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- " Be00lik s birding trip
Hood Canal West.
,00rinter's back at Cushman to head along canal
IY ORMA JANE CAMERON to be prepared and served by the Hood Canal Fire a District 18 training
i Last Friday evening, winter members of the newly forming Friday, January 22 4:30 p.m., PUD 1 Commission,
ame back to areas of the Lake
,ushman development.
:i; A blizzard covered the yellow
ne on State Route 119, Lake
saOushman Road. I had to travel
al. is route to my home, and it was
;h e llow going to get back home safe-
around Dew Mountain.
-. .... There have been slush and
ow flurries the past few days,
reminding us that winter remains
tvith us.
: IN THE HOOD Canal West
00ea:
::' * The Hood Canal Community
:h 1
.V ub will meet at noon today for
its monthly potluck luncheon in
e clubhouse in Potlatch. Natsue
ansen is bringing her daugh-
er's Japanese doll display and
dll explain the significance of Ja-
anese dolls in a girl's life.
All men and women in the
Dmmunity are invited to attend
hese meetings, which take place
he third Thursday of each month
the Potlatch clubhouse.
" A Kiwanis Builders Club
1, oup is being formed at Hood
: anal School. The students have
tl vited the local Hood Canal Ki-
ng anis Club to lunch at noon to-
6 iay. a
The luncheon will take place in
;he home economics room at the
n lchool, where a special dessert is
6"
d
investments help out:
'11 '------
club. Kiwanis District 38's lieu-
tenant governor Sam Edgin will
be guest speaker for the special
program.
• A COMMUNITY potluck is
scheduled after the Hood Canal
Community Church 11 a.m. serv-
ice Sunday, January 31, in the
church fellowship hall. Interested
members of the community are
invited.
• The Skokomish Indian As-
sembly of God will host a concert
at 6 p.m. on Sunday, January 31,
at the church on Highway 101.
The concert will feature the group
"New Beginnings Trio."
All members of the community
are welcome.
• Hoodsport Timberland Li-
brary has added three additional
hours to the time it is open to pa-
trons. The library will be open
9 a.m., Hoodsport Take Off
Pounds Sensibly (TOPS) group,
Hood Canal Community Hall.
7:30 p.m., Alcoholics Anony-
mous, meeting room, Hoodsport
Library.
Tuesday, January 26
10 a.m., Lake Cushman Fire
from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays ......
Wednesdays and Saturdays. ....
Thursday hours from 1 to 8
p.m. will remain the same.
Thursday, January 21
Noon, Hood Canal Kiwanis
Club, Hood Canal School Home
Economics Room.
Noon, Hood Canal Community
Club potluck and meeting, club-
house in Potlatch.
7 p.m., Hood Canal Lions Club,
: ..... •
Potlatch office building.
Wednesday, January 27
7 p.m., Hoodsport firemen,
Hoodsport Fire Hall.
Thursday, January 28
Noon, Hood Canal Kiwanis
Club, Tidewater Restaurant,
Highway 101.
(i
HOOD CANAL KIWANIS added candy and gifts to the
Hood Canal Food Bank giveaways before Christmas.
Joining food bank co.director Marlene Boutwell
(center) are Eileen Bambans and Chuck Winne, com-
munity services chairman for the canal club.
Freasurer Dore:ne Rae
says county's in black
taxing districts, not just the
county. The percentage of 1998
taxes collected was "better than
it's ever been," she said quoting a
95.6 percentage rate.
THE PERCENTAGE of delin-
quent taxes collected was also the
best, she continued. The treasur-
er's office sent out two notices of
delinquency, one in July and
one in December, Rae reported,
"so that brought the collection
up." Commissioner John
Bolender commended Rae's of-
With just over a million dol-
ars in Mason County's current
xpense fund ending balance for
.998, Mason County Treasurer
)orene Rae says the economic
}utlook for county operations is
'pretty good."
Rae presented the 1998 year-
end report to the county commis-
,oners at Tuesday's board meet-
ing.
