January 12, 1978 Shelton Mason County Journal | ![]() |
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January 12, 1978 |
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614 Z 6re.
iort, l-la ,
SHUCKS, PA'DNER, the Wild West ain't dead -- it's right here in li'l bitty
Matlock, where the sky is cloudy all day and paint-spattered and broken
steeds await the hour their lonesome buckaroos come home from
school . ..
citers.
lourrlal
C o u n ej
Thursday, January 12, 1978 Ninety.second Year - Number 2 4 Sections - 36 Pages 15 Cents Per Copy
ntract i awarded for
ew cit00y trafflc00,00li'gh't
T h e S he I t o n Ci t y dangerous, curb. She was told they were on meeting was Dick Swearingen
ton at its meeting Tile commission said wheels and could be wheeled
voted to award a someone from the public works out. She also asked about the
for its long-planned department would take a look at new water cut-off notice
traffic signal at Fourth and the placement of the container, provisions in the same letter
and illumination of ' Mrs. Leonard Flower which allow 30 days after the
Avenue from First to appeared at the commission time of billing to pay the bill.
Streets. meeting to ask several questions She said in some instances a
The commission, on the about a letter which was sent to person might be out of town and
-:ommendation of City city residents about the new not get the bill until too late.
Howard Godat, voted System. She was told the city would
award the contract to Totem She questioned whether or consider such cases on an
lectric, Tacoma, whose bid of not some people would be able individual basis.
102,150was the lowest off our to carry the cans out to the Also appearing at the
received on the project.
1 tting into operation. James Lowery, business employes. Employes in other
rues Tostevin asked if it agent for IWA Local 3-38, departments will get about $50 a
et to get a smaUer representing the sheriff's office month or a little more.
m in the alley behind his employes union, appeared at the Lowery told the commission
residence than the 300-gallon Mason C.ounty Commission that at the time the budget was
which has been placed there, meeting Monday to ask if the adopted, the commission had
was told that all alley commission had been able to stated they would see if they
[H'ck-ups were 300-gallon find any money to provide a could find some additional
ntainers, and that to place otle salary increase for employes of money to provide salary
"he 90-gallon containers there the sheriff's office, increases for sheriff's department
mean changing the lifting Commission Chairman John employes. '
,rms on the truck during Bariekman told Lowery the He also stated he had gone
which was notpractical, county did not have any over the sheriff's department
He also asked if tile additional money, budget and there was no place
which was placed next At the time the budget was where cuts could be made. He
, his fence could be moved to a adopted last month it was said the department was talking
it'erent location since it sat brought out that the sheriff's about not replacing patrol cars,
to a bank and it would be office was the only department which gets it into a safety
for children to crawl on which had been unable to find situation.
of it and he believed it was money in tile budget to provide Commissioner Tom Taylor
a salary increase for its commented that he understood
who stated he was still working
on his study of the cost of the
new system and needed some
additional information.
The commission asked that a
letter from the environmental
protection agency stating the
writer believed the city should
have negotiated with th
second.high bidder on the force
main for the new sewer
treatment plant rather than rebid
(Please turn to page two.)
The commission award of the.
),Ltract is subject to the M i fficial app I
U 'of state department Ofofficials. n on o ea s
Three persons appeared at f ry
he commission meeting with or sa a increases
about the new garbage
system which the city
there had been times in the past
when sheriff's department
employes had gotten raises when
other departments had not.
Deputy Bruce SeUeg, who
appeared at the meeting with
Lowery, told the commission
sheriff's office employes do not
do the same kind of work as
other county employes. They
work in emergency services
which, he said, are entirely
different, especially from the risk
factor involved. He stated there
is also a problem with overtime,
which is provided for in the
contract between the union and
the county.
There are 31 people in the
department, the commission was
told.
The Mason. County
)remission has voted to
minate the County Park and
Board and establish a
Park Department under
le control of the county
The commission action came
its meeting Monday, which
s the. date set after a previous
g, for consideration of the
:i( n.
