Parks still hoping for kids program

Posted

Point Roberts Park and Recreation District’s annual kids’ camp is ready to go for an abbreviated session if Whatcom County can meet the requirements to move to phase 3 of the state’s Safe Start re-opening plan.

“If we hear by July 10 that we can move to phase 3 that will give us time to hire counselors and get them tested for a one or two-week session to at least give the kids a break and let them socialize before they need to go back to school,” said parks board chair Bennett Blaustein. While shorter, the abridged kids camp would run all day for five days a week while it was in session, he added.

Parks district commissioners Dan Schroeder and Holly Robinson are looking at ways to revive the parks district’s kayak program, which has been mothballed for four years due to lack of an instructor. At the June 8 virtual meeting of the parks board, Robinson suggested they explore a model of kayak rentals with basic usage rules rather than requiring training to use the kayaks.

An initial consideration would be where to locate the kayaks. Lighthouse Marine Park has been used in the past but Blaustein said the county parks department wanted to charge for the district to base their program there. The marina allowed the kayak program to operate from their property for free but required training users for liability reasons.

Parks commissioners also agreed to allow horses along the perimeter to Baker Field over the summer while they determine a more long-term shared use policy for horses. Blaustein said that following their discussion on June 8, he had spoken with Blaine schools superintendent Christopher Granger who asked that horses not be allowed on the field when children from the school were using it.

Allowing dogs off-leash during non-school hours was not successful in the long term because dog walkers did not consistently adhere to time limits, Blaustein said, and there were concerns a similar conflict could occur with horses. “For now, they are allowed to ride along the perimeter and we will be discussing the superintendent’s concerns when we meet next month,” Blaustein said.

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here


OUR PUBLICATIONS