[ The treasurer, citing collec-
tion figures for taxes, cautioned
[the COmmission by noting that
tax funds collected are for all
Moriah center site
for county prayers
tercede for Shelton and the vi-
cinity," said Rita LeBresh, as-
sociate pastor at Moriah
Christian Center. Meetings,
she added, will rotate through
various churches in the com-
munity each month through-
out the year.
A prayer meeting for Mason
County is scheduled for noon
to 1 p.m. February 4 at Moriah
Christian Center at 910 East
Dearborn in Shelton.
"B "
ehevers are invited to
gather together monthly to in-
Retiree Gedde is
honored by ELCA
The Reverend Palmer L. that have helped many people
rice for its "aggressive efforts to
remind people of their obliga-
tions."
The total dollar amount col-
lected for all funds last year was
$36,764,108 and the total amount
for delinquent years was
$1,539,907, she stated.
The current expense fund cash
balance on December 31 was
$1,279,600 with bills still to be
paid amounting to about $216,000.
Rae said she was pleased to see
the ending fund balance of
$1,081,600. "We worked hard on
that one," she commented.
"I also did pretty good," was
Rae's assessment of the treasur-
er's daily cash investment earn-
ings for 1998. She reported
$861,780 in earnings and attrib-
uted part of the success to invest-
ing "every penny we had."
Bolender pointed out that the
treasurer also had more cash to
invest on a month-to-month ba-
sis than in previous years.
RAE REPORTED receiving
$27,452 in fees for doing invest-
Gedde of Shelton was named
this month as one of three re-
cipients of Luther Seminary's
Faithfulness in Ministry Cross
for exemplary service to .tha
church in the Evangehc
Lutheran Church in America.
Pastor Gedde received rec-
ognition for his unique contri-
butions to urban and suburban
ministry prior to his retire-
ment "He h
' as accomplished
much in his 34 years of pastor-
tlservice.," a spokesperson for
" seminary said. "Gedde's
proactive approach to church
and community leadership led
to the formation of ministries
and communities in Washing-
ton and parts of Oregon."
His ministries, mostly in
the Tri-Cities area, provided
services such as community-
wide counseling and chaplain-
cy services to the community
in Tri-Cities Chaplaincy; low-
income and subsidized housing
for the elderly at Lutheran
Senior Center; weekly tele-
vision church services involved
with "Good News Media Minis-
try" and financial gifts to
neighboring churches and
community initiatives with
Richland Lutheran Church
Foundation.
Grocery, Lake Cushman Resort Store
will be open daily 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
for the convenience of the residents on "the hill."
COMING SOON: VIDEOS
(By February 1, 1999)
The Store will remain in operation off-season as long as business warrants.
FOREy:IONS, CALL 877-9630
ments for other districts. Interest
and penalty on delinquent taxes
generated $583,767.
Other points of interest identi-
fied by Rae in the report included
the treasurer's collection fee on
excise tax, 1 percent of the selling
price of properties in the county,
was $26,503. "This represents
$2,650,349.63 in excise tax paid
on sales of property," she report-
ed. "The city and county both col-
lected .25 percent." The county
Dr. Andrew Be61ik, a local
member of the Black Hills Audu-
bon Society, will lead his annual
birding trip along Hood Canal on
two Saturdays, February 13 and
February 27.
A few seats remain on the first
tour and Dr. Be61ik is now taking
reservations for the second as
well. Tours are on a wheelchair-
accessible Mason County Transit
bus. They begin at 8:30 a.m. and
return in the late afternoon.
"Now is the perfect time to go
birdwatching on Hood Canal,"
Be61ik notes, "because the duck
wars have ended. The hunters
fired their last shots a few days
ago, and peace and quiet have re-
turned to the sloughs and marsh-
es.
"DUCKS, GEESE and other
waterfowl are beginning to relax
and allow humans once again to
approach them close enough for
observation," he added.
Most of the birds the tour will
focus on are winter visitors, Bed-
lik noted. "By spring they will be
heading north, or into the moun-
tains, to nest and raise their
young," he said. "In summer our
inland waters are quite deserted,
visited only by gulls, cormorants
and pigeon guillemots.
