PRCAC positions shift in 2017

By Meg Olson

The Point Roberts Community Advisory Committee (PRCAC) will have new faces at the table in 2017. Three of the five positions will expire in January 2017 and new committee members will serve a two-year term beginning in February 2017.

Heather McPhee replaced Steve Wolff as the representative from the Point Roberts Chamber of Commerce on PRCAC at its December 13 meeting. She will also represent the chamber at the January PRCAC meeting while the chamber board of directors determines who will take the spot for the next term.

At the December meeting Ron Clark, representing the Point Roberts Taxpayers Association, announced that he will not be serving another term. The association will choose a replacement for Clark to begin serving at the February PRCAC meeting.

The term for one of the at-large positions on the committee, currently held by Keith Glading, also expires in January. The position is appointed by Whatcom County Executive Jack Louws and interested applicants will need to submit an application by January 12, 2017. Information on how to apply is available at wa-whatcomcounty.civicplus.com/1584/How-to-Apply. Glading has applied to serve another term.

PRCAC meets monthly on the second Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the community center, advising the county executive on issues of relevance to the Point, and also serving as the Character Plan Advisory Committee.

A top priority for the committee in 2017 will be the review of a proposed new character plan, now in draft form. The committee has had discussions about potential changes to the draft in recent months, specifically whether or not to retain a change that would see the proposed new plan apply to residential developments in the commercial core.

Whatcom County planner Gary Davis said the county would work with PRCAC to solicit public input and move the proposed new plan towards county council review in 2017. “We don’t really have a time frame at this point but it’s definitely in our work plan for this year,” he said.

PRCAC chair Joel Lantz said the draft character plan as well as the current plan are currently on the Point Roberts Registered Voters Association website at prrva.org/usefullinks.html. The county executive’s office is in the process of setting up links to these documents on the county website.