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Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
January 28, 1999     Shelton Mason County Journal
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January 28, 1999
 
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City commission roundup: Citizens join commissioners in tour of civic center project sAn informal inspection of the helton Civic Center project high- !ighted Monday afternoon's meet- L?.g of the Shelton City Commis- Sion. Ve've got a cold tour on a hot subject,. Mayor Scott Hilburn an- A handful of citizens the commissioners inside unheated building on project is about one-third Jim Quillin, the city's ect inspector, told The Jour- nal. The contractor anticipates l.pleting the project by mid to May. The deadline for finish- g the work is in mid June. ,. We're still on schedule," Quil- l.said. "It's moving along good. • alngs will really start coming along now." 1 . Most of the work on the bu'Id- g's infrastructure is done, he i(d. That includes excavation d forrnwork for foundation foot- ings inside the building and foun- dation footings for the adjacent new building that will house the communications center. IN A RELATED MATTER, commissioners agreed that fold- ing panel walls are the way to go to provide small meeting rooms inside the large public area of the civic center. Last week Hilburn suggested installing a solid, permanent wall across the front of the smaller area, with room dividers behind that wall so that one to three small meeting rooms could be formed. But this week he backed off that proposal, saying that fol- ding-panel walls give the public area more flexibility. The solid wall would limit op- tions for the large public area, Commissioner John Tarrant noted. A letter from Dick Taylor of the Homebuilders Association of Mason County advocated the small meeting rooms but not the solid wall, which he wrote would break up the large space. THE MOVABLE panel-type walls would cost an estimated $84,542, while accordiOn-type movable walls would cost an esti- mated $71,762, according to esti- mates provided earlier by project architect Len Williams. Commission secretary Jeanette Valley reported that people told her the accordion-type walls were a waste because they could hear conversations in adjoining rooms right through them. As for paying for the movable walls, Commissioner Janet Thornbrue said that even with change orders at the civic center the city isn't coming close to spending the 10 percent contin- gency fund it established for the project. Williams said he would prepare a bid proposal request for contractors. In other city business, commis- sioners: * Heard a report on the city's curbside recycling program by co- ordinator Toni Clement. Last year Shelton residents recycled a total of 411.9 tons of materials. Residents stayed steady at a 32 percent participation rate. The statewide participation rate dropped from 38 to 32 percent, she said. Hilburn asked her about a pos- sible discount for senior citizens, who already receive discounts of water and sewer rates. Clement said she thinks that's a good idea and that the city should look into giving seniors a discount on their recycling rates. Hilburn said the commission should add that to its agenda this spring when it starts the budget process for next year. Southside's reading mentor program builds on successes ly JEFF GREEN w F.Or one hour, one night a eek t h-' ' hey come back to school to 'tclP their own children improve aeir reading skills. And, so far, the extra efforts by eral parents and students at thside are paying School off. ; e children are showing marked aProvement. '[.think it's succeeding for a Iber reasons, said Heather of ght, who teaches in a corn- k;. cl' d third- and fourth-grade 8 at Southside. "The class- rocra instruction is good. They hare excellent support, strong Pa !s t involvement and get one- On to one (involvement) in addition ]'nat's being, done in school." °tlthslde's Reading Mentor ter ,am, which started last Sep- 8t r, is in its first year. Those e)lts who come to the library thursday nights with their lal ats are urimarilv third and f ,- _ h graders, with a few second J ers included. TRY TO FOCUS on stu- who haven't been quite as sful in reading," Knight Journal. "They're here doing it. That follows at home." ten the state-mandated assessment tests uired of all students, a crucial time for strug- students, Knight adding, "We wanted to pro- Parents with tools to help kids." reliminary assessment, months after the start Program, shows it's help- y. Students who in the program have an average improvement of compared to those lalified for the program, participate. Those stu- an average 6.7 per- in reading skills. who came to sessions scored an