This is the week for supporting things. Actually, in recent months, it seems like we have lots of things we need to support, and lots of opportunities to support them. Last weekend, we needed to support the library at its fund-raiser. And this Saturday, we needed to go to the Pt. Roberts' elementary school's garage sale in order to support the equipment/materials needs of the Point Roberts' Elementary School. And yesterday, the Point Roberts' church had a concert which we needed to attend in order to support its purchase of a generator so that in an emergency we would have a generator. And I think this coming week we need to have dinner at South Beach House in order to support the local high school and college students who receive financial assistance from 'Dollars for Scholars.'
And during the entire month of July, I hear, the Department of Defense is going to have an extended and extensive Bake Sale in order to support its ongoing wars in various places. Or maybe just use taxes for that? Or maybe just use taxes for all of it?
Monday, May 31, 2010
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Strange Times, Strange Voices
UPDATE BELOW
It's been about six weeks since we last were drawn up and into the distress about the 'Point Roberts Beach Club at or near Lily Point Housing Development." At that time, the County was about to approve the environmental assessment plans of the development company. And, in general it did, although it also put some things over, including a historical assessment of the two houses on the property. Also, over this time, the developers, mainly Wayne and Anders (of previous discussion) have been meeting with a group of folks on the Point in an attempt to reconsider some of the planning, including saving more of the trees that border APA. All to the good.
But not, necessarily, all to the best, at least not to those who think that a development of this sort is a poor plan for Point Roberts, although it might be a good plan for providing economic improvement for Wayne and Anders. But this is the sort of thing that will doubtless go on here for years to come. In fact, of course, this particular one has been going on for years, although the players have occasionally changed. I think that the opposition is not so much a 'not in my backyard' feeling as a sense that things are difficult enough in this strangely appealing place without adding to the difficulty at the same time as one is taking away part of the appeal. And especially when, on the other side, there is nothing much more than money to be made by outsiders. (I know, Wayne lives here, so he's not an outsider. But in my view, developers are by nature outsiders. I will not defend that proposition here, however.)
Anyway, there's this general community uneasiness about this proposed development, even if it's not as over the top as the former version of it. And, during this past six weeks, there have apparently been two incidents in which some vandalism has been committed or allegedly committed on the property. Survey sticks removed, strings uprooted, etc., causing economic loss to the owners. The only reason I know about this is that Anders has written the residents of Point Roberts twice--on Point Interface--to warn us that if this doesn't stop, he will be obliged to close up the property so that we can no longer have access to it.
I found these communications strangely condescending. It's his property, of course, so he can keep it unfenced or fence it or whatever. And, since most of us here don't spend a lot of time trotting around in other peoples' property, it is likely that closing it off will be no greater loss to us than the loss of access if Anders takes to building 30 or 40 or whatever number of houses on it.
But beyond that is the assumption that it is the readers of Point Interface who are up to no good here, while the Lord of the Manor is killing himself trying to accommodate our views. Such ingratitude on our part! And so in need of a punishing response.
So I just want to take this opportunity to say that, if he keeps up building this development the way he seems to want to, then I will really, really be offended, even though I'm normally a friendly, good-time Charlie. Further, to clarify the extremity of my irritation, I'm throwing down the gauntlet right now.
Anders: If things go on the way they are, I'm not inviting you to my birthday party....Not this year, and not ever. You've been warned.
Reber informs me today (May 30) that the County has voided/declared moot the previous ruling on the Beach Club project that it made earlier this month (because of technicalities) and the whole process now starts over again. June 15, July 15 seem to be relevant dates for further hearings, meetings, what have you. One is reminded that 'the wheels of justice grind slow but exceeding fine.' And, in this case, perhaps all for the good, once again.
It's been about six weeks since we last were drawn up and into the distress about the 'Point Roberts Beach Club at or near Lily Point Housing Development." At that time, the County was about to approve the environmental assessment plans of the development company. And, in general it did, although it also put some things over, including a historical assessment of the two houses on the property. Also, over this time, the developers, mainly Wayne and Anders (of previous discussion) have been meeting with a group of folks on the Point in an attempt to reconsider some of the planning, including saving more of the trees that border APA. All to the good.
But not, necessarily, all to the best, at least not to those who think that a development of this sort is a poor plan for Point Roberts, although it might be a good plan for providing economic improvement for Wayne and Anders. But this is the sort of thing that will doubtless go on here for years to come. In fact, of course, this particular one has been going on for years, although the players have occasionally changed. I think that the opposition is not so much a 'not in my backyard' feeling as a sense that things are difficult enough in this strangely appealing place without adding to the difficulty at the same time as one is taking away part of the appeal. And especially when, on the other side, there is nothing much more than money to be made by outsiders. (I know, Wayne lives here, so he's not an outsider. But in my view, developers are by nature outsiders. I will not defend that proposition here, however.)
