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Pollsters track views
dlaS OLD HOUSE doesn't know it, but its days are dwin-
g down to a precious few. This Saturday, firefighters
burn it down during a practice burn.
Firefighters to practice
at this house warming
The intersection of Front
and Cedar streets in downtown
Shelton will be closed for sever-
lhours this Saturday, January
7, as the Shelton Fire Depart-
meat conducts live fire training
at a city-owned house in that vi-
cinity.
The training will begin at ap-
ProXimately 9 a.m. and should
COnclude around 3 p.m. Several
.lets will be closed and others
. U be restricted to limited ac-
88.
Front Street will be closed at
e entrance to the city's sewer
P station. Access will be
1 aintained to.the businesses on
roat Street, to residences on
edar between First and Front
treets and to Lumbermen's
,Parking lot, notes a press re-
.ase from Assistant Shelton
lre Chief Dave Salzer.
(raduates of the 2006 Mason
County Fire Recruit Academy
will be training in the house.
Fires will be set and extin-
guished throughout the day. At
the conclusion of the training,
the remains of the structure will
be burned to the ground.
An excavator with a water
supply will be on site until the
fire is out. All required state
and local permits have been is-
sued, and during this week fire
department personnel will be at
the site preparing the building
for the fire training.
On Saturday, apparatus and
support resources will be staged
on Front Street. A clear bound-
ary will be set up around the
site to keep all but authorized
personnel a safe distance away
from the area.
Those with questions about
the training event can call Sal-
zer at 432-5170. "
years ago:
Jug said jail
new kitchen
note: These items
The Journal in January
included in the Mason
Society's news-
Mann assumed the pres-
of the Shelton Chamber
for 1957, succeed-
James at the annual
dinner held at the
Hotel. Other officers
Winston Scott, first vice
Bill Dickie, second
President, Chet Williams,
and Ed Faubert, sec-
County Sheriff W.A.
Potter proposed to the
commission the need for
kitchen. This was neces-
of the number of
He said the
for feeding prisoners
a city restaurant
high" now that
is not far from 10
Mason County commis-
and two superior court
officially began new four-
of office on January
.W. Streckenbach and Roy
.ll, first and second district
's respectively, and
Charles T. Wright and
Clifford were all re-
in November 1956.
Irene S. Reed High School
team beat the Olym-
for the first time since
And, they did it in the
OWn gym. Roger Bogden
the winning basket, en-
the game six minutes
when Jerry Corey fouled
scoring 21 points. Final
50 to 48! The coach? Andy
Thomas Ryan of Seattle
the optometric practice
Dr. Glenn W. Landers
Landers died November
Mitchell and his western band.
The Tropics was located on the
Shelton-Olympia highway near
what is now the intersection of
Highway 101 and Steamboat Is-
land Road.
Hydroplane driver Bill Munc-
ey came to Shelton and talked
about the Miss Thriftway and
his racing career. The occasion
was the combined Chamber of
Commerce-Rotary-Lions meet-
ing in the Shelton Hotel.
Mason County's Golden Age
Club elected officers for 1957.
They were: Mrs. John Jackson,
president; Mrs. Hilda Westby,
vice president; Mrs. Martha
Clark, treasurer; and Mrs. Rose
Jackson, secretary. The Golden
Age Club met at the Memorial
Hall twice a month for talking,
games and craftwork.
Mrs. Catherine (Grandma)
Pfundt of Holly died just two
months short of her 99th birth-
day. Mrs. Pfundt had been a
resident of Holly on Hood Canal
since 1889. A very active lady,
she had the honor of cutting the
ribbon of the new Holly Road in
1950. Seven hundred attended
the event.
A snowstorm in Mason Coun-
ty closed one county school and
put loggers out of work in the
woods but "created many new
jobs for city street and county
road crews." Shelton reported six
inches of snow, Matlock eight to
12 inches and Kamilche nine.
