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Community van to start up in February

By Pat Grubb

Beginning Monday, February 17, Point Roberts residents will have a new way of getting around the Point or down to Blaine or Bellingham. That�s the day that service begins for the Point�s own Whatcom Transportation Authority (WTA) Community Use Van.

Stationed full-time on the Point, the van is a 15-person Ford van with a heavy duty chassis. The van was allocated to Point Roberts after citizens approached the WTA last fall seeking their co-operation in a grant proposal seeking monies for rural transportation. The WTA board decided to allocate a van for community use, the second such service in the county. The Lake Whatcom Regional Treatment Facility currently is the only other Community Use Van user in the county. Statewide, a number of other counties have embraced the program, mostly for Welfare to Work programs.

The local program is being organized by the Point Roberts Transportation Committee under the auspices of the chamber of commerce. The committee members are Heather McPhee, David Niles, Bev Griffiths, Henry Rosentahl, Nancy King, Neal Teutsch and Joan Roberts.

The group has ambitious goals for the program. Like so many other successful programs in Point Roberts, this one will depend upon volunteers. Volunteer drivers, that is.

At this time, the program has 12 drivers signed up and ready to go. While there is no driver training required, volunteers do need to attend a four-hour orientation meeting. A second driver meeting is tentatively scheduled for the week of February 17.

Each volunteer is required to fill out an application and will be subject to a state patrol and motor vehicle department check. In addition, a doctor�s certificate will be needed. Drivers who have recent moving violations on their record are ineligible.

Driver shifts range from 11/2 to eight hours. Drivers who might be worried about their liability should one of their passengers take something across the border they shouldn�t can set their mind at ease. WTA attorneys have reassured the group that drivers of commercial vans such as the WTA are free from repurcussions.

Joan Roberts said more drivers are needed and welcome. �If you think you can commit an hour or two each month I would suggest you sign up. The more volunteers we can get, the more services we can offer.�

Initial schedules include trips on Monday, February 17 and 24 from Point Roberts to Bellingham with stops in Blaine and Bellis Fair.On school days, the van will leave the community center at 10 a.m. and return from Bellingham at 4 p.m., stopping for pickup at Blaine elementary school at 4:30 p.m.

On no Tuesday, February 25 the van leaves at 6 p.m. for the spring music concert at the Blaine PAC, leaving Blaine at 9 p.m. There will also be a run on Wednesdays for seniors lunch at the community center, followed by shopping at the International Marketplace and a mailstop at the post office. The senior service will include door to door pickup and drop off but most trips will commence and conclude at the community center.

Organizers are planning Saturday trips around the Point with stops at the library, Lighthouse Park, Boundary Bay, International Marketplace, marina and golf course. The van is equipped with a bike carrier that can hold two bikes.

The minimum age for trips within the Point is eight years. Trips leaving the Point are restricted to riders 10 years and older. Children under 18 years old should carry a note from their parents authorizing the trip. All passengers crossing the border are responsible for carrying appropriate identification.

The van is also available for special interest groups such as Scouts or seniors outings. Those groups will be required to provide their own volunteer driver and will need to submit their request before the 20th of each month. Regularly scheduled runs will receive priority over special interest requests.

Trips to Canada won�t be on the schedule for awhile. Roberts says there are four government agencies that would need to give their okay and she doesn�t expect that before March at the earliest.

An email address to reserve a place on the van has already been set up (ridethevan@hotmail.com) as has a voicemail number 945-2844. The group eventually hopes to have signed stops around the Point. For around the Point trips, reservations will not be necessary.

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