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LETTERS TO
THE EDITOR
The
Editor:
I’ll start at the beginning. I had a bit of a scare this
year and for a while there I thought I had breast cancer. It
turns out they were just cysts. Good news, but I will have to
have them checked every six months.
Anyway, it got me thinking and I decided that I wanted to do
something. Anyone that knows me knows that I am not all that
physical so this is going to be a real challenge for me. I am
going to do the walk to end breast cancer. It is a 60-kilometer
walk done over two days in August. Now the real reason for the
letter, I would really appreciate it if each and every one of
you would sponsor me on this walk. I have to raise at least $2,000.
Any donation over $10 is tax deductible.
You can donate online, just go to www.endcancer.ca, click on
the Vancouver site and search for my personal page by using my
name Dani Magnusson.
If you don’t want to donate online I have the forms to
fill out that you send with your check to make sure I am credited
for the donation and that you get a tax receipt. You can also
go online and check my progress.
My daughter, Mandy Wolansky, is walking with me so if you want
to split your donation between the two of us that would be muchly
appreciated. Thanks everyone for your support and wish me luck.
Let the training begin!
Dani Magnusson
Point Roberts
The Editor:
I wanted to let the Point Roberts quilters know what happened
to the beautiful quilt they made for a raffle for the food
bank last year. Donna Nelles and Betty Henderson won it, which
was sort of ironic, because there is no more a mad quilter
than Betty. So they donated it to the silent auction portion
of a breakfast fundraiser that our family puts on each fall,
Porridge for Parkinson’s. It was won by a couple on Bowen
Island who are tickled pink with their lovely quilt.
Marg Meikle
Point Roberts
The Editor:
How do we resolve the water connection problem? It appears the
path the water board is taking that is being guided by “great
legal minds” will satisfy no one. It seems that the problem
was caused by three conditions – first by accelerated
growth in Point Roberts building and second by the water board
not planning ahead and anticipating the needs. The third part
of the problem was caused by the people of Point Roberts who
have lost confidence in the board’s ability to perform
and are afraid that they will not get a water connection when
they need it. So people’s best strategy has been to grab
one when you can whether you need it or not.
If we could reset the clock back to June of 2005 and the water
board and Washington state had done their work, there would be
164 or more connections waiting to meet the needs as people actually
started building. If the board had been working on new sources
of water which could be on line by the time the inventory of
water connections was used up, then by the time the 164 connections
were used up, more would be available.
If the people of Point Roberts could be sensible and not fearful,
acting in an orderly manner, and if the water board did its part
by putting real emphasis on developing new water sources, we
would not have a problem and Point Roberts could continue to
prosper. We could have a seamless supply of water just in time
to meet the real needs. We the people have control of this situation
and if there were no “land rush grab” mentality then
the water board would not need to implement any crazy lottery
program.
If we don’t do this we will have a few lucky people, some
of whom will have a connection they are not ready to use and
a large number of families who rely on construction and real
estate on the Point who will be seriously hurt.
How about asking the water board to set up an unofficial anticipated
needs list where people can forecast when they will need a water
connection and make up a realistic time table. I suggest that
if people were honest and fair, this plan would demonstrate that
there is not really a problem. As the people we have the solution
in our hands.
Snider Vick
Point Roberts
The Editor:
I would like to address the issue of county support for development
in Point Roberts. As a long-time resident, I wanted to build
a future for myself in Point Roberts. As an electrical engineer
with trade experience, I opened Leading Edge Electric in the
summer of 2004.
As time went on, the company grew to become the largest electrical
contracting company in Point Roberts. To better serve the needs
of the community and my employees, I attempted to build a home
for my company. After purchasing one of the only commercial properties
for sale, I began to encounter many obstacles. I became one of
the first people to be put on a waiting list for water – an
issue that still has yet to be resolved.
In addition, during this winter’s rains, the drainage system
servicing the commercial district often failed to provide sufficient
capacity to drain water from several properties (photos at www.LeadingEdgeElectric.
com).
Dealing with the peculiarities of Point Roberts, including seasonality
and material and labor logistics, provides many challenges. Having
the county create additional barriers only serves to further
limit opportunity. Several businesses have decided to leave Point
Roberts to pursue better markets. My business has recently been
impacted by losing valued employees who decided to move elsewhere
for better opportunity. With the lack of qualified replacements,
Leading Edge Electric is forced to exit the general electrical-service
business to solely focus on home technology integration until
a shop can be built.