"In the next few weeks, the pic-
ture is very different," he en-
thused. On a day along the salt-
water shores, his tour partici-
pants might expect to see 15 or
more species of ducks, many in
breeding plumage; four to five
kinds of grebes; up to three kinds
of loons, usually still dressed for
winter; alcids, smaller diving
birds; geese, particularly brant;
and tundra or trumpeter swans.
Regular field trips are part of
the Audubon Society program,
and Be61ik's are among the most
popular of the Black Hills group's
offerings. Black Hills Audubon
Society incorporates Thurston,
Mason and Lewis counties.
THE TOURS on the two Feb-
ruary Saturdays will stop at es-
tuaries along Highway 101 and
State Route 106, affording view-
ers easy access to waterfowl, the
raptors that feed on them, and
upland birds that feed near the
shore. Optional walking, all on
the level, won't exceed two miles,
Be61ik added.
The bus will first load both
mornings at Arcadia Chevron on
Olympic Highway South and will
depart at 8:30 a.m. for Twanoh
State Park, where latecomers and
canal residents can join the tour.
It will leave Twanoh at 9:20 a.m.
Cars may be left for the day at
either location, Be61ik noted.
Stops are planned for the
mouths of Lilliwaup Creek and
Hamma Hamma and Duckabush
rivers and by special permission
from Tacoma City Light and the
Skokomish Tribe in the delta of
the Skokomish River.
The bus will return to Twanoh
.and then to Shelton between 3
and 4 p.m.
RESERVATIONS are re-
quired for the popular trip, Bedlik
said. They can be made by con-
tacting him at 426-6262. Sign-ups
will be on a first-come, first-
served basis. He is requesting
that those who have signed up, if
they must cancel, contact him,
even if it's as late as the morning
of the trip. There is usually a
waiting list of participants who
would be ready to use any avail-
able seat, he explained.
"Bring a lunch," Dr. Be61ik ad-
vised, "which you can eat in tran-
sit while arguing over birds."
Participants, he said, should
dress for rainy weather and mud-
dy trails, and bring binoculars.
Telescopes are particularly use-
ful, he added.
There is no charge for the trip,
but free-will offerings that help
defray the costs of the event will
be welcome.
Hearings board flags county
EIS and urban growth plans
By MARY DUNCAN
Once again Mason County's
latest revision of its comprehen-
sive plan has failed to pass
muster with the Western Wash-
ington Growth Management
Hearings Board.
In an order issued January 14,
the board continued its previous
findings of noncompliance on
the part of the county with the
state Growth Management Act
for the Belfair Urban Growth
Area (UGA) and the The Final
Supplemental Environmental
Impact Statement. Both sections
have been remanded to the coun-
ty for further revision.
The hearings board also con-
tinued its finding of invalidity
regarding population densities
and clustering in rural areas
and rural activity centers
(RAC). "The ordinance contin-
ues to allow non-rural densities
in rural areas," the order states.
A NEW FINDING of invalid-
ity was issued in the order. "We
find that the range and types of
permitted uses in the rural areas
and the RACs substantially in-
terfere with Goal 1 (encourage
development in urban areas
where adequate public facilities
and services exist or can be pro-
vided in an efficient manner),
Goal 2 (reduce sprawl) and Goal
8 (natural resource industries) of
the act," the hearings board
wrote.
"The matrix of permitted uses
within rural lands, RACs and
rural community centers goes
far beyond resource-based in-
dustries," the board wrote.
capital improvement fund re- The size for such businesses
ceived $393,788 from this source, was contested by the petitioners,
January $peaal$
3 FREE TANS
With any color or perml
Cheryl Borden,
PEACOCK
TANNINO
8YSTF
Jackie Burfiend, Marilyn Harris,
stylist Owner, stylist Receptionist
Now open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday.
Evenings by appointment.
A full-service salon serving allyour professional
hair needs for men, women and children.
Warren Dawes with the Mason
County Community Develop-
ment Council and John Diehl, a
Harstine Island resident. The
board agreed with their argu-
ments. The order states, "We
have a firm and definite convic-
tion that the county has erred
when it defines businesses with
as many as 50 employees as
'small scale.' The act calls for
adoption of measures to mini-
mize and contain more inten-
sive rural development."
