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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
January 12, 2012     Shelton Mason County Journal
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January 12, 2012
 
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Thursday, January 12, 2012 -- Week 2 -- The Voiceof Mason County since 1886 -- Published in Shelton, Washington -- $1 Local school districts still brace for cuts By ARLA SHEPHARD Local superintendents are cautiously optimistic about the landmark state Supreme Court ruling that asserts that the state legislature has not done Lawmakers are facing a pro- released Thursday, Jan. 5, jus- field. enough to fund basic educa- jected budget deficit ofab0ut $1 tices ruled with a 7-2 majority "It turned out exactly as we tion -- however, many are not billion through June 2013, and that the state has consistently thought it would, so that was convinced that cuts are off the Governor Chris Gregoire's No- failed in its constitutional duty good news for Washington table, vember proposed supplemental to "amply provide for the edu- kids and schools," said Tom "I hope it gets better in the budget called for $507.5 million cation of all children within its Churchill, superintendent for long run, but ! don't think it in cuts to education, including borders" by providing school the Hood Canal School District. will in the short-term," said reducing the K-12 school year districts with "a level of re- "But what will that mean for Wayne Massie, superintendent and eliminating grants that sources that falls short of the the Department of Corrections for the Shelton School District. support programs like Readi- actual costs of the basic educa- or the Department of Social "With the amount of the deft- ness to Learn and the Wash- tion program." and Health Services?" cit ... they're going to have to ington Reading Corps. The ruling came as no sur- make some tough decisions." In the Supreme Court ruling prise to many in the education See Education on page A-5 Wayne Massey + i: i¸I¸ iii!i!!iiiii i! ii iiiiiiiiii:iii!i!ii i !ii eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee For many years that canoe culture was lost. but this sum- mer, as they have in previous years, the Squaxin Island Tribe plans to host a gathering of epic proportions - the 2012 Paddle to Squaxin Salish Sea Canoe Journey, starting July 29 and ending Aug. 5. The canoe journey will bring 63 groups with more than 100 canoes to Kamilche, where the Squaxin Tribe has cleared 30 acres for the event. The tribe expects between 10,000 and 12,000 people to a~- tend the event which includes ceremonies and celebrations open to the public, including presentations known as "pro- tocols" that contain dancing, drumming, singing and story- telling. Each year, a different coast- al Washington tribe hosts the event. Participants in the event of- ten begin their journey as far away as Vancouver, B.C., and paddle, or pull, the whole way down to the host tribe's home- land, taking as many as two or three weeks. This year, the Squaxin Tribe will welcome ca- noers into the Port of Olympm. From there participants will travel by shuttle to Kamilche, where the week-long festival will kick off. Beginning in 1989 with the Paddle to Seattle, canoe culture began to come back to West- ern Washington, said Squaxin Island Tribe Cultural Pres- ervation Specialist Jeremiah George. The Squaxin Tribe hosted two smaller canoe gath- erings, one in 1994 and another in 1996, before acqmring their 81111!!!1!!11!!1J1!!11112 get along with other tribes as well as their own," he said. "I've already seen it in the younger people." Aleta Poste, tribal journey assistant coordinator, started pulling when she was 11. "It's such a rewarding expe- rience for anyone who's been a part of it," she said. "It really changed the way my life turned "When I saw the massiveness of the event, I was overwhelmed." Courtesy pi~otos Last year, many coastal Washington tribes, with more than 100 canoes, participated in an annual canoe journey. This photo shows canoe journey participants during the 2002 canoe journey at La out ... it's a way for young Push. adults and teenagers to find an identity." own canoe in 2000. she agreed to take on the job of Jolene Grover, another trib- While some modern canoes tribal canoe journey coordina- al journey assistant coordina- are made of fiberglass, the most tor despite knowing little about tor, said canoe journeys are a traditional canoes are dugout canoe journeys, way to find inner strength and from a single cedar log, George Meisner did some research connect to one's roots. said. and was awed by what she "Sometimes the water can This summer's event will be found, get rough ... you can be so the first major canoe journey "When I saw the massive- tired," she said. "We pull for hosted by the Squaxin Island ness of the event, I was over- our ancestors. Your mental be- Tribe on its own land, Krise whelmed and thought, 'Oh my ing takes over your physical be- said gosh -- what have I done?'" she ing." Bringing back the canoe cul- said. The Potlatch, or gift-giving ture is about more than travel- Meisner participated in the ceremony, is also a huge part ing from place to place, Squax- annual canoe journey last year of the canoe journey. Members in Tribal members said. and pulled for three days.of the Squaxin Tribe and vol- "It's helped renew our lan- Now she's hooked, unteers have been working to guage and the traditional songs "It ~s an amazing feeling," create traditional gifts such as and the traditional teachings," she said. cedar hats to give to visiting Krise said. Tribal Council Chair Davidmembers of other tribes. Debbie Meisner came to Ma-Lopeman said the journeys are Organizers of the canoejour- son County last year when her a great way to bring different ney stress that the event is husband, tribal administrator tribes together to learn about drug and alcohol-free. Don Whitener, got a tempo-one another. "It's been a really great way rary job with the Squaxin Is- "It teaches them how to be land Tribe. A few months later, with other people and how to See Journey on page A-5 MTA board approves land acquisition By NATALIE JOHNSON The Mason County Transportation Author- ity (MTA) board approved a $156,000 land acquisition in downtown Shelton dur- ing its meeting Tuesday evening. The authorization also in- cludes an expenditure of up to $10,000 for environmen- tal testing of the land. The sale is contingent on a good report from that testing. "I think this is a good op- portunity," said MTA board chair Lynda Ring Erickson. The land is in two parcels on Railroad Avenue near the intersection with Fifth Street. It includes 536 and 530 West Railroad. "Having frontage on railroad is very beneficial," MTA General Manager Brad Patterson said. MTA Attorney Robert Johnson said the land is strategically located direct- ly behind the MTA's Transit Community Center, which will undergo renovations in 2012. The original asking price for the two parcels was $159,000, and MTA staff negotiated the price down to $156,000. The assessed val- ue of the property is closer to $270,000, Johnson said. "The price of the property is pretty reasonable," John- son said. However, the low price comes with a caveat - the owner will give no disclo- sure of any environmental issues on the property. MTA has 60 days from the negotiation, about 40 days from Tuesday's meeting, to investigate the property for any environmental issues. Johnson presented the MTA board with a proposal from J.W. Morrissette & As- sociates out of Olympia to do a Level 1 environmental as- sessment report to see if the site itself, or any locations within one mile, have any record of dumping hazard- ous waste. The Level 1 as- sessment would cost $3,000 to $5,000. Patterson advised the board not to do the Level 1 test, because it would not tell the MTA about the ac- tual soil conditions. He also advised the board to accept the purchase. "There was no record of dumping or cleaning up on the two parcels," Patterson said. Longtime resident and board member Steve Bloom- field concurred. "As far as major con- tamination, I don't think that will be a problem," he said. Johnson suggested a more extensive testing of See Purchase on page A-5