Without county support for basic services, everyone loses – the
county loses tax revenue and Point Roberts’ businesses
and citizens are left unsupported. It’s time to stop putting
up with county inaction. It’s time the citizens of Point
Roberts speak up and ask for the services their tax dollars pay
for. I strongly encourage residents to join either the Registered
Voter’s Association or the Point Robert’s Taxpayers
Association so that their voice can be heard.
Kevin Melsheimer
Point Roberts
The Editor:
The Point Roberts Registered Voter’s Association will hold
its annual general meeting at the community center at 7 p.m.
on April 19. On the agenda is the election of members to serve
as officers and directors of the board, renewal of current membership,
acceptance of new members, and guest speakers.
Port director Chris Dimello will be addressing local border issues,
including NEXUS, and will answer questions from those in attendance.
A representative of the water district as well and the hospital
district will share the latest developments in their organizations.
Also on the agenda will be discussion of the role of the voter’s
association in representing the voters and residents of Point
Roberts. The membership will be asked for suggestions for projects
or subjects they would like the board to consider during the
forthcoming year. Some suggestions have already been made regarding
areas of county code enforcement, emergency plan and response,
current postal service, and the general infrastructure of our
community (roads, ditches, seawall, etc.).
All residents are encouraged to attend. For those of you who
are new to our community, this is a good opportunity to get acquainted
with your fellow residents and learn more about this organization,
its history and accomplishments. The voter’s association
is actively trying to re-invigorate the membership, its involvement
in community affairs, and the representation of residents to
various levels of government.
Holly Malysh, secretary, Point Roberts
Registered Voter’s Association
Point Roberts
The Editor:
A heartfelt thank you to our wonderful community for making our
town event a grand success! The Dollars for Scholars fundraiser
held March 25 raised more than $2,700 in scholarship money
for Point Roberts students. Seventy-five people came to the
community center and enjoyed a delicious dinner prepared by
Joan Roberts, owner of Brewster’s Restaurant and president
of DFS.
Enticed by barkers Jay Lewis, John Fisher and Pat Grubb, many
of the crowd played the popular “Spin and Win” wheel
game to win some of the 36 prizes donated by local merchants
and friends. These included certificates for groceries from the
International Market ($50), Safeway ($40) and Thrifty’s
($25) and a basket of handmade soap from Rejoice Natural Soap,
a new company owned by Joyce Kiniski. In addition, a silent auction
run by Mary Miller, was enjoyed by many. Pam Oakley helped Mary
gather a number of the 21 items producing a fascinating collection
that included four rounds of golf at the Point Roberts Golf and
Country Club and a two-hour ride in a handcrafted rowboat with “Captain” Chuck
Cannon doing the rowing.
One of the highlights of the night was the auctioning of the
last copy of the Dollar for Scholar’s cookbook, “The
Point is Cooking,” published in April 2003. Five hundred
copies were printed for a previous fundraiser. As you may guess,
it has taken some time and effort to sell that many. Normally
sold for $13, the last copy was purchased by Nick Kiniski for
$40.
The top of the night for this writer, however, was the speech
made by Neal Teutsch, one of the Dollar for Scholars recipients.
Neal, a junior at Santa Clara University in California, spoke
about Santa Clara, his semester abroad in Spain, and all the
windows that higher education opens. He thanked the crowd for
their support of Dollars for Scholars and told us how much it
meant to have the community backing the students.
What a great night! If you wish to contribute to Dollars for
Scholars, send a check to P.O. Box 2138. Your tax-free donation
will be gratefully accepted.
Davea Fisher, founder and
vice-president, Dollars for Scholars
Point Roberts
Letters
Policy
The All Point Bulletin welcomes letters to the editor; however,
the opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the editor.
Letters must include name, address and daytime telephone number
for verification. Letters must not exceed 450 words and may be
edited or rejected for reasons of legality and good taste.
 A
fresh viewpoint on matters of general interest to local readers
will increase the likelihood of publication. Writers should avoid
personal invective. Unsigned letters will not be accepted for
publication. Requests for withholding names will be considered
on an individual basis.
Thank
You letters should be limited to ten names.
Only
one letter per month from an individual correspondent will be
published.
Please send
your letter to: P.O. Box 1451, Point Roberts, WA 98281
or fax (360) 945-1613.
E-mail:editor@allpointbulletin.com
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