Letters to the Editor: July

The Editor:

Some of us have given up hope that the Seabright stairs will be rebuilt. This loss of hope is understandable considering comments from Whatcom County claiming that there is nothing they can do. 

 The very clear intent of the county’s plat for Seabright is that the homeowners association is responsible for reconstructing the trail. The county’s position that there is nothing they can do is based on the fact that the language in their plat uses the word “trail” instead of the word “stairs.” This notion that the fundamental intent of the county‘s plat is nullified because of this one word is absurd. 

 One result of the Seabright stairs being transformed into a public safety hazard is that the stairs’ remains likely fall within the legal definition of an attractive nuisance. Attractive nuisance laws protect children and carry very strict penalties. By exempting the Seabright developer from having to fulfill its responsibility to rebuild the Seabright stairs, the county has targeted itself for being included in possible future attractive nuisance lawsuits.

Whatcom County should recognize that its own self-interest is best served by enforcing the fundamental intent of the plat, thereby avoiding future lawsuits. 

Tom Yeager

Point Roberts

The Editor:

Resilience is the capacity to adapt, recover and grow stronger in the face of adversity, challenges and change. We stand together as a community because of it, not in spite of it. 

After attending the recent meeting held by the Point Roberts resilience group, I left struggling to understand why a room full of community members was asked to generate and write down solutions regarding the future of the All Point Bulletin newspaper.

I attended hoping to meet Kari Mar, the new publisher of the All Point Bulletin, and to hear her vision and direction for the publication moving forward, which she provided to the room full of interested folks on a Friday night no less.

Instead, the meeting seemed focused on having attendees tell her what they wanted from the newspaper. Personally, I would not want a room full of outsiders telling me how to run my business. Kari and her team deserve the opportunity to find their footing and establish their own vision for Point Roberts’ news and, given their extensive journalistic background, I have no doubt that they will continue to provide the same level of professionalism and insight as Pat Grubb and Louise Mugar provided for over 30 years as publishers of the All Point Bulletin.

If Shauna Sylvester and Kara Smith, the organizers of the event, were truly interested in the resilience of Point Roberts, they might have begun by introducing attendees to the history of the community’s newspapers over the past six decades. Doing so would have provided a deeper understanding of the resilience this community has shown through the many changes and challenges we have endured over the years and continue to endure today.

Understanding history matters because it provides context, perspective and lessons that cannot be learned in a single meeting or brainstorming session.

Renee Coe
Point Roberts

The Editor:

I would like to sincerely thank everyone in this community — and especially Alice Strombom — for setting up the GoFundMe campaign to help me deal with my cancer diagnosis and the many out-of-pocket expenses that come with it. The support, encouragement and kindness from Point Roberts have meant more than I can say.

Thanks to your generosity, I was able to enjoy a wonderful “recovery” trip to Italy, where I bravely sampled pasta, wine and gelato in the name of medical research. I also invested in gold while prices were low because apparently financial planning is now part of modern cancer treatment. After all that, there was even enough left over for a new washer and dryer, which may have improved my daily life more than some prescriptions.

In all seriousness, cancer has a way of reminding you how fortunate you are to have people around you who care. This community has shown incredible generosity and support during a difficult time, and I truly appreciate everyone who contributed, reached out, or kept me in their thoughts.

A special thank you again to Alice Strombom for organizing the fundraiser and helping make a hard situation a little easier — while also assuring people that the Italy trip was not technically doctor-prescribed.

Leigh Moorhouse

Point Roberts