Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu met via Zoom with Point Roberts Chamber of Commerce president Brian Calder and vice president Louise Mugar the morning of October 26. The discussion focused on a proposal to create a small works roster for Point Roberts. Calder explained the rationale behind the idea, including how it could help speed up provision of services and reduce project costs.
The current process for participating in the bidding process for public works is overly burdensome for small contractors, Calder said, and this essentially eliminates small local businesses from getting these jobs.
The repair of the Maple Beach seawall was cited as an example of a project with excessive costs and extended timeline due to the county’s reliance on large contractors who have sufficient resources to navigate bidding requirements. The chamber’s proposal suggests that the county could establish less burdensome bidding requirements for small projects in Point Roberts.
Sidhu expressed his support for the principle behind the proposal while also cautioning that the county’s bidding process and requirements have been created over the course of many years and are informed by numerous lawsuits and court rulings.
He invited the chamber to provide additional information and context to the proposal so that it could be discussed in detail both within the Point Roberts community and with county council.
Calder later told the All Point Bulletin that the chamber would work with PRCAC and other local groups to flesh out the proposal for presentation to the executive and county council.
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