of 92.3 on the four-month A score of 90 or a student is able or reading material at the grade level. Those who for but didn't attend the Scored an average of 81.6 which means them are not quite ready material. Phono-Graphix reading that's used sessions is designed to use at home with Costco provided a free ay training session last in Issaquah for three teachers: Knight, read- Vicki Owens and sec- third-grade teacher Pat- They also were given Worth of supplies to go with including training include tips for par- to read at home. ll'utIS IS INSTRUCTION in j w to read,- Knight s "d "It isn't II re ' o al . Rradmg a book It's a highly "-TJ "tea program. Its all bus -l- iness during the Th _..ng sessions. Well, mostly. ts,Idren and some of the par- °op at one table for treats: cookies, pop or donuts. Then they get right to work. The parents and kids fan out inside the li- brary, find empty chairs at the round tables and start on the ex- ercises that are provided within the program. Horseplay is kept to a bare minimum. "I've noticed huge gains in my class. It's a pretty.intensive pro- gram. It lasts for 12 weeks," Knight said. "An extra hour a week, one-on-one, makes a huge difference." Parents are seeing their chil- dren make up ground. Perhaps the most loyal cheerleader among them is Kim Sloan, but she's not alone in that. "I'M A VERY enthusiastic parent," she said. Her son, Aaron, is a second-grader at Southside and had been struggling with his reading. But no more. "His reading has come from - he would get confused on 'A' or 'I.' Since he started coming here, it's like this program has unlocked ... this magical thing has happened," Sloan said. "He reads everything now. He wants to buy books. He has books lying by his bed," she added. Now, when Aaron writes things, he can sound words out, which he never did before, ever, Sloan said. "My parents (who live next door) are just like, 'Wow, what's happened to Aaron?'" WHAT'S HAPPENED and what continues to happen, not just with Aaron but with others in the reading mentor program, is a transformation. "I think the biggest thing for us is, he's not getting frustrated," Sloan said of her son. The read- ing, she adds, is also helping Aar- on with his speech. "His speech is clearer. You can understand every word now," Sloan said with a smile. Since starting in the program last September, Aaron has gone from a reading level below the first-grade level to nearly three- quarters of the way through the first-grade level. "I'm a total believer," Sloan said. Like many kids, Aaron likes to play computer games, but now he chooses games where players read a story and then are asked to answer questions about that story. JAMES BYFORD IS happy with his son Jordan's progress. "He's starting to sound out things," Byford said. "He's read- ing more at home now, and better books." Jordan looks forward to coming to the weekly sessions, his father said. "He likes the program. He's had real good teachers all the way through here," Byford said. "He needed a little bit of extra help and this is right up his alley. Mrs. Knight and Mrs. Madison have a real good way with kids. Heather Knight has a real good rapport with kids. Mrs. Madison's the same way," the elder Byford said. DON ROBBINS, who's also a Southside School Board member, brings his daughter, Courtney, to the sessions. "It's helped out a lot," he said. "She's reading better." Courtney is able to pronounce the words she reads now, he add- ed. "We've got really good teachers here. The teachers can only do so much; it's got to start at home," Robbins said. "It's encouraging to see the parents that are involved in this. It's proof that they care and want to help," he said. "It really doesn't take much as long as you're will- ing to work." L 'II , , ............... /IIF  i:!,i; :: :/ :  .... :00ii il 00iii0000i000000iiii:i,:00 iii00 SOUTHSIDE SCHOOL parent James Byford works with his son, Jor- dan, in the school's Reading Mentor program. The weekly, one-on- one sessions with.parents and students has helped the youngsters make gains in thezr reading abilities. Wedeliver I-IIEATING UIL COMPARE OUR LOW PRICES! Located at Sanderson We carry kerosene. Industrial Park uNo00tO 427-8084 SHELTON CITY COMMISSIONERS Janet Thornbrue, left, and John Tarrant, right, discuss the Shelton Civic Center project with Jim Quillin, the city's project inspector. The area behind them will be the site of the new emergency communications center. Deputies invited out: MMK kids hot about smoking on campus Student body representatives at Mary M. Knight School are doing a slow burn. The issue, they say, is smoking. On Monday, the school's Associated Student Body president Erik Larson, vice president Aaron Brear and treasurer Jeremy Brehmeyer penned a letter to Mason County