At Union, the snowstorm failed
to dampen the square dancing
spirit. The Union square dancers
put on their boots and hiked up
the schoolhouse hill for their reg-
ular dancing party. "The hike in
the snow provided added excite-
ment and fun for the evening."
the tests held
Creek by the Army
the safest colors
Preliminary tests
is most likely
all-around color. The
conducted in Decem-
by Fort Lewis soldiers
with state and
agencies.
every Saturday night
(Northwest Barn
to the tunes of Tex
on car-racing project
By SEAN HANLON Washington who might otherwise thought the track would improve
Another quarter has been heard
from on the subject of the NAS-
CAR track with the publication of
a public opinion poll conducted for
folks on the other side of the Kit-
sap County line.
The poll reflects an even split
between supporters and oppo-
nents of the racetrack proposed
for an area south of the Bremer-
ton airport and just north of the
Mason County line.
Kitsap County commissioned
the poll by Elway Research, Incor-
porated, a firm which interviewed
600 people roughly divided among
the three districts that elect coun-
ty commissioners. Most of the re-
spondents were between the ages
of 36 and 64 and more than half
have attended NASCAR races or
watched them on TV.
NASCAR stands for the Nation-
al Association for Stock Car Auto
Racing, a private company that
stages races of cars that resemble
regular rigs but are souped up and
plastered with advertisements
for things like Viagra and motor
oil. When people in Kitsap were
asked if they support or oppose
the building of a NASCAR track
in their county "as things stand
today," the pollsters found them
split right down the middle: 46
percent support the track, with 28
percent doing so strongly, and 46
percent do not support the track,
with 31 percent having strong
feelings against it.
International Speedway Cor-
poration, a partner company of
NASCAR, has been boosting the
proposition that a racetrack be
built with public money and the
money be returned to the public
in the form of a tax on ticket sales
and any economic activity that
NASCAR events might generate.
THE POLLSTERS found that
69 percent of the people who re-
sponded to the poll thought the
proposed racetrack would do more
economic good than harm, but
28 percent said the track would
hurt the county's reputation and
60 percent opposed using public
money to build it.
A proposal to enlist the state
in this project was bandied about
in last year's session of the Wash-
ington Legislature but a bill was
never introduced. After the law-
makers went back home, Lieuten-
ant Governor Brad Owen of Shel-
ton carried the ball in his capac-
ity as chairman of the Legislative
Committee on Economic Develop-
ment and International Relations.
There are 12 other members of
this panel evenly divided between
state representatives and state
senators and between Democrats
and Republicans.
Given that NASCAR boosters
never got to a hearing during last
year's session of the legislature,
this panel took it upon itself to lis-
ten to what they had to say. Owen
was impressed.
"I have my own feelings about
them and support them and will
support them based on the infor-
mation we have garnered over the
years," he said on Monday a few
hours after calling lawmakers to
order for this year's session. One
of his duties as lieutenant gover-
nor is to preside over sessions of
the Washington State Senate.
HIS COMMITTEE reviewed
a proposal that calls for construc-
tion of a racetrack located near
Bremerton just a few miles from
the Mason County line with seat-
ing for 83,500 fans and a $345-
million price tag. Owen said this
would definitely be an economic
plus because NASCAR has a track
record of generating "a signifi-
cant amount of revenue" over and
above what it costs to build such a
facility and retire the bonds used
to pay for it.
He said he learned that 50 to
60 percent of the people who at-
tend NASCAR events come from
out of state and their spending is
added to the 40 to 50 percent from
leave this state to attend NAS-
CAR events elsewhere.
"NASCAR has been touted in
other states as being like having
two Super Bowls in your state be-
cause of the number of people it
draws," Owen said.
The Super Bowls of the Na-
tional Football League are widely
regarded as the biggest money-
makers in sports on account of the
prices their tickets fetch and the
advertising dollars their broad-
casts attract. Sticking for a mo-
ment with the Super Bowl theme,
Owen allows that the Legislative
Committee on Economic Develop-
ment and International Relations
is something like the offensive
line of a football team: a group of
unsung heroes who clear a path
so that others can wow the crowd
and score the points.
