March 2020
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PRIBC seeks PRCAC votes, page 3
Orca Shores owner working to shore up development
School levy passes, page 5
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Fire district seeks new firefighters, page 13
Point Roberts, WA 98281 Postal Patron Local
Executive strikes optimistic note
By Meg Olson Orca Shores LLC is making catching up on property taxes a top priority. “We are working to resolve this as soon as possible,” said Frank Li, president of Mengfa International Resources Inc. (MIRI), the majority shareholder of Orca Shores, the developer of the Cottages at Seabright Farm sub-division. “Every day costs us.” Orca Shores currently owes over $250,000 in property taxes, penalties and interest for 2018 and 2019 on the 32 lots (with monetary value) the developer still owns of the 59 at Seabright. Payment for the first half of 2020 taxes is due at the end of April. “We are working hard to address cash flow,” Li said. MIRI and its parent company in China stepped in to help the struggling development in the fall of 2019, catching up on payments to the homeowners association and critical deferred maintenance. The Seabright development has faced challenges ranging from a changing real estate market and the death of managing partner Wayne Knowles, to the impression local customs and border protection officers leave on would-be buyers. Buyers who felt intimidated at the border have shied away from buying property in Point Roberts, Li said. “That is not a help.” As one of the biggest property owners in Point Roberts, the fortunes of the development are tied to those of local taxing districts. “If people don’t pay their taxes, local districts don’t get the money,” said Lauren Smith, a supervisor with the county assessor’s office. Of the approximately $50,000 the local fire district is waiting to receive in outstanding property taxes from 2016 to 2019 (the county will move to foreclose after three years of delinquent taxes), the amount owed to the district by Orca Shores LLC for just 2019 alone accounts for $9,000.
s Newly elected Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu, center top, listens to a resident during a townhall meeting on February 21. Deputy executive Tyler Schroeder, top right, accompanied Sidhu. Photo by Louise Mugar
Sidhu: “Make Point Roberts economically vibrant” B y P a t G r u bb County executive says Point Roberts has lots of opportunity While newly elected Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu is optimistic about local community and economic prospects, he says it’s up to residents to provide the vision and the initiative to achieve them. Sidhu made his remarks during a town hall meeting held February 21 at the Point Roberts community center attended by
around 40 people. He was accompanied by deputy executive Tyler Schroeder. “I want to tell everybody at the beginning of my term that I really want to do something for Point Roberts, but this is not a prescription thing where I come and tell you what I want to do. This will be something that you will have to do, you will have to come see me with your ideas,” he added. “The way I see it, Point Roberts has a lot of opportunities but there are a lot of things that are missing from a commu-
We’ll even throw in the Brooklyn Bridge ... By
Meg Olson
Former Point Roberts resident John Lesow is pushing for a county-wide advisory vote on whether the United States should talk to Canada about buying Point Roberts. Lesow intends to gather 8,800 signatures from Whatcom County voters, enough to get a question on the November 2020 ballot: Do voters wish for the governments of the United States and Canada to enter
into consultation for the purchase of Point Roberts by Canada? How much should Canada pay for Point Roberts? “I think you could start with five billion dollars – a billion per square mile – and work from there,” he told Global News during a January 31 interview. “I think it’s worth the money.” In addition to a boost in property values, Lesow told the Delta Optimist Point Roberts residents could potentially get dual citizenship out of the deal.
Speaking to Whatcom County Council on February 24, Lesow, who still owns property in Point Roberts though he lives in North Vancouver, said he did not have a profit motive “any more than I have a motive for wanting to protect Puget Sound Orcas. It’s just the right thing to do.” Lesow has cited struggling businesses, poor access to medical care and schools as some of the reasons the Point would be (See Selling, page 2)
nity perspective,” he pointed out. Sidhu also stressed the need for the community to reach consensus on whatever proposals they bring to the county government citing his experience as a councilmember hearing various representatives from the Point present diametrically opposing views on the same issues. It’s difficult to know the level of support an (See Townhall, page 6)
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Church ............................................... 7 Classifieds ......................................... 16 Coming Up ....................................... 14 Obituaries ......................................... 18 Opinion ............................................... 4 Seniors, Sheriff’s .............................. 17 Tides ................................................. 13