October 2020
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County warns about Covid-19 trends, page 3
Banner Bank to close before Christmas, page 6
ECRWSS PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 14
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Planners considering changes to zoning, page 7
Point Roberts, WA 98281 Postal Patron Local
Race Week pulls the plug on Point Roberts Marina concerned about untended boats By Meg Olson Race Week organizers are giving up on Point Roberts. “It is not realistic that we can maintain social distancing mandates, nor even get to Point Roberts in 2021,” wrote event owner Schelleen Rathkopf in a September 13 email. “This reality has shed an unforeseen light on the venue, which I now see is one of the most sensitive cities in the US during a global pandemic.” After 37 years on Whidbey Island, Race Week was scheduled to make the move to Point Roberts in 2020, with a full week of sailboat racing and events including the Corsair Nationals and the International 6-Meter North American Championships. Canceled for 2020 due to Covid-19 restrictions, Rathkopf had initially announced plans to move ahead with the event in Point Roberts in July 2021, but said they would now look for a new home for the popular event. “My plan is to secure a new venue for Race Week, where we can race all day, and maintain social distance compliancy on our boats,” she said. “And when we hit the docks, we are in a venue that can absorb us, and where we can maintain this compliance. But as soon as these restrictions are no longer relevant, this new venue also has space for us to bring back our big postrace party. This process has started, and there are some great venues out there in the region where we can make this happen.” The decision comes as a blow to the Point Roberts Marina Resort, which had paid $45,000 to host the 2020 event and had hopes to host it in 2021. “We were told that money was gone and we needed to put up another $45,000,” said acting marina manager Zihao Ding. Marina owners chose not to do so. Boats a concern As the border closure approaches 200 days, management at Point Roberts Marina Resort are looking at heading into winter (Marina, page 3)
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s On September 20, the Emergency Volunteer Air Corp flew two planes to Point Roberts as a test run in the event that Point Roberts ever needed emergency supplies during a disaster. They brought in 400 lbs of food for PREP and the Food Bank whose volunteers greeted and offloaded the planes. Story, page 6. Photo and cutline by Bennett Blaustein
The Marketplace is in for the long haul By Meg Olson Sales may be down by over 70 percent at the Point Roberts Marketplace, but owner Ali Hayton wants the community to know the store has no plans to close. Hayton said the announcement that Banner Bank would be closing its Point Roberts branch, located inside the Marketplace building, had prompted concern the community could also lose its only grocery store. “I just want to reassure the community we aren’t going anywhere,” she said. Hayton’s father Darrell Skiles bought the Point Roberts market in 1998. She took over after his retirement and said they had learned from years of business that fluctu-
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ates with the Canadian dollar. “You need to be ready for anything up here,” she said. “When the dollar was strong and we were busy, we saved our money and when it went down, we tightened our belts.” This summer, with the border closed, instead of seeing 8,000 or more customers a week, they were serving 2,000 or less. While they had to lay off part-time staff they have been able to keep full-time staff on. Hayton said keeping staff on board and protecting benefits has been a top priority. “The people here are what make it work.” Gaps on the shelves had not been due to problems getting goods to Point Roberts, (See Marketplace, page 3)
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Inside
Church ............................................. 15 Classifieds ......................................... 12 Coming Up ....................................... 14 Crossings .......................................... 13 Obituary ........................................... 13 Opinion ............................................... 4 Sheriffs ............................................. 15 Tides ................................................. 13