Anyway, there's this general community uneasiness about this proposed development, even if it's not as over the top as the former version of it. And, during this past six weeks, there have apparently been two incidents in which some vandalism has been committed or allegedly committed on the property. Survey sticks removed, strings uprooted, etc., causing economic loss to the owners. The only reason I know about this is that Anders has written the residents of Point Roberts twice--on Point Interface--to warn us that if this doesn't stop, he will be obliged to close up the property so that we can no longer have access to it.
I found these communications strangely condescending. It's his property, of course, so he can keep it unfenced or fence it or whatever. And, since most of us here don't spend a lot of time trotting around in other peoples' property, it is likely that closing it off will be no greater loss to us than the loss of access if Anders takes to building 30 or 40 or whatever number of houses on it.
But beyond that is the assumption that it is the readers of Point Interface who are up to no good here, while the Lord of the Manor is killing himself trying to accommodate our views. Such ingratitude on our part! And so in need of a punishing response.
So I just want to take this opportunity to say that, if he keeps up building this development the way he seems to want to, then I will really, really be offended, even though I'm normally a friendly, good-time Charlie. Further, to clarify the extremity of my irritation, I'm throwing down the gauntlet right now.
Anders: If things go on the way they are, I'm not inviting you to my birthday party....Not this year, and not ever. You've been warned.
Reber informs me today (May 30) that the County has voided/declared moot the previous ruling on the Beach Club project that it made earlier this month (because of technicalities) and the whole process now starts over again. June 15, July 15 seem to be relevant dates for further hearings, meetings, what have you. One is reminded that 'the wheels of justice grind slow but exceeding fine.' And, in this case, perhaps all for the good, once again.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
No More Confusing the Readers
Chaircreature Reber of the Community Advisory Committee has written me again, this time with his concerns that I am confusing my 'thousands of readers' with my suggestions that the County Supply Attic has no Border Guards that can be sent to lengthen the Nexus lane hours here at Point Roberts and no llamas that can be distributed to needy residents and no docks that can be installed at Lighthouse Park. (Although it doesn't have those things, in fact.)
So, let the confusion cease. First of all, let's not be confused about my thousands of readers. Hundreds, yes; thousands, no. And even the hundreds have shown no evidence of being any more confused than everybody else I meet, so I'd like to assert that there is at least no evidence of confusion.
But let the facts stand as Reber reports them. There is some actual money in a Whatcom County account in the amount of $370,000 but it is not the County that won't let us use those dollars for border guard salaries or llamas or docks. It is the State. Those moneys are only for roads, a word whose meaning can apparently be broadened to include walking trails and bicycle paths and, perhaps, public transit, as in the return of the Blue Heron Van. Definitely no llamas. End of subject.
Now, my personal knowledge of lawyers (which is actually pretty extensive, having even taught once in a law school) leads me to believe that the State has a pretty second-rate bunch of lawyer/statute interpreters if they can't squeeze more meaning out of 'roads' than that. But, I do not know that for a fact, so do not be getting yourself confused here.
And, if there are to be no border guards, no llamas, and no docks....well, what else do we need? Bicycles is the answer to that question. We need bicycles in large numbers lying about on the sides of the road so that anyone who wants to ride a bicycle someplace can pick one up from the side of the road (instead of from some resident's yard) and then drop it off at the side of some other road when he/she is done riding. And it could also include some large 3-wheeled adult tricycle-like vehicles for those who have reached the age where balance issues might suggest that a 2-wheeled vehicle was not such a good idea.
And if that went well, we could have kayaks lying around at the beach for people to take rides in. This, I claim, would be at least as legitimate a use as the Blue Heron Van (which is said perhaps to be a viable option) under the heading of 'Public Transportation.'
Next year, we'll talk again about the llamas. You can be preparing for it by reading this.
If you wish to bring these matters up to the Community Advisory Committee, you are encouraged to do so by responding to their survey which is included in the All Point Bulletin E-News. Llamas...remember it has two l's.
So, let the confusion cease. First of all, let's not be confused about my thousands of readers. Hundreds, yes; thousands, no. And even the hundreds have shown no evidence of being any more confused than everybody else I meet, so I'd like to assert that there is at least no evidence of confusion.
