March 2023
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NAPA store coming to town, page 7
Some options for getting in shape, page 8
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10 years ago was the fight against the towers, page 9
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Parks district pursues busy agenda By Erin Kelly While talk of building a multi-million-dollar Baker Field replacement for the current community center has died down for the moment, the self-improvement drive at the Point Roberts parks district continues unabated. Adding storage space, septic system improvements that would allow community use of the kitchen, changes to the seniors’ lunch program and seismic upgrades were just part of a hyper-active agenda discussed at their meeting on Monday, February 13 at the community center. Former parks board chair and current Point Roberts Taxpayers Association president Mark Robbins who had previously asked to address the current board on seismic upgrades to the community center was first on deck. Robbins had been on the board when the district first considered seismic upgrades to the building, a matter that he feels was left unresolved. “My concern is that with new commissioners over the years, there isn’t a good institutional memory of the organization, and I want to make sure the present board commissioners are aware of the history,” said Robbins. He told the board that in 2013, due to concerns raised by the Whatcom Council on Aging, an initial seismic assessment was done by structural engineers on the building, but due to a lack of funding and budgetary priorities, the complete series of recommended repairs were never completed. Some of the recommendations were fulfilled during earlier work on the building but still others remain to be completed. The upgrades would only protect inhabitants in the building during an earthquake but would not necessarily protect the building itself. Robbins recommended that the current board should obtain updated cost estimates for the remaining steps. In Robbins’ recollection, there was an additional $40,000 worth of work remaining to be done. In an email to Robbins after the meeting, parks chair Mitch Friedman wrote, (See Parks, page 6)
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s The Point Roberts Taxpayers Association-sponsored bird walk on February 18 attracted all kinds of birds of a feather all interested in, you guessed it, the birds of Point Roberts. Photo by Erin Kelly
Candidates gearing up for primary election By Grace McCarthy Candidates across Whatcom County are gearing up for the August 2023 primary election. A handful of candidates have started filing their applications for public office with the county election office ahead of the May 19 filing deadline. The primary election will be held on August 1. Satpal Sidhu will run for a second term as Whatcom County Executive. Sidhu was elected to the four-year position in 2019 and had previously served as a county councilmember for five years. Kathy Kershner announced she will run again for Whatcom County Council dis-
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trict position 4, which encompasses Lynden and parts of Custer and east Blaine. Kershner has served on county council for two terms and is a U.S. Navy veteran. Jonathan Scanlon filed to run for Whatcom County Council Position 2 at-large seat. Scanlon has over 20 years’ experience in public policy working at both the state and global level, according to his website. Blaine police chief Donnell Tanksley announced his bid for Whatcom County Sheriff last month and Stacy Henthorn recently announced her bid for Whatcom County Auditor. Here are the positions up for election in 2023: (See Election, page 2)
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Inside
Church ............................................. 10 Classifieds ......................................... 12 Coming Up ....................................... 12 Crossings ............................................ 9 Obituaries ......................................... 11 Opinion ............................................... 4 Sheriffs ............................................. 14 Tides ................................................. 14