Because the Belfair Urban
Growth Area is not yet in com-
pliance with the growth act, the
hearings board identified the
following pertinent sections of
the comprehensive place and de-
velopment regulations which the
county should address: a capital
facilities plan for public sewage
system; projected population
characterized by urban density;
and inclusion of the Union River
Valley in the UGA, which the
board questioned.
The petitioners challenged
compliance with the open space
and recreation provisions of the
act. However, maps providing
details for such spaces were not
received by the hearings board
from the county until December
15. Those maps will be consid-
ered at the next compliance hear-
ing, the board ruled, since all
parties have not had the opportu-
nity to review the map and 14
other ones the county submitted
as exhibits to the October 21 hear-
ing.
FOR THE FINDINGS of con-
tinued invalidity related to rural
lands, the county must revisit the
boundaries set for RACs in Al-
lyn, Hoodsport, Union and
Taylor Towne; must delineate
rural maximum residential
densities since the county plan
allows a density of four dwelling
units per acre in RACs and one
dwelling unit per acre in rural
areas; and must cap clustering
in the rural areas to preclude sets
of clusters of such magnitude
that they demand urban services,
the board ruled.
The hearings board congratu-
lated the county for its progress
on efforts to bring the plan and
development regulations into
compliance.
"The county has revisited its
population projection. The dis-
pute regarding the Shelton UGA
has been withdrawn. The county
has improved some performance
standards, reduced its market
factor for UGAs from 50 to 25 per-
cent and abandoned the working
rural area and resource conser-
vation master plan concepts," the
board stated in the order.
While both Dawes and Diehl
expressed satisfaction with the
board's rulings supporting their
challenges, both were also dis-
mayed that this process is drag-
ging on.
ul CAN'T BE too jubilant
though," Diehl told The Journal
on Tuesday. "This case should
have been resolved. Under the
influence of developers, builders
and land-speculators, the com-
missioners have dragged their
feet and taken a series of half
measures."
An earlier ruling by the hear-
ings board found sections of the
comprehensive plan and devel-
opment were not compliant with
the law. "The county had an obli-
gation to make repairs to what
was inadequate," Diehl ex-
plained. Essentially the hear-
ings board agreed with the peti-
tioners' arguments that adjust-
ments which the county had
made were still not compliant
and this latest ruling is the re-
suit, he added.
In a statement prepared for the
community development coun-
cil, Dawes wrote, "The county's
plan allows sprawling growth
that uses up our natural resourc-
es. Growth, controlled or uncon-
trolled, inevitably costs more for
services - roads, police and fire
protection, stormwater, and all
the other necessities we require.
"UNCONTROLLED growth
costs much more because of the
greater distances involved to
provide those services. The
county's plan does not identify
how these services will be pro-
vided for or paid for. Of course,
we know that it's our taxes, but
the county is asking us to sign a
blank check," Dawes' statement
concludes.
The county has 180 days to re-
spond to the findings. The effect
of findings of invalidity is a
moratorium on small-lot subdi-
visions and new commercial de-
velopment, according to Dawes
and Diehl.
PLEASE VOTE .... ON FEBRUARY 2
"aL._/ Today's Students -- Tomorrow's Hope
YES -- For Academics = Basic Education in Reading, Writing and Math
YES -- For New Text Books and Library Books
¢YES -- For Needed Student Supplies and Materials
For Maintenance
[YES -- For Custodial
-- For Unfunded Transportation Costs
-- For Academic and Athletic Extracurricular Student Activities
[YES
YES
HOOD
(;ANAL
ALL THIS FOR ONLY ] DOES Grapcvicw $0.71
79 ¢ PER *1,000.00 [THIS Mary M. Knight $1.69
Pioneer $1.27
C Southsidc $2.22
OF ASSESSED VALUE OMPARE? Shelton $3.25
Please remember: This is a replacement levsj, not a new tax.
YOUR "YES" EDUCATES STUDENTS!
Paid for by Hood Canal School Levy Support Committee * 502 N. Dow Mtn. Dr., Hoodsport, WA 98548. I
Thursday, January 21, 1999 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Page 17
- " Be00lik s birding trip
Hood Canal West.
