July 2023
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School layoffs coming, page 8
CBP explains May long weekend traffic, page 6
ECRWSS PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 14
FREE
How expensive is our gas? page 11
Point Roberts, WA 98281 Postal Patron Local
Whidbey Telecom grant raises more questions than answers B y P a t G r u bb A June 21 press release from Senator Maria Cantwell’s office regarding a $11.7 million grant to Whidbey Telecom has some recipients scratching their heads. According to the release, “The $11.7 million award will fund the construction, improvement, and acquisition of middle mile infrastructure for the residents of Point Roberts, Lummi Nation, Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, and surrounding areas.” The release goes on to state: “Overall, the project includes 47.6 miles of new terrestrial underground fiber and 63.1 miles of undersea fiber, connecting all 80,000 Whidbey Island residents, 5,000 residents of Lummi Nation, 17,000 residents of San Juan County, 1,200 unserved residents of Point Roberts, and thousands more households in mainland Northwest Whatcom County.” Continuing on, the release said the grant will help connect all 2,164 Blaine school district students and connect “11 anchor institutions, like schools, libraries, healthcare providers, community colleges, public media, public housing and other community organizations, six of which are currently unserved.” The problem is, the release doesn’t say how this will be accomplished. According to Whidbey’s website, it only services Point Roberts and south Whidbey Island. Requests for clarification made by the All Point Bulletin to Senator Cantwell’s office and Whidbey Telecom received no response before going to press. U.S. Representative Rick Larsen’s office released a similar press release on June 18. Asked to clarify whether the funding was a grant or a loan, Larsen aide Joseph Tutino confirmed June 29 that it was indeed a grant. He referred other questions to Whidbey Telecom. The All Point Bulletin contacted Whidbey’s marketing and communication director Martha Ford on June 22 and received the following in response: Asked what the “middle mile” program meant in relation to Point Roberts, Ford wrote, “The announcement from NTIA might help you better understand what the (See Whidbey, page 8)
s Over 100 people turned out for the 50th year of the creation of Lighthouse Marine Park on June 17. Above, from l., Point Roberts parks board chair Mitch Friedman, county parks director Bennett Knox, county executive Satpal Sidhu and former Point Roberts parks board Photo by Erin Kelly chair and organizer of the celebration Bennett Blaustein.
County parks boards passes on off-leash dog run By Erin Kelly Almost two years ago, Point Roberts Community Advisory Committee (PRCAC) submitted a proposal to the Whatcom County Parks and Recreation (WCPR) to establish an off-leash dog enclosure at Lighthouse Marine Park. The proposal was denied in October 2021 based on opposition from county parks staff. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the commissioners were unable to visit the proposed site until recently. Since the initial request was made, Bennett Knox was appointed as the new WCPR director in early September. Knox first visited Point Roberts for an introductory meeting in October and returned on June 15 for the WCPR commissioners’
monthly meeting, which took place at Lighthouse Marine Park. In addition to the meeting, a park tour was conducted and a public comment period was held. Numerous community members and their dogs attended, expressing concerns about the absence of a discussion on the agenda regarding a new dog park. Knox emphasized the importance of community input in the decision-making process and mentioned the need to consider various proposals within the park’s overall context. “I’m big on planning and want to make sure when we make decisions we have a lot of community input,” said Knox. He continued, “We want to be able to examine proposals in the context of other things (See County Parks, page 3)
HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY
Ca nada Day a nd 4th of July! Celebrate July 1-4 in Point Roberts See events on page 7.
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Inside Classifieds ......................................... 16 Coming Up ....................................... 15 Crossings ............................................ 3 Obituary ........................................... 17 Opinion ............................................... 4 Sheriffs ............................................. 18 Tides ................................................. 18