AFTER SOUNDING the gav-
el and creating an opening for
NASCAR boosters to drive their
track through, Owen had this to
say about the first day of the leg-
islative session: "This is kind of
the official paperwork day and
the swearing-in day." At the same
time he had to admit that he has
seen no sign of official paperwork
on which any lawmaker put his
or her name behind public fund-
ing of a NASCAR track. As things
now stand 100 percent of the state
lawmakers who represent Mason
County and the part of Kitsap
County where the track would be
located oppose using public funds
to build it.
State Representative Bill Eick-
meyer, D-Belfair, said the idea of
using state funds to help build the
track is "a dead duck" given the
mood of the legislature, and the
other lawmakers from the 35th
District are no more encourag-
ing. State Representative Kathy
Haigh, D-Shelton, said the chanc-
es are "not good" that any state
funding measure will pass muster
this year.
Haigh recalls that last year
NASCAR boosters encouraged
their fans to contact lawmakers,
but most of the calls she received
after that were from people who
oppose state funding of a track.
This is not to say the owners of
NASCAR can't build something
with their own money.
"I'm not here to tell people
what they can and cannot do in
the way of business," Haigh said.
"They have a lot that they have
to do in the way of business, but
in terms of public financing it's
probably not going to happen in
this state."
THE POLLSTERS employed
by Kitsap County found that 43
percent of respondents said the
track would be good for the quality
of life and 41 percent said it would
do some long-term harm. "Overall,
most respondents anticipated eco-
nomic and reputational benefits
to the county, but worried about
adverse effects on existing infra-
structure like roads and bridges,"
the pollsters wrote. "Respondents
were evenly divided over the im-
pact on the quality of life and the
culture of Kitsap County."
State Senator Tim Sheldon,
D-Potlatch, also opposes public
funding of the track and thinks
the costs and benefits of such a
project might not be as advertised.
"I think the job-creation benefit
is probably stretched somewhat,
and I think the congestion and in-
frastructure needs are very, very
understated," he said.
In his view the racetrack boost-
ers "are really pushing a big snow-
ball up here."
Pollsters found that expecta-
tions about the effects on the com-
munity of building a track differed
depending on the age, location and
education of the persons respond-
ing to the polls. They found:
* 49 percent of persons over
age 65 thought the track would
harm the quality of life and 65
percent of persons under age 35
the quality of life.
• 49 percent of persons with
a high-school education thought
the quality of life would be helped
and 59 percent with a college or
professional degree thought the
quality of life would be hurt.
• 33 percent of the persons liv-
ing in Kitsap County District 1
said the proposed track would do
more good than harm while 36
percent in District 2 and 34 per-
cent in District 3 said it would do
more harm than good.
As it happens the proposed
track would be located in District
2. Pollsters said "the county was
divided geographically on this
question" and concluded that
"District 1 was almost a mirror
image of Districts 2 and 3."
EDC making
case for track
The Economic Devel-
opment Council of Mason
County is urging track back-
ers to boost the fortunes of
NASCAR in the Washington
Legislature.
Matt Matayoshi, execu-
tive director of the EDC, told
members of the organization
that the racetrack project
"hinges on legislative involve-
ment" and urged them to call
or write lawmakers "and let
them know why you back the
track!" The track is proposed
by NASCAR fbr a location
just a few miles flmm Belfair
across the Kitsap County line,
and so Matayoshi is asking
people to contact lawmakers
who represent Kitsap in the
legislature.
That includes the three
lawmakers from Mason
County: State Senator Tim
Sheldon, D-Potlatch, State
Representative Bill Eickmey-
er, D-Belfair, and State Rep-
resentative Kathy Haigh, D-
Shelton, all representing the
35th District. Matayoshi also
provided the following "talk-
ing points" to EDC members
who want to act on this:
• No new taxes will be cre-
ated to pay for the facility,
and existing taxes will not
be increased. The facility will
generate significant new tax
revenue for Kitsap and sur-
rounding counties as well as
the state.
• Community use of the fa-
cility will be available when
major racing events are not
being held. Local officials
have formed a task force to
explore potential uses such
as athletic fields, education
programs, charity events and
fund-raisers.