Sheriff Steve Whybark to air their concern over "a blatant disregard for the law." Citing state law that prohibits the use of to- bacco products on school grounds, they called the sheriff's attention to their concern that adults at- tending sports events or programs at the school don't seem to care. "Ironically," the trio wrote, "they smoke right in front of the sign which states the RCW (Revised Code of Washington) that prohibits such acts." The smokers "set a poor example for children and other adults," the ASB reps wrote. "This is the most impressionable time in many students' lives, and when they see adults nonchalantly breaking the law, what lesson are they teaching? What kind of future leaders are they forming?" Being ASB leaders or even school administra- tors, they pointed out, doesn't involve the right to enforce the law. "Therefore," they wrote, "we are requesting occasional patrols on campus and ask that your deputies enforce the law and tick offenders. "Your deputies," they added, "are also invited to stay and enjoy some good old-fashioned high school sports, as well." Shelton board lauds four student leaders Four Shelton High School stu- dents were recognized at Tues- day's Shelton School Board meet- ing for their community efforts. All four are members of social studies teacher Ed Stewart's lead- ership class at SHS, which stress- es, among other things, communi- ty involvement. Crystal Brush and Rebecca Haertel organized a stories-and- sweets program at the high school. On January 13, some 40 children attended the program at the SHS Student Union Building where, they listened to stories read by 30 high-school student volunteers. They also munched on sweets and received books collect- ed during a book drive the two girls started. Susanne Feucht and Aimee Pierce coordinated a swing dance at the school on January 16. The dance raised nearly $300 for Ma- son County Habitat for Humani- ty. The two students organized the dance, bought cookies and ad- vertised the dance through a loan from the SHS Associated Student Body and arranged for soda pop to be donated by local grocery stores. The dance was attended by 150 community members. "The two of us found this to be a very reward- ing experience," Pierce told the school board. Drop in, Neighbor :D:[:LicioIIS , at Little Creek Casino % • MON DAYS le 5PM TO 9PM YOUR CHOICE OF: • • 2 pancakes, legg, and • - "8oz. Top Sirlo,n sausage or bacon ,, Red Potatoes  • -or. " ._ Vegetables • The Daffy Breakfast Special $  Dinner Roll / 00$199 *395. \\; You also .et th00s st00-ke: i EVERYDAY 10AM-NOON ";" e ,.. ; . • U FRIDAY, SATURDAY 1| PM-SAM D matcnpay, or SUNDAY=THURSDAY | | PM-2AM e coupon for Megamama/Flashcash C A S I. N" " " " u 0 ---- r':: :''" t " Open Daily Interchange Hwy 1011108 * Shelton • (360) 427-7711 * re.little-creek.corn Check out our new hours: Sunday thru Wednesday 10am to 4am, Thurla)' thru Saturday 10am to 6am .... 'r'l A Ak At, Ak Ak At, Ak Ak AIk Thursday, January20, 1999 - Shelton-Mason County Journal. Page 3 City commission roundup: Citizens join commissioners in tour of civic center project sAn informal inspection of the helton Civic Center project high- !ighted Monday afternoon's meet- L?.g of the Shelton City Commis- Sion. Ve've got a cold tour on a hot subject,. Mayor Scott Hilburn an- A handful of citizens the commissioners inside unheated building on project is about one-third Jim Quillin, the city's ect inspector, told The Jour- nal. The contractor anticipates l.pleting the project by mid to May. The deadline for finish- g the work is in mid June. ,. We're still on schedule," Quil- l.said. "It's moving along good. • alngs will really start coming along now." 1 . Most of the work on the bu'Id- g's infrastructure is done, he i(d. That includes excavation d forrnwork for foundation foot- ings inside the building and foun- dation footings for the adjacent new building that will house the communications center. IN A RELATED MATTER, commissioners agreed that fold- ing panel walls are the way to go to provide small meeting rooms inside the large public area of the civic center. Last week Hilburn suggested installing a solid, permanent wall across the front of the smaller area, with room dividers behind that wall so that one to three small meeting rooms could be formed. But this week he backed off that proposal, saying that fol- ding-panel walls give the public area more flexibility. The solid wall would limit op- tions for the large public area, Commissioner John Tarrant noted. A letter from Dick Taylor of the Homebuilders Association of Mason County advocated the small meeting rooms but not the solid wall, which he wrote would break up the large space. THE MOVABLE panel-type walls would cost an estimated $84,542, while accordiOn-type movable