January 13, 2022 Shelton Mason County Journal | ![]() |
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SINCE 1886 ,- VOL. 136,>N0. 2
MASON COUNTY, THURSDAY, IAN. 13, 2022
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5m m3 PAPERS
SHELTER? WA, 93584~384Y
County
digs Out
By Justin A
just/h@masoncounty. com
Torrential rain on top of signifi-
cant snowfall a week earlier led to
flooding and collapsed structures in
northern portions of Mason County
last week.
Rain gauges at Sanderson Field
in Shelton recorded 5.54 inches of
rain in a 48-hour period that ended
at 3:53 a.m. Friday.
On the Tahuya' Peninsula, the
swollen Tahuya River and other
streams and tributaries inundated
roads, land and homes. Northshore
Road was closed briefly. -
“North Mason experienced a sig-
nificant rainfall event Thursday
and Friday in which over 3 inches
of rain was dumped on the region,”
North Mason Regional Fire Au-
thority Chief Beau Bakken told the
Journal in a Monday email. “The
.flooding event was complicated by
the fact that it was’met with a very
high tide in the Hood Canal at 9
a.m. Friday morning which pushed
canal water up and over bulkheads
see FerODlNG‘, page A-28
The engorged Tahuya River passes under the Tahuya River. Bridge on
Northshore Road on Friday. More than
5.5 inches of rain fell on top of snow in parts of Mason County, c
ausing widespread flooding in some areas.
Photo courtesy of North Mason Regional Fire Authority. ' ' .
Commissioners deciarestate of emergency
By Matt Baide
mati‘@masonoounty. com
Mason County commissioners declared a state of
emergency due to the snowstorm and low tempera-
tures at an emergency meeting Jan. 5.
According to the declaration of emergency, desig-
nated departments are authorized to enter into con—
tracts and agreements to combat the emergency for
the health and safety of people and property and to
Gordon Weeks
gordon@masoncounty.com
he new mayor of Shelton said he
sees his role as being “the face of
the city.” ' '
At the Jan. 4 Sheltor‘i City Council
meeting, Eric Onisko was elected to be
the new mayor by a 5-2 vote, with Joe
Schmit receiving. two votes. Onisko and '
Schmit were among the four council,
members sworn in for four-year terms
earlier that evening.
This is the second term for the . .
54-year-old Onisko, who owns the Hill-
crest Shell and the Bayshore Texaco.
"‘I think we work well together, and we
have nowhere to go but up,” Onisko said
of the seven—person council in an inter-
view with the Journal.
Homelessness and the lack of housing
worked.
stores.
invest in Shelton if their employees have
to commute 50 miles to work, he said.
Qnisko was born in Pasadena, Califor-
nia, and grew up in Southern California.
When he was 10 years old in 1977, he
moved to Timber Lakes in Mason Coun-
ty, where his grandmother lived.
Onisko attended Pioneer Schools,
Oakland Bay Junior High School, and
graduated in 1986 from Shelton High
School. His family owned and operated
a TV and appliance store; where Onisko
Onosko worked for 10 years in hotel
management, and then managed a con-
venience store. He'purchased his first ,
stere in 2009 in Mason County, which he
‘ sold. He then purchased his current two
Onisko ran unsuccessfully in 2018 for
what was then the three-member Shelton
provide emergency assistance‘to the victims. It al-
lows the departments to meet the demands without
procedures or formalities prescribed by law. It lasts
until Jan. 19.
Commissioner Kevin Shutty thanked Hoodsport
Fire and EMS Chief Michael Sexton for getting in
touch ,with the county and informing the county of
problems in the Lake Cushman area.
“(1) definitely appreciate the position that he and
his responders are in and really hopeful that we can
are the biggest challenges facing the city,
Onisko said. Businesses won’t want to
00111 2- Pfiquwz
City locks to make
. road crossings safer
see MAYOR, page A-2
INSIDE TODAY
LegislatiVe session
opens in Olympia
Coverage starts on Page Ami 5
Eric Onisko, the 54-year-old owner of the Hillcrest Shelia
shore Texaco, is the new mayor of Shelton:
Journal photo by Gordon Weeks . . ‘ _.
help out in a meaningful way,” Shutty said. “Thanks
to everybody from our road crews to the ,PUDs and
all of our first responders 'for really digging in and
trying to dig out and get people back up and running
with power countywide but in particular, up the 101
corridor between Hobdsport and the county line. ,It’s
been a tough-week and I know people are running
on limited sleep and resources and just whatever we
see EMERGENCY, page A—9
NewShelton mayor ‘the face of the city’ V
nd ‘Bay- ‘
Port of Dewatto
sets 2022 budget
Page A37
LO'F‘WC 005