An email announcing the temporary closure of the fuel dock prompted the Point Roberts Taxpayers Association and the Point Roberts Community Advisory Committee to discuss ongoing maintenance and infrastructure concerns at the marina.
During the Feb. 12 Taxpayers Association meeting, Taxpayers representative Jeff Christopher described what he sees as a steady accumulation of unresolved issues (including the pump-out system, the inactive haul-out facility, the aging docks and the creosote-treated pilings), calling it “death by a thousand cuts.”
“It’s much more than an inconvenience for boaters,” he said. “There’s an environmental issue here. There’s an economic issue here.”
The concerns come as the marina has been identified as central to the community’s economic future.
In October, an economic development strategy commissioned by the Port of Bellingham and developed by Maul Foster & Alongi was presented to the community.
Director of Economic Development Tyler Schroeder said planners explored scenarios such as “a maritime village” or “a blue economy and a working waterfront,” positioning the marina as a key economic driver.
The World Bank defines blue economy as “sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods and jobs, and ocean ecosystem health.”
In an interview with the All Point Bulletin, marina bookkeeper Deborah Potter attributed the fuel dock outage to a malfunctioning point-of-sale system. Technicians have been scheduled and the system is expected to be operational by late February.
The pump-out systems are both new, she said, and the fuel dock pump-out is operational while the one on the custom’s dock “just needs to be tested,” with cold weather delaying testing.
As for the haul-out, she said, “We’re working on it, but we don’t have one right now.”
Environmental concerns were also raised at the association’s meeting. Christopher described creosote-treated pilings as a long-term hazard, saying tidal action creates “a slow release capsule of death in our water system.”
Marina Facilities Manager Steve Levine said the pilings are “grandfathered in.”
Fire safety remains another issue. In an interview, Point Roberts Fire Chief Christopher Carleton confirmed that the dock standpipe system is not functioning.
“We can’t use any of the standpipes that were put in 5,6,7. However, many years ago, all those have become broken, obsolete, non-workable,” he said, noting firefighters must lay hose manually, which slows them down “tremendously.”
If a fire were to grow, he warned, “We’re going to lose multiple boats.”
Similar concerns were documented in a Sept. 13, 2018, article in the All Point Bulletin following an electrical fire, when Carleton said “all but one system was out of order.”
Levine said plans for the fire suppression systems have been drawn up, though he did not have information available about the status of permits.
On Feb. 19, PRCAC members discussed possible involvement from state and federal regulatory agencies if compliance issues continue.
“You cannot force (the owner) to sell it, but you can mandate him to bring everything up to code,” Chair Alison Calder said.
The marina has 900 slips and is about half full, and many more boaters are expected for the summer.
“We’re working on things, and there is a brighter future ahead, because it’s a great place for Point Roberts and a great place for people to enjoy,” Potter said.
With annual lease renewals approaching April 1, some at the meetings questioned whether boaters would stay. Christopher warned the loss of fuel service could prompt “a mass exodus.”
Yet in a separate discussion about the non-operational fuel dock, Taxpayers Association President Mark Robbins dryly noted, “The power boats can’t leave because they can’t gas up.”
While marina staff say repairs and upgrades are underway, residents said clearer timelines and visible progress will determine whether the facility can live up to the economic potential identified in the Port’s recent economic development strategy.
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