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INSIDE
Parks
board suggests portapotties
by Jack
Kintner
With the
acquisition of the Maple Beach tidelands from the Whatcom Land
Trust in February 2001, two long-standing Maple Beach problems,
public parking and public restrooms, became the responsibility
of the Whatcom County Council. This past June 19 their parks advisory
body, the Whatcom County Parks and Recreation Commission, met
at Point Roberts to look at what the land trust had been given
by the Whalen family and then passed on to them, the half-mile
stretch from the middle of Garth Avenue north to the border and
east (outside) of the concrete sea wall.
Five of the
seven commissioners came on the tour, with Ken Henderson and Patricia
Woodall absent. Lighthouse park ranger VanBuskirk began with the
group at Maple Beach and pointed out some of the constraints with
which the county must work in finding room for parking and public
restrooms.
Unlike a
similar situation in Glacier, Washington, where a need for public
facilities was solved with a grant and available county land,
the parks department does not own any upland acreage on which
they can site a public restroom or parking in Maple Beach. “In
fact,” said VanBuskirk, “we need to consult with Whatcom County
Public Works and private landowners to do anything. I can say,
though, that since we met as a commission on the 19th that public
works has been helpful on the portable toilet issue, and while
nothing’s definite I’m pretty sure we’ll work out a short-term
solution for this summer. Parking’s going to take a little longer.”
VanBuskirk
said he asked the owner of the now closed Clark’s store, about
locating portable toilets next to her facility as has been done
in the past but was turned down. “For parking at Maple Beach,
I advise people to use a side street and be off the road and not
block a driveway,” VanBuskirk said, “but we’re looking at Roosevelt
and at other options. And believe me, we’d love to hear from anyone
with ideas.”
Along with
22-acre Lighthouse Park and eight-acre Monument Park, which the
group also visited, VanBuskirk and his staff are now responsible
for three of the Point’s four corners. He said that most of the
commission, including new members Del Lowery and Sue Bennett,
seemed not to have ever visited Maple Beach. “But now they understand
why I’d like to see a trail around the Point, to connect these
places as well as that little public access on South Beach just
east of the Marina,” VanBuskirk said.
The commission
also visited the senior center, and got a look at both the proposed
lighthouse and the Gulf Road pier project which will be voted
on next fall. And on June 26 the International Boundary Commission
will be here, which is why the border monument was pressure washed,
and on July 13 the Whatcom Land Trust will come for a tour on
a Sunday with a very low tide to see what happens when the sun
comes out.
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