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FRONT PAGE
Blue
Heron van gets new lease on life
By Meg
Olson
The Whatcom
Transportation Authority (WTA) will partner with the Point
Roberts parks department on a new contract for the local volunteer-run
Blue Heron van service.
At their
July 19 meeting the WTA board of commissioners voted to award
the community-use van to Point Roberts for another three years. “After
three years the recommendation is for all van groups to reapply,” said
WTA board clerk Vicki Esser.
The local
parks board has agreed in principle to be the lead agency
for the van service under a new contract now being developed. “The
bus is parked on our property so it seemed like something
we could do,” said parks board member Irene Waters. “We
haven’t seen a contract but we would be very interested
if it’s possible.” She said when a contract
is proposed the board would review it and take action at
that time.
Van organizer
Dick Williams said they hope to see some changes from the
previous contract for the van with the local chamber of commerce. “The
previous contract described the usage in terms of riders and
trips,” he
said, making it difficult for the local van to meet usage
expectations and jeopardizing the future of the service. “We’re
asking the WTA to look at rider-miles instead, because
for Point Roberts the real issue is that 100 miles to
Bellingham and back.”
Williams
said organizers are working to attract more volunteer drivers
and riders to the program, and on September 13 they will host
a meeting asking the community to tell them what would improve
the service. The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Gulf Road
community center.
Today
the van offers three regular trips to Bellingham per week and
one NEXUS run every other week, picks up school children
in Blaine following after school activities, and has scheduled
runs to the pool in Tsawwassen. Williams said input from
riders had led to an earlier departure for Bellingham, which
in turn attracted more riders, and they hoped more input would
lead to more popular scheduling changes. “What they
would rather have, we don’t know,” Williams said.
Spots on the bus need to be reserved by calling 945-2844.
Reservations
and letters from both parents are mandatory for school children
to travel from the school complex.
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