April 2018
www.AllPointBulletin.com
Spring gets underway with Fiber Fest on March 31, page 2
IN THIS
ISSUE
Superintendent resigns from district
Time for a little trash talking, page 8
ECRWSS PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 14
FREE
Ben’s back!, page 9
Point Roberts, WA 98281 Postal Patron Local
It’s spring planting time ...
B y P a t G r u bb Just shy of 12 years’ tenure, Point Roberts Hospital District superintendent Elaine Komusi announced her resignation at the district’s regular board meeting on March 1. Speaking from a prepared statement, Komusi told the board her work circumstances had changed to “a very busy and demanding full-time role in downtown Vancouver” and that her aging parents and father’s recent health issues required more of her time in the evenings and on weekends. Komusi said she had always enjoyed her role as superintendent and added that “having a clinic in Point Roberts that rivals the medical care you can get on the mainland is an amazing thing, it’s a huge success and requires ongoing focus to ensure that success long into the future.” Komusi, contracted to work eight hours a week for the district, told the board that recently her time has been “spent more on reacting to situations, defending, following up on useless details and … strategizing how to minimize the damage created against the hospital district and the clinic by a very few individuals whose sole purpose is to undermine the success of the clinic. … This negative group has and continues to cost our district and the taxpayers money through time spent on unnecessary and, at times, repeat public records requests and through costly attorney fees which have more than doubled from previous years. These very few people who create the most negativity, noise and work for us cost us time, energy and, quite frankly, take the passion out of serving the community.” “In a community this close, reputation is everything and these people have done everything they can to create doubt, spread untruths, and spend their time trying to point out the things they consider we are doing wrong. Two of them sit here at ev(See District, page 7)
s Darlene Gibbs of Ladybug Nursery has been working long hours so local gardeners can plant some colorful cheer in their gardens and planters. Photo by Louise Mugar
Re-named golf course close to re-opening By Meg Olson After nine months of hard work and investment the Point Roberts golf course is ready to rise again. The course will have its grand reopening on Sunday, May 20, under the new name Bald Eagle Golf Club at Point Roberts, which is scheduled to coincide with the Victoria Day long weekend north of the border. “We’re actively getting back to main-
tenance and operations instead of restoration,” said golf course architect and consultant Wayne Carleton. A new management team is in place and led by club manager golf professional Paul Beauchemin, Carleton said. Beauchemin is leaving his 10-year real estate career in Arizona to return to the golf business. Originally from Edmonton, Alberta, he worked as a golf professional and general manager for 15 years before heading south. “He wanted to get back
Fire district to introduce new home care program By
P a t G r u bb
The Point Roberts fire district is getting ready to implement a community paramedic program sometime in April, fire chief Christopher Carleton told commissioners at their regular board meeting on March 14. The program would offer a level of non-emergency home medical care, education and referral services for residents. The program is authorized by RCW 35.21.930, the Community Assistance Re-
ferral and Education Services Act (CARES). The law was passed to address problems caused by high volumes of low-acuity or non-emergency 911 calls experienced by local municipalities. Many of these calls typically ended with a ride to the local ER. CARES programs allow providers to offer non-emergency medical and educational assistance and referral to primary and other service providers. In Snohomish County, 911 calls were reduced by 60 percent and ER visits by 50 percent following
the establishment of their CARES program. Similar programs have been established nation-wide; the first program began in 2011 in Mesa, Arizona. The federal government subsequently provided the city with a $12 million Innovation Award to expand the program. It subsequently added nurse practitioners to its personnel mix as did other cities such as Anaheim, Los Angeles, Denver and Riverdale, Georgia, among others. (See Program, page 8)
into the golf business and has family connections in Point Roberts,” Carleton said. Renowned local chef Roger Gookstetter has taken over as food and beverage manager. “We’re happy to have him on board and he’s working hard to get the restaurant up and running,” Carleton said. The restaurant will be open from 7 a.m. to dusk and the menu will be focused on (See Golf, page 3)
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Church ............................................. 12 Classifieds ......................................... 16 Coming Up ....................................... 14 Crossings .......................................... 12 Obituaries ......................................... 15 Opinion ............................................... 4 Seniors, Library ............................... 10 Tides ................................................. 12