• Traffic impacts will only
occur roughly three weekends
per year and will be managed
by the country's leading traf-
fic consultants, experienced
in handling transportation
for major events such as the
Super Bowl and the Olympic
Games.
Estimated cost of build-
ing the racetrack is $345
million, and the owners of
NASCAR are hoping to get
government funding for half
of that. Matayoshi told EDC
members that the track will
attract out-of-state tourism
that will generate more than
$4 billion in econoric benefit
to the state, including $1.1
billion and thousands of con-
struction and operations jobs
in Kitsap County.
NASCAR is a privately
owned operation that is also
known as the National As-
sociation for Stock Car Auto
Racing. The ownership group
is International Speedway
Corporation.
Gardeners will be giving good grape advice
The Master Gardeners of Ma-
son County will be presenting a
workshop on growing grapes that
will cover techniques and practi-
cal tips on pruning and training
grapevines.
This course will also go over
the basics of arbor planning for
grapevine growers. Attendees will
be able to take home Island Belle
grapevine cuttings at no charge.
The featured cuttings are descen-
dants of the first wine vineyard on
Stretch Island.
The class will be held in the
demonstration gardens at the Ma-
son County Fairgrounds off High-
way 101, with signs leading motor-
ists to the proper location from the
main entrance to the fairgrounds.
Instruction will begin at 10 a.m.
on Saturday, February 3.
No fee or preregistration is re-
quired, and the class will present
an opportunity for people to learn
more about the Master Gardeners,
who constitute a program orga-
nized by staffofthe Mason County
Cooperative Extension of Wash-
ington State University. Volunteer
training for Master Gardeners will
be held on Fridays from September
through November of this year.
Certification as a Master Gar-
dener requires the payment of
a $150 registration fee and the
completion of 90 hours of volun-
teer service over the course of two
years. An application form and
more information may be obtained
by calling R. Jeanne Rehwaldt, co-
ordinator of the Master Gardeners
of Mason County, at 427-9670, Ex-
tension 688.
Thursday, Janu,ry 25, 2007 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Page 25
\\;
Pollsters track views
dlaS OLD HOUSE doesn't know it, but its days are dwin-
g down to a precious few. This Saturday, firefighters
burn it down during a practice burn.
Firefighters to practice
at this house warming
The intersection of Front
and Cedar streets in downtown
Shelton will be closed for sever-
lhours this Saturday, January
7, as the Shelton Fire Depart-
meat conducts live fire training
at a city-owned house in that vi-
cinity.
The training will begin at ap-
ProXimately 9 a.m. and should
COnclude around 3 p.m. Several
.lets will be closed and others
. U be restricted to limited ac-
88.
Front Street will be closed at
e entrance to the city's sewer
P station. Access will be
1 aintained to.the businesses on
roat Street, to residences on
edar between First and Front
treets and to Lumbermen's
,Parking lot, notes a press re-
.ase from Assistant Shelton
lre Chief Dave Salzer.
(raduates of the 2006 Mason
County Fire Recruit Academy
will be training in the house.
Fires will be set and extin-
guished throughout the day. At
the conclusion of the training,
the remains of the structure will
be burned to the ground.
An excavator with a water
supply will be on site until the
fire is out. All required state
and local permits have been is-
sued, and during this week fire
department personnel will be at
the site preparing the building
for the fire training.
On Saturday, apparatus and
support resources will be staged
on Front Street. A clear bound-
ary will be set up around the
site to keep all but authorized
personnel a safe distance away
from the area.
Those with questions about
the training event can call Sal-
zer at 432-5170. "
years ago:
Jug said jail
new kitchen
note: These items
The Journal in January
included in the Mason
Society's news-
Mann assumed the pres-
of the Shelton Chamber
for 1957, succeed-
James at the annual
dinner held at the
Hotel. Other officers
Winston Scott, first vice
Bill Dickie, second
President, Chet Williams,
and Ed Faubert, sec-
County Sheriff W.A.