But let the facts stand as Reber reports them. There is some actual money in a Whatcom County account in the amount of $370,000 but it is not the County that won't let us use those dollars for border guard salaries or llamas or docks. It is the State. Those moneys are only for roads, a word whose meaning can apparently be broadened to include walking trails and bicycle paths and, perhaps, public transit, as in the return of the Blue Heron Van. Definitely no llamas. End of subject.
Now, my personal knowledge of lawyers (which is actually pretty extensive, having even taught once in a law school) leads me to believe that the State has a pretty second-rate bunch of lawyer/statute interpreters if they can't squeeze more meaning out of 'roads' than that. But, I do not know that for a fact, so do not be getting yourself confused here.
And, if there are to be no border guards, no llamas, and no docks....well, what else do we need? Bicycles is the answer to that question. We need bicycles in large numbers lying about on the sides of the road so that anyone who wants to ride a bicycle someplace can pick one up from the side of the road (instead of from some resident's yard) and then drop it off at the side of some other road when he/she is done riding. And it could also include some large 3-wheeled adult tricycle-like vehicles for those who have reached the age where balance issues might suggest that a 2-wheeled vehicle was not such a good idea.
And if that went well, we could have kayaks lying around at the beach for people to take rides in. This, I claim, would be at least as legitimate a use as the Blue Heron Van (which is said perhaps to be a viable option) under the heading of 'Public Transportation.'
Next year, we'll talk again about the llamas. You can be preparing for it by reading this.
If you wish to bring these matters up to the Community Advisory Committee, you are encouraged to do so by responding to their survey which is included in the All Point Bulletin E-News. Llamas...remember it has two l's.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Sterling Returns
Just a little update on the Sterling Financial saga which affects us here in Point Roberts only minimally, except that it is happening to one of our two banks, and thus shows how even we are connected to the financial world's vicissitudes. After a number of months of a sinking stock price, a continuing failure to pay either dividends to their stockholders or their TARP interest to the government, a starring role on the 'bad bank' list, and a warning from the stock exchange because of the company's stock price having sunk below a dollar a share, Sterling is making a reversal.
Despite the sinking of the Dow and the NASDAQ and the other averages these past few weeks, Sterling has been in an upward trend, closing today at 90 cents per share. This has all been the result of two private firms agreeing to put many millions into Sterling in exchange for many millions of new shares of stock. These are people who are definitely buying low and hope to be, eventually, selling high. Just goes to show that there's money around somewhere. Anyway, if Sterling can get its capital situation improved sufficiently with deals like these, it goes back off the FDIC's 'bad bank' list.
And if we'd all bought shares when it was at forty cents, we could have sold them today at a significant profit. But when it was at forty cents, it didn't look all that promising. Ah, the nature of the stock market.
Despite the sinking of the Dow and the NASDAQ and the other averages these past few weeks, Sterling has been in an upward trend, closing today at 90 cents per share. This has all been the result of two private firms agreeing to put many millions into Sterling in exchange for many millions of new shares of stock. These are people who are definitely buying low and hope to be, eventually, selling high. Just goes to show that there's money around somewhere. Anyway, if Sterling can get its capital situation improved sufficiently with deals like these, it goes back off the FDIC's 'bad bank' list.
And if we'd all bought shares when it was at forty cents, we could have sold them today at a significant profit. But when it was at forty cents, it didn't look all that promising. Ah, the nature of the stock market.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
The Triumph of Kale
I'd like to say a few words about agriculture in the Pacific Northwest. Not the greenhouses filled with water-saturated tomatoes or the acres of blueberries or even the fields of cabbage on Highway #17 that spend the winter looking like mud/dirt fields filled with bodiless heads. I've always assumed there isn't enough of a market for cabbage to justify cutting the heads and taking them to market, so they just sit there looking bodiless, week after week, until they are plowed back into the fields in the spring.
No, what I want to say is that, although I've grown vegetables in Idaho and in New York and in Los Angeles and in Massachusetts, I have never had as unsatisfying an experience growing vegetables as growing them in Point Roberts has turned out to be. You can grow potatoes and lettuce here, it is true. Even an incompetent can grow potatoes and lettuce here. But there is little sense of achievement in it. The potatoes just grow in the compost if you send them that way. The slugs aren't particularly interested. The lettuce is possible only a good distance above ground because of the slugs. I have had some success with snow peas and I have once grown a zucchini with a satisfactory amount of zucchinis upon it. But really nothing else. No tomatoes, no bush beans, no peppers, no basil, no corn, nothing that really requires heat. It's a great place to grow fruit, adequate for herbs (other than basil), but it is not a great place to grow vegetables.
