March 2019
IN THIS
ISSUE
www.AllPointBulletin.com
Point Roberts Airpark changes hands, page 12
Taking care of your mental health, page 13
ECRWSS PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 14
FREE
Circle of Care annual meeting a success, page 15
Point Roberts, WA 98281 Postal Patron Local
PRCAC to conduct total review of zoning rules By Meg Olson Whatcom County Planning and Development Services (PDS) has put the enforcement of code violations at 1480 Gulf Road on hold for a year to give the Point Roberts Community Advisory Committee (PRCAC) time to consider wholesale changes to land use rules in Point Roberts. “Making good land use regulation decisions must involve thorough community engagement and discussion and that process takes time,” county planning and development director Mark Personius wrote to David Gellatly, the Point Roberts Chamber of Commerce representative to PRCAC in a February 6 email. “In this case, a single compliance date should not rush the time it takes for the Point Roberts community to carefully consider potential changes to the development regulations that shape and affect the community.” The county had given Lorne Nielson, the owner of the Gulf Road property, until February 13 to remove all vehicles parked unlawfully on the property. Current county code prohibits vehicle storage in the Small Town Commercial (STC) zone along Gulf Road. The large parking lot at that address has been used by The Potty Wagon company to store vehicles when not in use, and by local resident George Wright to park containers for storage. In a letter to the Point Roberts Registered Voters Association board, Nielson said he had four businesses, including U-Haul and recreational vehicle rental agency Jucy, interested in operating from the location but are unable to under current regulations. Nielson asked that the association support his request to have the parking restrictions on Gulf Road removed. At the January 31 PRCAC meeting, Gellatly made a motion to immediately remove all prohibited uses from the STC zone along Gulf Road, including mini-storage, animal kennels, vehicle equipment storage (See PRCAC, page 2)
s An eagle soars high over an ice-crusted Boundary Bay on February 11. Turn to page 4 to learn what Maple Beach and Boundary Bay life was like 100 years ago, according to local resident Margot Griffiths. Photo by Louise Mugar
Water rate hike of 30 percent over five years proposed By Meg Olson It’s been almost five years since the water rates went up in Point Roberts, and ratepayers can expect a significant hike this year. Water district manager Dan Bourks said the cost of water purchased from the Greater Vancouver Water District (GVWD) has continued to increase annually and the
district has not adjusted its rates to reflect that. “It’s been too long,” Bourks said, as the district moved its office and changed rate consultants. In 2019, the district’s new rate consultant, Ashley Emery of Peninsula Financial Services, is proposing the base rate increase approximately 10 percent from $79.20 for 500 cubic feet per two-month billing period to $87.12. Future five-per-
Fire district commission back to full strength B y P a t G r u bb The Point Roberts fire commission is back at full strength following the appointment of Raye Newmen at the district’s regular meeting on February 13. Newmen will fill the unexpired term of former chair and commissioner Bill Meursing who resigned at the end of last year. There were three applicants for the seat
of which only two, Newmen and David McCarthy, appeared before the commission to make their case for the position. McCarthy, who is a board member of the Point Roberts Registered Voters Association, told commissioners Virginia Lester and Pat Harper that he had a long history of being engaged in the communities in which he had lived. McCarthy was a firefighter for 10 years and chief of the Garib-
aldi Volunteer Fire Department south of Whistler, B.C. for three years. Newmen and his wife Sandi moved to the Point about two years ago and has described himself as a relative “newbie.” Professionally, Newmen did cognitive research in the field of human performance and improvement. He was a division head (See District, page 3)
cent annual increases are proposed for 2020-2023. There is no increase proposed for the general facilities fee and the cost of installation of a new service, Bourks said. Emery is also proposing commissioners (See Water, page 3)
Online
allpointbulletin.com facebook.com/allpointbulletin
Inside
Church ............................................... 6 Classifieds ......................................... 16 Coming Up ....................................... 14 Crossings ............................................ 8 Obituaries ......................................... 18 Opinion ............................................... 4 Seniors, Library, Sheriff’s .................. 8 Tides ................................................. 17