presentation. Written submissions must be submitted in advance of the public hearing. At the completion of the public hearing, par(See Roberts Bank, page 2)
to the code. It covers everything from tree retention to building setbacks and height restrictions. PRCAC has been talking about updating 20.72 for several years as an extension of their work to eliminate the character plan and incorporate its design guidelines into the Point Roberts Subarea Plan, which was done in 2017. (See Title 20, page 6)
Online
allpointbulletin.com facebook.com/allpointbulletin
Inside
Church ............................................. 13 Classifieds ......................................... 16 Coming Up ....................................... 15 Library ............................................. 14 Opinion ............................................... 4 Seniors ............................................. 14 Sheriffs ............................................. 18 Tides ................................................. 14