The commission earlier this
wrote a letter to the
embers of the Park and
Board, Gary Plews,
Results. c,f county planning
office sur 00ey are reported
Last October a citizen
survey was mailed to all Mason
County residents and some
seasonal residents as well. The
survey was prepared by the
planning staff of the Mason
Regional Planning Council with
assistance from a technical
advisory committee representing
public and private organizations
which serve the community.
The survey was done as the
first step in preparing an updated
comprehensive plan for Mason
County. The purpose of the
survey was to find out how
county residents feel about their
county and how they would like
to see it grow and develop in the
future.
The results of the survey will
be one of the most important
tools in the development of goals
and policies for the
comprehensive plan which will
be developed in the next few
months, according to county
planners.
Taken as a whole, the results
of the questionnaire show a high
degree of interest on the part of
Mason County citizens in their
community and its future.
Generally, most residents desire
the rural lifestyle of Mason
County and would like to see
rural living maintained.
A strong desire is also
indicated to conserve the main
industrial base of the community
through the preservation of
prime timberlands and also those
areas which are sensitive to
developmental pleasures, such as
flood plains and areas of slide
hazards.
For new development in the
<ounty, the questionnaire
showed a desire to balance
growth and development and
maintain the natural environment
rather than give one or the other
preferential treatment. Mason
County resideq, also expressed a
desire to encourage new
industrial development clustered
in 'industrial settings, and
commercial developments in
shopping centers.
For residential development
it was felt that new families
should locate throughout the
Community rather than in
established communities, and
that new residential development
should avoid places of flood
hazard and landslide.
Availability of public services
at the time of new development
is considered necessary to
support it by most respondents
with an indication of needed
improvement for some existing
services, particularly police, fire,
roads and emergency services.
In total, 8,700 survey forms
were mailed out and 2,700 of
them returned. This 30 percent
return rate is considered very
high. This means, say the
planners, that it is a statistically
reliable survey and shows a great
interest on the part of county
residents in their community.
The survey was broken down
into parts. The first two parts
asked how county residents feel
about the county today and,
secondly, what they feel about
growth and development in the
county over the nexf Jew years.
The survey results showed
that most residents (50 percent)
feel that the rural lifestyle in
Mason County is its most
attractive feature.. Recreational
opportunities, cost of living and
closeness to family and friends
are also important to many.
About 19 percent of those who
answered the questionnaire feel
that all of the reasons stated
make living in Mason County
enjoyable.
When \\;asked how Mason
votes to set up park department
Irvin McArthur, Louise Ewart, the action, said Scott Ballentine Fiar Board Chairman Martin Commissioner Floyd Cole,
Auseth told the commission he
had polled the members of the
fair board and they agreed with
the position stated by Welch.
McArthur told the
commission Ballentine had
gotten more accomplished for
the park board in the month
since the first hearing than had
been accomplished for some
time. He stated the park board
had felt it wasn't getting the
action from the director that it
should have.
Who serves as the commission
representative to the park and
fair boards, stated he hated to
see the change happen the way it
did. He commented that it
appeared to be difficult to get a
quorum for park board meetings
and that there appeared to have
been s clash of personalities.
If something is not working,
Cole said, it is time to try
something different.
The commission action was
by a nanim°us vote.
J.W. Goodpaster and Nola
Parsons, informing them of the
action the commission intended
to take.
McArthur and Parsons, who
attended the commission meeting
Monday, said they had not yet
received the letter from the
commission but that other
members had.
The commission action also
calls for the establishment of a
park and recreation advisory
board.
The commissioners, in taking
would be retained as director of
the park department Under the
new arrangement.
Ralph Welsh, secretary of the
County Fair Board, who
attended the meeting Monday,
told the commission that since
the fair board shared Ballentine
with the park board in his dual
position as fair manager and park
and recreation director, he hoped
Ballentine would be retained.
He said he was satisfied with
the job Ballentine had done for
the fair board.