With the exception of kale. If you can get a kale plant past the place where the slugs' interference is not the end point, a kale plant is a plant that gives and gives. You have to like kale, of course. I don't know many things to do with it other than to eat it by itself, steamed, but that is pretty much enough. Six kale plants will take you a long way. And, at the end of a year, just as your new kale plants are beginning to take off, your old kale plants which have fed you all through the previous summer, fall, winter, and now spring grow to be ten feet tall and sprout lovely little yellow flowers. The picture is of the very top piece of a ten-foot kale plant, I think Russian blue kale. It's the Miss America of vegetable gardens, in my view. You can see an even larger version of it here.
And when I am finally finished with the kale plants, they go to the llama and goats for a final dinner: flowers, leaves, stalks, and all.
No, what I want to say is that, although I've grown vegetables in Idaho and in New York and in Los Angeles and in Massachusetts, I have never had as unsatisfying an experience growing vegetables as growing them in Point Roberts has turned out to be. You can grow potatoes and lettuce here, it is true. Even an incompetent can grow potatoes and lettuce here. But there is little sense of achievement in it. The potatoes just grow in the compost if you send them that way. The slugs aren't particularly interested. The lettuce is possible only a good distance above ground because of the slugs. I have had some success with snow peas and I have once grown a zucchini with a satisfactory amount of zucchinis upon it. But really nothing else. No tomatoes, no bush beans, no peppers, no basil, no corn, nothing that really requires heat. It's a great place to grow fruit, adequate for herbs (other than basil), but it is not a great place to grow vegetables.
And when I am finally finished with the kale plants, they go to the llama and goats for a final dinner: flowers, leaves, stalks, and all.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Advising the Advisers
Chaircreature Reber has responded to my suggestion that we use the $370,000 to provide funding for additional Nexus lane hours by saying it is a funny joke, but then goes on to say that surely I understand that the border is controlled by the Federal Government. Well, shucks, yes, Sherlock. I did know that. But I assumed that Whatcom County was collecting the penny/gallon tax on gasoline in U.S. dollars, rather than in drachmas (which Greece may be needing again) or, in chickens as in the infamous Lowden barter plan (that's one unplucked chicken/dollar). I did consider the problem in converting U.S. dollars into Canadian ones to extend the Canadian Nexus Lane hours, but thought that there was probably enough currency exchange going on in Point Roberts that that, too, could be managed.
But, apparently not. Whatcom County will build us some little walking paths or some little biking distances. And we can be happy with having had our opinion sought.
It occurs to me, of course, that, although I was not making a joke, I did make a fatal error. Like those who are under the misimpression that the Social Security Tax is being kept in a literal lockbox to be spent on securing the social, I foolishly thought that what we were talking about were actual dollars that were down there in the possession of the County. Now, I have no real knowledge here, but I'm guessing or inferring that what happens is something like this: Whatcom County gets the pennies per gallon and puts it in its accounting credits and then it spends it for whatever things and services that Whatcom County buys, and puts the cost of that spending in its accounting debits. And so, there no longer is any money to spend. That's all done. The money came in; the money got spent.
What Point Roberts gets to do is to go poke around in the Whatcom County attic where the County people keep all their office and other county supplies that haven't yet been used or aren't currently being use. And Point Roberts can then ask for $370,000 worth of that stuff. Could be street signs, could be walk-making labor, could be an old snow plow. But it couldn't be longer Nexus lane hours because Whatcom County didn't buy any of those last year.
Also, we can't use the money to buy a llama for all the Point residents who want one because llama ownership isn't related to transit, and even if it were, the County Attic is devoid of llamas for us to choose from. Too bad. Either longer Nexus hours or a llama per household is what we need, of course. But the joke is on us!
But, apparently not. Whatcom County will build us some little walking paths or some little biking distances. And we can be happy with having had our opinion sought.
It occurs to me, of course, that, although I was not making a joke, I did make a fatal error. Like those who are under the misimpression that the Social Security Tax is being kept in a literal lockbox to be spent on securing the social, I foolishly thought that what we were talking about were actual dollars that were down there in the possession of the County. Now, I have no real knowledge here, but I'm guessing or inferring that what happens is something like this: Whatcom County gets the pennies per gallon and puts it in its accounting credits and then it spends it for whatever things and services that Whatcom County buys, and puts the cost of that spending in its accounting debits. And so, there no longer is any money to spend. That's all done. The money came in; the money got spent.