Potter proposed to the
commission the need for
kitchen. This was neces-
of the number of
He said the
for feeding prisoners
a city restaurant
high" now that
is not far from 10
Mason County commis-
and two superior court
officially began new four-
of office on January
.W. Streckenbach and Roy
.ll, first and second district
's respectively, and
Charles T. Wright and
Clifford were all re-
in November 1956.
Irene S. Reed High School
team beat the Olym-
for the first time since
And, they did it in the
OWn gym. Roger Bogden
the winning basket, en-
the game six minutes
when Jerry Corey fouled
scoring 21 points. Final
50 to 48! The coach? Andy
Thomas Ryan of Seattle
the optometric practice
Dr. Glenn W. Landers
Landers died November
Mitchell and his western band.
The Tropics was located on the
Shelton-Olympia highway near
what is now the intersection of
Highway 101 and Steamboat Is-
land Road.
Hydroplane driver Bill Munc-
ey came to Shelton and talked
about the Miss Thriftway and
his racing career. The occasion
was the combined Chamber of
Commerce-Rotary-Lions meet-
ing in the Shelton Hotel.
Mason County's Golden Age
Club elected officers for 1957.
They were: Mrs. John Jackson,
president; Mrs. Hilda Westby,
vice president; Mrs. Martha
Clark, treasurer; and Mrs. Rose
Jackson, secretary. The Golden
Age Club met at the Memorial
Hall twice a month for talking,
games and craftwork.
Mrs. Catherine (Grandma)
Pfundt of Holly died just two
months short of her 99th birth-
day. Mrs. Pfundt had been a
resident of Holly on Hood Canal
since 1889. A very active lady,
she had the honor of cutting the
ribbon of the new Holly Road in
1950. Seven hundred attended
the event.
A snowstorm in Mason Coun-
ty closed one county school and
put loggers out of work in the
woods but "created many new
jobs for city street and county
road crews." Shelton reported six
inches of snow, Matlock eight to
12 inches and Kamilche nine.
At Union, the snowstorm failed
to dampen the square dancing
spirit. The Union square dancers
put on their boots and hiked up
the schoolhouse hill for their reg-
ular dancing party. "The hike in
the snow provided added excite-
ment and fun for the evening."
the tests held
Creek by the Army
the safest colors
Preliminary tests
is most likely
all-around color. The
conducted in Decem-
by Fort Lewis soldiers
with state and
agencies.
every Saturday night
(Northwest Barn
to the tunes of Tex
on car-racing project
By SEAN HANLON Washington who might otherwise thought the track would improve
Another quarter has been heard
from on the subject of the NAS-
CAR track with the publication of
a public opinion poll conducted for
folks on the other side of the Kit-
sap County line.
The poll reflects an even split
between supporters and oppo-
nents of the racetrack proposed
for an area south of the Bremer-
ton airport and just north of the
Mason County line.
Kitsap County commissioned
the poll by Elway Research, Incor-
porated, a firm which interviewed
600 people roughly divided among
the three districts that elect coun-
ty commissioners. Most of the re-
spondents were between the ages
of 36 and 64 and more than half
have attended NASCAR races or
watched them on TV.
NASCAR stands for the Nation-
al Association for Stock Car Auto
Racing, a private company that
stages races of cars that resemble
regular rigs but are souped up and
plastered with advertisements
for things like Viagra and motor
oil. When people in Kitsap were
asked if they support or oppose
the building of a NASCAR track
in their county "as things stand
today," the pollsters found them
split right down the middle: 46
percent support the track, with 28
percent doing so strongly, and 46
percent do not support the track,
with 31 percent having strong
feelings against it.
International Speedway Cor-
poration, a partner company of
NASCAR, has been boosting the
proposition that a racetrack be
built with public money and the
money be returned to the public
in the form of a tax on ticket sales
and any economic activity that
NASCAR events might generate.
THE POLLSTERS found that
69 percent of the people who re-
sponded to the poll thought the
proposed racetrack would do more
economic good than harm, but
28 percent said the track would
hurt the county's reputation and
60 percent opposed using public
money to build it.
