August 2016
IN THIS
ISSUE
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CBP officer facing trial on fireworks accident, page 6
Dock delays continue without end
Engineers offer ways to spend our money, page 8
ECRWSS PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 14
FREE
County undertaking waste survey for Point, page 9
Point Roberts, WA 98281 Postal Patron Local
Soaking up the sun
By Meg Olson The Lighthouse Marine Park dock might get a month in the water this year, if ongoing delays to fixing the failed dock are resolved in coming weeks. The dock failed last summer after only a month in service under moderate sea conditions and the county, the manufacturer and the design engineer are sharing the cost of fixing the problem. The dock was originally scheduled to be repaired and reinstalled in June, but the project has been bedeviled by delays in material deliveries and the need for further modifications to the docks to ensure they don’t fail again. “I think I’ve tackled the few remaining issues on this project,” said Rod Lamb, design and development supervisor for Whatcom County Parks and Recreation. “We had to make a modification to one of the salvaged parts off the old dock. It’s a small modification and the manufacturer will cover the cost with a local fabricator.” Lamb said their intention was to install the dock in the first weeks of August. It will come back out for the winter in mid September. In other county parks news, Lamb said the current assessment of the Cedar Point entrance to the Lily Point Marine Park was that the area has stabilized and was not in danger of further sliding at this time. “There will be a staff evaluation this fall to look at several fixes,” he said. “It’s an important access and it’s our intention to preserve it, but there may be property line issues.” The Cedar Point entrance has been closed since last November after erosion due to surface water flow caused a tree to topple into the gully. The tree’s root structure extended under part of the trail raising the possibility of further collapse. The trail would require rerouting around the weakened area while the seasonal water (See Cedar Point, page 7)
s A typical beach day in Point Roberts as seen from the vantage point of the lawn at South Beach House Restaurant.
County places gravel pit proposal on hold By Meg Olson A proposal to reactivate the Province Road gravel pit is on hold at the county waiting for a revised plan from applicant and property owner Jason McDougall. On June 29, Whatcom County Planning and Development Service issued a Notice of Additional Requirements (NOAR), giving McDougall and his team 180 days to submit a new site plan and environmental checklist. The applicant is also being
asked to “explain the apparent discrepancies” between the current submitted project description and the revised proposal. If there are significant changes, the applicant will again need to send notices to properties within 1,000 feet of property. McDougall said his consultants were working to prepare the required documents for the new proposal, which he said would address some of the concerns raised at a June 14 meeting of the Point Roberts Community Advisory Committee.
Park district places one-time measure on ballot By Meg Olson Point Roberts Park and Recreation District commissioners have approved a ballot measure asking voters for up to $300,000 to make up a projected budget shortfall for the new library project, and they’ve selected community members to argue for and against its approval. At their July 11 meeting commissioners voted 4–1, with chair Linda Hughes opposed, to submit the proposition to voters
Photo by Louise Mugar
at the November 8 general election. They have until August 2 to submit the resolution authorizing the ballot measure to the county, and with it the names of those who will form pro and con committees and prepare a statement for this fall’s voters pamphlet. Those statements are due August 8 and the committees have until August 11 to prepare rebuttals to opposing statements. At a July 25 special meeting at the community center commissioners appointed
Elizabeth Lantz to the con committee and discussed some other alternative members for the committee, which must have a minimum of one and a maximum of three members. The Friends of the Point Roberts Library board of directors put forward president Judy Ross, Margot Griffiths and Holly Robinson as the pro committee, which the parks commissioners approved. Following a five-year fundraising (See Parks, page 6)
“I wouldn’t have stood there for two hours answering questions if I wasn’t going to do that,” he said. Discussing the NOAR at the July 12 PRCAC meeting, committee chair Joel Lantz said, “If you look at it, it’s almost like a brand new permit.” He added he had been in correspondence with McDougall, who said they no longer planned to be “rolling (See Gravel, page 2)
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Inside
Church ............................................... 8 Classifieds ......................................... 21 Coming Up ....................................... 20 Crossings .......................................... 18 Opinion ............................................... 4 Seniors, Library ............................... 18 Tides ................................................. 18