What Point Roberts gets to do is to go poke around in the Whatcom County attic where the County people keep all their office and other county supplies that haven't yet been used or aren't currently being use. And Point Roberts can then ask for $370,000 worth of that stuff. Could be street signs, could be walk-making labor, could be an old snow plow. But it couldn't be longer Nexus lane hours because Whatcom County didn't buy any of those last year.
Also, we can't use the money to buy a llama for all the Point residents who want one because llama ownership isn't related to transit, and even if it were, the County Attic is devoid of llamas for us to choose from. Too bad. Either longer Nexus hours or a llama per household is what we need, of course. But the joke is on us!
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
What Do We Really Need?
This spring, the County has named a Point Roberts Community Advisory Committee, presumably on the off chance that there could be conversation on difficult issues prior to the high level screaming point from the Point. The five people are to be meeting monthly in open meetings and their first meeting was this month but I, alas, was not here that evening.
However, the chairman of the group has sent us round some information and a request. What it amounts to is this: Sometime ago, the County put in a penny a gallon tax on gasoline which was to be used by the local community. Now, in that case, that 'local community' is us here in Point Roberts. So the first thing the Advisory folks are doing is trying to figure out what we might use that money for. At the moment, thanks to all those Canadians who come down here to buy cheaper gas, the fund for P.R. holds about $370,000. That's an economic development plan all in itself, surely.
The kicker, however---and there is always a kicker when dealing with government (not a criticism, just a recognition of inevitability)--is that the use of the money is tethered to transit. Specifically,
NOTE: These funds can only be used for “Roads and Transportation.” They cannot be used for docks or piers, lighthouses or whale watching platforms. State law limits them to “investment in new or existing highways of significance, public transportation, and other transportation projects and programs….”
In a place this small, it's a little hard to imagine too many transportation needs that involve roads. I mean, we already have roads. Of course there are things like wider shoulders for bike lanes or off road trails. Unfortunately, we are also cautioned about the costs of such things: Off-road paths: $2,000,000 per mile
However, the chairman of the group has sent us round some information and a request. What it amounts to is this: Sometime ago, the County put in a penny a gallon tax on gasoline which was to be used by the local community. Now, in that case, that 'local community' is us here in Point Roberts. So the first thing the Advisory folks are doing is trying to figure out what we might use that money for. At the moment, thanks to all those Canadians who come down here to buy cheaper gas, the fund for P.R. holds about $370,000. That's an economic development plan all in itself, surely.
The kicker, however---and there is always a kicker when dealing with government (not a criticism, just a recognition of inevitability)--is that the use of the money is tethered to transit. Specifically,
NOTE: These funds can only be used for “Roads and Transportation.” They cannot be used for docks or piers, lighthouses or whale watching platforms. State law limits them to “investment in new or existing highways of significance, public transportation, and other transportation projects and programs….”
In a place this small, it's a little hard to imagine too many transportation needs that involve roads. I mean, we already have roads. Of course there are things like wider shoulders for bike lanes or off road trails. Unfortunately, we are also cautioned about the costs of such things: Off-road paths: $2,000,000 per mile
Widening road shoulders: $500,000 per mile
Okay, then, we could get a short path to somewhere or a few blocks of widened shoulder and then next year we could turn it into a bike path. Oh, well.
My first thought was that there should be a transit lottery in which everyone with a permanent P.R. residence AND a car registered here would be entitled to enter the daily lottery for $1,000 worth of gasoline. That would connect it to transportation because, at least in theory, those 365 car owners could drive more than they might otherwise do. And people really seem to like lotteries. And even I might like a lottery if I didn't have to pay for a ticket and there was some reasonable chance of winning something. It seems to me as if it might easily be a 1 in 3 chances of winning $1,000 worth of gasoline in any given year. And, at a thousand dollars a day, we could use up all $370K during one year.
On the other hand, the powers might not think that was really improving roads and transportation.
But then, here's the real idea. What would improve transportation in Point Roberts? For people who are in Point Roberts and particularly those who live here? The answer to that, really, is simple: longer Nexus lane hours, both coming and going. Almost everyone who lives here has a Nexus card. So, just how many border guard salaries could we pay with our $370,000? I don't know, but surely including benefits, they don't get more than $100,000 each? (What do I know about salaries? Nothing. No one's paid me one in 15 years.) If so, that's almost four additional guards. Surely with three additional FTE salaries, both the Canadians and U.S. people could manage one extra shift for the Nexus lane each day. Opening it at 8 am, say, and keeping it open until 10 pm or later.
Somebody else can work out the money and staffing and all that. But surely there's nothing that would improve transportation in Point Roberts more than this. Take it away, Chairman Reber. The ball's in your court.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)