,00rinter's back at Cushman to head along canal
IY ORMA JANE CAMERON to be prepared and served by the Hood Canal Fire a District 18 training
i Last Friday evening, winter members of the newly forming Friday, January 22 4:30 p.m., PUD 1 Commission,
ame back to areas of the Lake
,ushman development.
:i; A blizzard covered the yellow
ne on State Route 119, Lake
saOushman Road. I had to travel
al. is route to my home, and it was
;h e llow going to get back home safe-
around Dew Mountain.
-. .... There have been slush and
ow flurries the past few days,
reminding us that winter remains
tvith us.
: IN THE HOOD Canal West
00ea:
::' * The Hood Canal Community
:h 1
.V ub will meet at noon today for
its monthly potluck luncheon in
e clubhouse in Potlatch. Natsue
ansen is bringing her daugh-
er's Japanese doll display and
dll explain the significance of Ja-
anese dolls in a girl's life.
All men and women in the
Dmmunity are invited to attend
hese meetings, which take place
he third Thursday of each month
the Potlatch clubhouse.
" A Kiwanis Builders Club
1, oup is being formed at Hood
: anal School. The students have
tl vited the local Hood Canal Ki-
ng anis Club to lunch at noon to-
6 iay. a
The luncheon will take place in
;he home economics room at the
n lchool, where a special dessert is
6"
d
investments help out:
'11 '------
club. Kiwanis District 38's lieu-
tenant governor Sam Edgin will
be guest speaker for the special
program.
• A COMMUNITY potluck is
scheduled after the Hood Canal
Community Church 11 a.m. serv-
ice Sunday, January 31, in the
church fellowship hall. Interested
members of the community are
invited.
• The Skokomish Indian As-
sembly of God will host a concert
at 6 p.m. on Sunday, January 31,
at the church on Highway 101.
The concert will feature the group
"New Beginnings Trio."
All members of the community
are welcome.
• Hoodsport Timberland Li-
brary has added three additional
hours to the time it is open to pa-
trons. The library will be open
9 a.m., Hoodsport Take Off
Pounds Sensibly (TOPS) group,
Hood Canal Community Hall.
7:30 p.m., Alcoholics Anony-
mous, meeting room, Hoodsport
Library.
Tuesday, January 26
10 a.m., Lake Cushman Fire
from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays ......
Wednesdays and Saturdays. ....
Thursday hours from 1 to 8
p.m. will remain the same.
Thursday, January 21
Noon, Hood Canal Kiwanis
Club, Hood Canal School Home
Economics Room.
Noon, Hood Canal Community
Club potluck and meeting, club-
house in Potlatch.
7 p.m., Hood Canal Lions Club,
: ..... •
Potlatch office building.
Wednesday, January 27
7 p.m., Hoodsport firemen,
Hoodsport Fire Hall.
Thursday, January 28
Noon, Hood Canal Kiwanis
Club, Tidewater Restaurant,
Highway 101.
(i
HOOD CANAL KIWANIS added candy and gifts to the
Hood Canal Food Bank giveaways before Christmas.
Joining food bank co.director Marlene Boutwell
(center) are Eileen Bambans and Chuck Winne, com-
munity services chairman for the canal club.
Freasurer Dore:ne Rae
says county's in black
taxing districts, not just the
county. The percentage of 1998
taxes collected was "better than
it's ever been," she said quoting a
95.6 percentage rate.
THE PERCENTAGE of delin-
quent taxes collected was also the
best, she continued. The treasur-
er's office sent out two notices of
delinquency, one in July and
one in December, Rae reported,
"so that brought the collection
up." Commissioner John
Bolender commended Rae's of-
With just over a million dol-
ars in Mason County's current
xpense fund ending balance for
.998, Mason County Treasurer
)orene Rae says the economic
}utlook for county operations is
'pretty good."
Rae presented the 1998 year-
end report to the county commis-
,oners at Tuesday's board meet-
ing.