County was doing as a place to same while 14 percent feel that they also indicate that the
live, 36 percent responded by the county has become a worse county should be more active in
saying that they feel that living place to live in. managing growth and improving
conditions are improving in According to the survey, the present quality of life in the
Mason County. Another 26 Mason County residents generally county.
percent feel that living feel that living in Mason County For future growth and
conditions have remained the has become better. However, (Please turntopagetwo.)
Drug abuse education
subject of resolution
The Mason County Women's
Council's fervent attack on what
it calls "a serious drug abuse
problem" here has taken the
form of a resolution to the
Shelton School Board.
Sponsored by Mason County
citizen Dick Morgan, former
safety advisor and promoter of a
drug-information text the council
has resolved should become part
of a mandatory high school
course, the resolution reads as
follows:
"Whereas we the undersigned
recogn'ize that we have a serious
drug abuse problem in Mason
County anaong our citizens and
our school students; and further
that many citizens and school
students are not aware of the
dangers and serious consequences
of drug abuse, its destructive
effects to their health, mentality,
sanity and ability to become
future leaders or to reproduce
normal healthy children;
"We resolve that an effective
appropriate drug abuse education
program be initiated and carried
out in our Mason County schools
to inform students of this great
hazard to their futures, the
future of others and the future
of their children.
"We the undersigned ask you
to initiate and carry out a drug
abuse education program in our
public schools that presents facts
and evidence to alert students as
to the dangers and serious results
from drug abuse and the use of
marijuana that can result in
rendering their lives useless and a
dangerous burden to others."
The resolution is signed by,
among• others, Mayor James
Lowery, Chief of Police Frank
Rains, Mason County Sheriff
Dan McNair, Chamber of
Health insurance
comrnen÷ is given
"There is really no need for Carter's statement followed
National Health Insurance here."
That comment came in a
news release this week from
Laurel Nelson, administratox of
Mason General Hospital.
"Ninety-nine percent of th0
patients (in thelSheltn hospital)
are covered by s e: nemm Care
plan," he said in explanation of
his opinion.
President Jimmy Carter
announced in a nationally-tele-
vised interview December 28 that
National Health Insurance (NHI)
legislation will be introduced late
in the next Congressional session,
but offered no details, said
Nelson.
the release of a Health,
Education and Welfare report
showing that most Americans
favor development of a NHI
plan.
.Summarizing the 8,600
commentsprented during more
than 100 public hearings
conducted last October, HEW
stated that the majority of
opinion favors coverage of
catastrophic health bills for
everyone and comprehensive
coverage for low-inconhe groups
and persons not already covered
by Medicare, Medicaid and
private insurance.
Commerce President Charles
Adams and Arnold Livingston,
chairman of the Mason County
Labor Council.
The newly formed Women's
Council, comprising by definition
"all women residing in Mason
County, ' sponsored a
dru g-abuse-prevention program
earlier this month and Executive
Director Vicki Conley said the
program drew an estimated 150
people.
"And a lot of the people I
talked to admitted the things
they heard there were pretty
tough to swallow," she said.
"Frankly, I wasn't personally
aware how very dangerous hard
drugs really are."
Conley said Morgan had
written to the Governor about
his resolution and the
recommendation from that office
was to present it to the school
board. The Women's Council
heard it first, however, and
passed it unanimously during its
most recent meeting.
The school board's reception
was somewhat more cautious,
however, and members heard
• several citizens - physicians and
school officials among them
-- voice opinions that the
hard-drug situation in fact is not
so serious here now.
For more on that debate, see
related information in the school
board story in this issue.
In addition to passing the
resolution, the Women's Council
polled its drug,program audience
as to its interests in future
program subjects. Following are
the choices, in order of
preference:
Homosexuality, abortion,
pornography in Mason County,
the Panama Canal and
government-funded 24.hour
childcare developmental centers,
"Pro and con for each,"
added Conley.
ALL ROADS LEAD to Mud Bay? Nope, it only seems like it these days
in the Mason County hinterland, where nobody really believed there was a
drought, anyway...