A proposal to enlist the state
in this project was bandied about
in last year's session of the Wash-
ington Legislature but a bill was
never introduced. After the law-
makers went back home, Lieuten-
ant Governor Brad Owen of Shel-
ton carried the ball in his capac-
ity as chairman of the Legislative
Committee on Economic Develop-
ment and International Relations.
There are 12 other members of
this panel evenly divided between
state representatives and state
senators and between Democrats
and Republicans.
Given that NASCAR boosters
never got to a hearing during last
year's session of the legislature,
this panel took it upon itself to lis-
ten to what they had to say. Owen
was impressed.
"I have my own feelings about
them and support them and will
support them based on the infor-
mation we have garnered over the
years," he said on Monday a few
hours after calling lawmakers to
order for this year's session. One
of his duties as lieutenant gover-
nor is to preside over sessions of
the Washington State Senate.
HIS COMMITTEE reviewed
a proposal that calls for construc-
tion of a racetrack located near
Bremerton just a few miles from
the Mason County line with seat-
ing for 83,500 fans and a $345-
million price tag. Owen said this
would definitely be an economic
plus because NASCAR has a track
record of generating "a signifi-
cant amount of revenue" over and
above what it costs to build such a
facility and retire the bonds used
to pay for it.
He said he learned that 50 to
60 percent of the people who at-
tend NASCAR events come from
out of state and their spending is
added to the 40 to 50 percent from
leave this state to attend NAS-
CAR events elsewhere.
"NASCAR has been touted in
other states as being like having
two Super Bowls in your state be-
cause of the number of people it
draws," Owen said.
The Super Bowls of the Na-
tional Football League are widely
regarded as the biggest money-
makers in sports on account of the
prices their tickets fetch and the
advertising dollars their broad-
casts attract. Sticking for a mo-
ment with the Super Bowl theme,
Owen allows that the Legislative
Committee on Economic Develop-
ment and International Relations
is something like the offensive
line of a football team: a group of
unsung heroes who clear a path
so that others can wow the crowd
and score the points.
AFTER SOUNDING the gav-
el and creating an opening for
NASCAR boosters to drive their
track through, Owen had this to
say about the first day of the leg-
islative session: "This is kind of
the official paperwork day and
the swearing-in day." At the same
time he had to admit that he has
seen no sign of official paperwork
on which any lawmaker put his
or her name behind public fund-
ing of a NASCAR track. As things
now stand 100 percent of the state
lawmakers who represent Mason
County and the part of Kitsap
County where the track would be
located oppose using public funds
to build it.
State Representative Bill Eick-
meyer, D-Belfair, said the idea of
using state funds to help build the
track is "a dead duck" given the
mood of the legislature, and the
other lawmakers from the 35th
District are no more encourag-
ing. State Representative Kathy
Haigh, D-Shelton, said the chanc-
es are "not good" that any state
funding measure will pass muster
this year.
Haigh recalls that last year
NASCAR boosters encouraged
their fans to contact lawmakers,
but most of the calls she received
after that were from people who
oppose state funding of a track.
This is not to say the owners of
NASCAR can't build something
with their own money.
"I'm not here to tell people
what they can and cannot do in
the way of business," Haigh said.
"They have a lot that they have
to do in the way of business, but
in terms of public financing it's
probably not going to happen in
this state."
THE POLLSTERS employed
by Kitsap County found that 43
percent of respondents said the
track would be good for the quality
of life and 41 percent said it would
do some long-term harm. "Overall,
most respondents anticipated eco-
nomic and reputational benefits
to the county, but worried about
adverse effects on existing infra-
structure like roads and bridges,"
the pollsters wrote. "Respondents
were evenly divided over the im-
pact on the quality of life and the
culture of Kitsap County."
State Senator Tim Sheldon,
D-Potlatch, also opposes public
funding of the track and thinks
the costs and benefits of such a
project might not be as advertised.
"I think the job-creation benefit
is probably stretched somewhat,
and I think the congestion and in-
frastructure needs are very, very
understated," he said.
In his view the racetrack boost-
ers "are really pushing a big snow-
ball up here."