[ The treasurer, citing collec-
tion figures for taxes, cautioned
[the COmmission by noting that
tax funds collected are for all
Moriah center site
for county prayers
tercede for Shelton and the vi-
cinity," said Rita LeBresh, as-
sociate pastor at Moriah
Christian Center. Meetings,
she added, will rotate through
various churches in the com-
munity each month through-
out the year.
A prayer meeting for Mason
County is scheduled for noon
to 1 p.m. February 4 at Moriah
Christian Center at 910 East
Dearborn in Shelton.
"B "
ehevers are invited to
gather together monthly to in-
Retiree Gedde is
honored by ELCA
The Reverend Palmer L. that have helped many people
rice for its "aggressive efforts to
remind people of their obliga-
tions."
The total dollar amount col-
lected for all funds last year was
$36,764,108 and the total amount
for delinquent years was
$1,539,907, she stated.
The current expense fund cash
balance on December 31 was
$1,279,600 with bills still to be
paid amounting to about $216,000.
Rae said she was pleased to see
the ending fund balance of
$1,081,600. "We worked hard on
that one," she commented.
"I also did pretty good," was
Rae's assessment of the treasur-
er's daily cash investment earn-
ings for 1998. She reported
$861,780 in earnings and attrib-
uted part of the success to invest-
ing "every penny we had."
Bolender pointed out that the
treasurer also had more cash to
invest on a month-to-month ba-
sis than in previous years.
RAE REPORTED receiving
$27,452 in fees for doing invest-
Gedde of Shelton was named
this month as one of three re-
cipients of Luther Seminary's
Faithfulness in Ministry Cross
for exemplary service to .tha
church in the Evangehc
Lutheran Church in America.
Pastor Gedde received rec-
ognition for his unique contri-
butions to urban and suburban
ministry prior to his retire-
ment "He h
' as accomplished
much in his 34 years of pastor-
tlservice.," a spokesperson for
" seminary said. "Gedde's
proactive approach to church
and community leadership led
to the formation of ministries
and communities in Washing-
ton and parts of Oregon."
His ministries, mostly in
the Tri-Cities area, provided
services such as community-
wide counseling and chaplain-
cy services to the community
in Tri-Cities Chaplaincy; low-
income and subsidized housing
for the elderly at Lutheran
Senior Center; weekly tele-
vision church services involved
with "Good News Media Minis-
try" and financial gifts to
neighboring churches and
community initiatives with
Richland Lutheran Church
Foundation.
Grocery, Lake Cushman Resort Store
will be open daily 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
for the convenience of the residents on "the hill."
COMING SOON: VIDEOS
(By February 1, 1999)
The Store will remain in operation off-season as long as business warrants.
FOREy:IONS, CALL 877-9630
ments for other districts. Interest
and penalty on delinquent taxes
generated $583,767.
Other points of interest identi-
fied by Rae in the report included
the treasurer's collection fee on
excise tax, 1 percent of the selling
price of properties in the county,
was $26,503. "This represents
$2,650,349.63 in excise tax paid
on sales of property," she report-
ed. "The city and county both col-
lected .25 percent." The county
Dr. Andrew Be61ik, a local
member of the Black Hills Audu-
bon Society, will lead his annual
birding trip along Hood Canal on
two Saturdays, February 13 and
February 27.
A few seats remain on the first
tour and Dr. Be61ik is now taking
reservations for the second as
well. Tours are on a wheelchair-
accessible Mason County Transit
bus. They begin at 8:30 a.m. and
return in the late afternoon.
"Now is the perfect time to go
birdwatching on Hood Canal,"
Be61ik notes, "because the duck
wars have ended. The hunters
fired their last shots a few days
ago, and peace and quiet have re-
turned to the sloughs and marsh-
es.
"DUCKS, GEESE and other
waterfowl are beginning to relax
and allow humans once again to
approach them close enough for
observation," he added.
Most of the birds the tour will
focus on are winter visitors, Bed-
lik noted. "By spring they will be
heading north, or into the moun-
tains, to nest and raise their
young," he said. "In summer our
inland waters are quite deserted,
visited only by gulls, cormorants
and pigeon guillemots.
