On Saturday, October 6 from 6 to 8 p.m. punch and cookies will be served by the seniors’ association cooks that community members can enjoy at one of the seven new round tables purchased by the association, while sitting on one of 60 new padded chairs. “These items are very high quality and cost the seniors association more than $6,000,” said association member Armene Belless. “This is a major upgrade for our one and only civic building. I call the community center the heart of Point Roberts.”

Above the new tables will be a new ceiling. Parks district commissioners have hired Kirby Kinney with On-Point Construction, who has said that for $400 he will patch the hole in the dining room ceiling and texture paint the entire ceiling to match. 

“He has said it will be done in time for October 6,” said parks commissioner Linda Hughes at the commission’s September 10 meeting. The community center’s main hallway also has new vinyl flooring in wood grain finish, thanks to a donation of materials from Samantha Scholefield.

The art display in the hallway of the community center is also due to roll over prior to the event.

The Point’s new nurse practitioner Alexandra Hunt will be at the open house to meet the community. The Friends of the Point Roberts Library will be showing off plans for turning Julius Station into a new library. The food bank will have a table for donations and to talk about their work keeping everyone in the community fed. The fire department will be there checking blood pressure and talking about community safety and better access to information through their website. The historical society will talk about the history of the building and share their photos and artifacts on display at the community center. “The 1948 photo of Maple Beach showing the roller rink, pier and ample parking is a big favorite,” Belless said.

Other groups who will have displays at the open house include the garden club, the Wackie Walkers, PREP, the lighthouse society, Point Roberts Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), the parks district, the chamber of commerce, family game-nighters, the taxpayers association, the voters association, the drawing club, quilters, Heart House, PRCAC, the visitors center, bee keepers and the rose society.

Belless said the seniors association would use the event to publicly thank the donors who made the purchase of new furniture possible, including Point Roberts Marina, BP at Cherry Point, the Maple Beach Property Owners Association, Blanche Constantine’s bequest and the Millman family, as well as association members who have worked over the years on fundraising.