Pollsters found that expecta-
tions about the effects on the com-
munity of building a track differed
depending on the age, location and
education of the persons respond-
ing to the polls. They found:
* 49 percent of persons over
age 65 thought the track would
harm the quality of life and 65
percent of persons under age 35
the quality of life.
• 49 percent of persons with
a high-school education thought
the quality of life would be helped
and 59 percent with a college or
professional degree thought the
quality of life would be hurt.
• 33 percent of the persons liv-
ing in Kitsap County District 1
said the proposed track would do
more good than harm while 36
percent in District 2 and 34 per-
cent in District 3 said it would do
more harm than good.
As it happens the proposed
track would be located in District
2. Pollsters said "the county was
divided geographically on this
question" and concluded that
"District 1 was almost a mirror
image of Districts 2 and 3."
EDC making
case for track
The Economic Devel-
opment Council of Mason
County is urging track back-
ers to boost the fortunes of
NASCAR in the Washington
Legislature.
Matt Matayoshi, execu-
tive director of the EDC, told
members of the organization
that the racetrack project
"hinges on legislative involve-
ment" and urged them to call
or write lawmakers "and let
them know why you back the
track!" The track is proposed
by NASCAR fbr a location
just a few miles flmm Belfair
across the Kitsap County line,
and so Matayoshi is asking
people to contact lawmakers
who represent Kitsap in the
legislature.
That includes the three
lawmakers from Mason
County: State Senator Tim
Sheldon, D-Potlatch, State
Representative Bill Eickmey-
er, D-Belfair, and State Rep-
resentative Kathy Haigh, D-
Shelton, all representing the
35th District. Matayoshi also
provided the following "talk-
ing points" to EDC members
who want to act on this:
• No new taxes will be cre-
ated to pay for the facility,
and existing taxes will not
be increased. The facility will
generate significant new tax
revenue for Kitsap and sur-
rounding counties as well as
the state.
• Community use of the fa-
cility will be available when
major racing events are not
being held. Local officials
have formed a task force to
explore potential uses such
as athletic fields, education
programs, charity events and
fund-raisers.
• Traffic impacts will only
occur roughly three weekends
per year and will be managed
by the country's leading traf-
fic consultants, experienced
in handling transportation
for major events such as the
Super Bowl and the Olympic
Games.
Estimated cost of build-
ing the racetrack is $345
million, and the owners of
NASCAR are hoping to get
government funding for half
of that. Matayoshi told EDC
members that the track will
attract out-of-state tourism
that will generate more than
$4 billion in econoric benefit
to the state, including $1.1
billion and thousands of con-
struction and operations jobs
in Kitsap County.
NASCAR is a privately
owned operation that is also
known as the National As-
sociation for Stock Car Auto
Racing. The ownership group
is International Speedway
Corporation.
Gardeners will be giving good grape advice
The Master Gardeners of Ma-
son County will be presenting a
workshop on growing grapes that
will cover techniques and practi-
cal tips on pruning and training
grapevines.
This course will also go over
the basics of arbor planning for
grapevine growers. Attendees will
be able to take home Island Belle
grapevine cuttings at no charge.
The featured cuttings are descen-
dants of the first wine vineyard on
Stretch Island.
The class will be held in the
demonstration gardens at the Ma-
son County Fairgrounds off High-
way 101, with signs leading motor-
ists to the proper location from the
main entrance to the fairgrounds.
Instruction will begin at 10 a.m.
on Saturday, February 3.
No fee or preregistration is re-
quired, and the class will present
an opportunity for people to learn
more about the Master Gardeners,
who constitute a program orga-
nized by staffofthe Mason County
Cooperative Extension of Wash-
ington State University. Volunteer
training for Master Gardeners will
be held on Fridays from September
through November of this year.
Certification as a Master Gar-
dener requires the payment of
a $150 registration fee and the
completion of 90 hours of volun-
teer service over the course of two
years. An application form and
more information may be obtained
by calling R. Jeanne Rehwaldt, co-
ordinator of the Master Gardeners
of Mason County, at 427-9670, Ex-
tension 688.
Thursday, Janu,ry 25, 2007 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Page 25