"In the next few weeks, the pic-
ture is very different," he en-
thused. On a day along the salt-
water shores, his tour partici-
pants might expect to see 15 or
more species of ducks, many in
breeding plumage; four to five
kinds of grebes; up to three kinds
of loons, usually still dressed for
winter; alcids, smaller diving
birds; geese, particularly brant;
and tundra or trumpeter swans.
Regular field trips are part of
the Audubon Society program,
and Be61ik's are among the most
popular of the Black Hills group's
offerings. Black Hills Audubon
Society incorporates Thurston,
Mason and Lewis counties.
THE TOURS on the two Feb-
ruary Saturdays will stop at es-
tuaries along Highway 101 and
State Route 106, affording view-
ers easy access to waterfowl, the
raptors that feed on them, and
upland birds that feed near the
shore. Optional walking, all on
the level, won't exceed two miles,
Be61ik added.
The bus will first load both
mornings at Arcadia Chevron on
Olympic Highway South and will
depart at 8:30 a.m. for Twanoh
State Park, where latecomers and
canal residents can join the tour.
It will leave Twanoh at 9:20 a.m.
Cars may be left for the day at
either location, Be61ik noted.
Stops are planned for the
mouths of Lilliwaup Creek and
Hamma Hamma and Duckabush
rivers and by special permission
from Tacoma City Light and the
Skokomish Tribe in the delta of
the Skokomish River.
The bus will return to Twanoh
.and then to Shelton between 3
and 4 p.m.
RESERVATIONS are re-
quired for the popular trip, Bedlik
said. They can be made by con-
tacting him at 426-6262. Sign-ups
will be on a first-come, first-
served basis. He is requesting
that those who have signed up, if
they must cancel, contact him,
even if it's as late as the morning
of the trip. There is usually a
waiting list of participants who
would be ready to use any avail-
able seat, he explained.
"Bring a lunch," Dr. Be61ik ad-
vised, "which you can eat in tran-
sit while arguing over birds."
Participants, he said, should
dress for rainy weather and mud-
dy trails, and bring binoculars.
Telescopes are particularly use-
ful, he added.
There is no charge for the trip,
but free-will offerings that help
defray the costs of the event will
be welcome.
Hearings board flags county
EIS and urban growth plans
By MARY DUNCAN
Once again Mason County's
latest revision of its comprehen-
sive plan has failed to pass
muster with the Western Wash-
ington Growth Management
Hearings Board.
In an order issued January 14,
the board continued its previous
findings of noncompliance on
the part of the county with the
state Growth Management Act
for the Belfair Urban Growth
Area (UGA) and the The Final
Supplemental Environmental
Impact Statement. Both sections
have been remanded to the coun-
ty for further revision.
The hearings board also con-
tinued its finding of invalidity
regarding population densities
and clustering in rural areas
and rural activity centers
(RAC). "The ordinance contin-
ues to allow non-rural densities
in rural areas," the order states.
A NEW FINDING of invalid-
ity was issued in the order. "We
find that the range and types of
permitted uses in the rural areas
and the RACs substantially in-
terfere with Goal 1 (encourage
development in urban areas
where adequate public facilities
and services exist or can be pro-
vided in an efficient manner),
Goal 2 (reduce sprawl) and Goal
8 (natural resource industries) of
the act," the hearings board
wrote.
"The matrix of permitted uses
within rural lands, RACs and
rural community centers goes
far beyond resource-based in-
dustries," the board wrote.
capital improvement fund re- The size for such businesses
ceived $393,788 from this source, was contested by the petitioners,
January $peaal$
3 FREE TANS
With any color or perml
Cheryl Borden,
PEACOCK
TANNINO
8YSTF
Jackie Burfiend, Marilyn Harris,
stylist Owner, stylist Receptionist
Now open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday.
Evenings by appointment.
A full-service salon serving allyour professional
hair needs for men, women and children.
Warren Dawes with the Mason
County Community Develop-
ment Council and John Diehl, a
Harstine Island resident. The
board agreed with their argu-
ments. The order states, "We
have a firm and definite convic-
tion that the county has erred
when it defines businesses with
as many as 50 employees as
'small scale.' The act calls for
adoption of measures to mini-
mize and contain more inten-
sive rural development."
Because the Belfair Urban
Growth Area is not yet in com-
pliance with the growth act, the
hearings board identified the
following pertinent sections of
the comprehensive place and de-
velopment regulations which the
county should address: a capital
facilities plan for public sewage
system; projected population
characterized by urban density;
and inclusion of the Union River
Valley in the UGA, which the
board questioned.
The petitioners challenged
compliance with the open space
and recreation provisions of the
act. However, maps providing
details for such spaces were not
received by the hearings board
from the county until December
15. Those maps will be consid-
ered at the next compliance hear-
ing, the board ruled, since all
parties have not had the opportu-
nity to review the map and 14
other ones the county submitted
as exhibits to the October 21 hear-
ing.
FOR THE FINDINGS of con-
tinued invalidity related to rural
lands, the county must revisit the
boundaries set for RACs in Al-
lyn, Hoodsport, Union and
Taylor Towne; must delineate
rural maximum residential
densities since the county plan
allows a density of four dwelling
units per acre in RACs and one
dwelling unit per acre in rural
areas; and must cap clustering
in the rural areas to preclude sets
of clusters of such magnitude
that they demand urban services,
the board ruled.
The hearings board congratu-
lated the county for its progress
on efforts to bring the plan and
development regulations into
compliance.
"The county has revisited its
population projection. The dis-
pute regarding the Shelton UGA
has been withdrawn. The county
has improved some performance
standards, reduced its market
factor for UGAs from 50 to 25 per-
cent and abandoned the working
rural area and resource conser-
vation master plan concepts," the
board stated in the order.
While both Dawes and Diehl
expressed satisfaction with the
board's rulings supporting their
challenges, both were also dis-
mayed that this process is drag-
ging on.
ul CAN'T BE too jubilant
though," Diehl told The Journal
on Tuesday. "This case should
have been resolved. Under the
influence of developers, builders
and land-speculators, the com-
missioners have dragged their
feet and taken a series of half
measures."
An earlier ruling by the hear-
ings board found sections of the
comprehensive plan and devel-
opment were not compliant with
the law. "The county had an obli-
gation to make repairs to what
was inadequate," Diehl ex-
plained. Essentially the hear-
ings board agreed with the peti-
tioners' arguments that adjust-
ments which the county had
made were still not compliant
and this latest ruling is the re-
suit, he added.
In a statement prepared for the
community development coun-
cil, Dawes wrote, "The county's
plan allows sprawling growth
that uses up our natural resourc-
es. Growth, controlled or uncon-
trolled, inevitably costs more for
services - roads, police and fire
protection, stormwater, and all
the other necessities we require.
"UNCONTROLLED growth
costs much more because of the
greater distances involved to
provide those services. The
county's plan does not identify
how these services will be pro-
vided for or paid for. Of course,
we know that it's our taxes, but
the county is asking us to sign a
blank check," Dawes' statement
concludes.
The county has 180 days to re-
spond to the findings. The effect
of findings of invalidity is a
moratorium on small-lot subdi-
visions and new commercial de-
velopment, according to Dawes
and Diehl.
PLEASE VOTE .... ON FEBRUARY 2
"aL._/ Today's Students -- Tomorrow's Hope
YES -- For Academics = Basic Education in Reading, Writing and Math
YES -- For New Text Books and Library Books
¢YES -- For Needed Student Supplies and Materials
For Maintenance
[YES -- For Custodial
-- For Unfunded Transportation Costs
-- For Academic and Athletic Extracurricular Student Activities
[YES
YES
HOOD
(;ANAL
ALL THIS FOR ONLY ] DOES Grapcvicw $0.71
79 ¢ PER *1,000.00 [THIS Mary M. Knight $1.69
Pioneer $1.27
C Southsidc $2.22
OF ASSESSED VALUE OMPARE? Shelton $3.25
Please remember: This is a replacement levsj, not a new tax.
YOUR "YES" EDUCATES STUDENTS!
Paid for by Hood Canal School Levy Support Committee * 502 N. Dow Mtn. Dr., Hoodsport, WA 98548. I
Thursday, January 21, 1999 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Page 17