walls would cost an esti- mated $71,762, according to esti- mates provided earlier by project architect Len Williams. Commission secretary Jeanette Valley reported that people told her the accordion-type walls were a waste because they could hear conversations in adjoining rooms right through them. As for paying for the movable walls, Commissioner Janet Thornbrue said that even with change orders at the civic center the city isn't coming close to spending the 10 percent contin- gency fund it established for the project. Williams said he would prepare a bid proposal request for contractors. In other city business, commis- sioners: * Heard a report on the city's curbside recycling program by co- ordinator Toni Clement. Last year Shelton residents recycled a total of 411.9 tons of materials. Residents stayed steady at a 32 percent participation rate. The statewide participation rate dropped from 38 to 32 percent, she said. Hilburn asked her about a pos- sible discount for senior citizens, who already receive discounts of water and sewer rates. Clement said she thinks that's a good idea and that the city should look into giving seniors a discount on their recycling rates. Hilburn said the commission should add that to its agenda this spring when it starts the budget process for next year. Southside's reading mentor program builds on successes ly JEFF GREEN w F.Or one hour, one night a eek t h-' ' hey come back to school to 'tclP their own children improve aeir reading skills. And, so far, the extra efforts by eral parents and students at thside are paying School off. ; e children are showing marked aProvement. '[.think it's succeeding for a Iber reasons, said Heather of ght, who teaches in a corn- k;. cl' d third- and fourth-grade 8 at Southside. "The class- rocra instruction is good. They hare excellent support, strong Pa !s t involvement and get one- On to one (involvement) in addition ]'nat's being, done in school." °tlthslde's Reading Mentor ter ,am, which started last Sep- 8t r, is in its first year. Those e)lts who come to the library thursday nights with their lal ats are urimarilv third and f ,- _ h graders, with a few second J ers included. TRY TO FOCUS on stu- who haven't been quite as sful in reading," Knight Journal. "They're here doing it. That follows at home." ten the state-mandated assessment tests uired of all students, a crucial time for strug- students, Knight adding, "We wanted to pro- Parents with tools to help kids." reliminary assessment, months after the start Program, shows it's help- y. Students who in the program have an average improvement of compared to those lalified for the program, participate. Those stu- an average 6.7 per- in reading skills. who came to sessions scored an of 92.3 on the four-month A score of 90 or a student is able or reading material at the grade level. Those who for but didn't attend the Scored an average of 81.6 which means them are not quite ready material. Phono-Graphix reading that's used sessions is designed to use at home with Costco provided a free ay training session last in Issaquah for three teachers: Knight, read- Vicki Owens and sec- third-grade teacher Pat- They also were given Worth of supplies to go with including training include tips for par- to read at home. ll'utIS IS INSTRUCTION in j w to read,- Knight s "d "It isn't II re ' o al . Rradmg a book It's a highly "-TJ "tea program. Its all bus -l- iness during the Th _..ng sessions. Well, mostly. ts,Idren and some of the par- °op at one table for treats: cookies, pop or donuts. Then they get right to work. The parents and kids fan out inside the li- brary, find empty chairs at the round tables and start on the ex- ercises that are provided within the program. Horseplay is kept to a bare minimum. "I've noticed huge gains in my class. It's a pretty.intensive pro- gram. It lasts for 12 weeks," Knight said. "An extra hour a week, one-on-one, makes a huge difference." Parents are seeing their chil- dren make up ground. Perhaps the most loyal cheerleader among them is Kim Sloan, but she's not alone in that. "I'M A VERY enthusiastic parent," she said. Her son, Aaron, is a second-grader at Southside and had been struggling with his reading. But no more. "His reading has come from - he would get confused on 'A' or 'I.' Since he started coming here, it's like this program has unlocked ... this magical thing has happened," Sloan said. "He reads everything now. He wants to buy books. He has books lying by his bed," she added. Now, when Aaron writes things, he can sound words out, which he never did before, ever, Sloan said. "My parents (who live next door) are just like, 'Wow, what's happened to Aaron?'" WHAT'S HAPPENED and what continues to happen, not just with Aaron but with others in the reading mentor program, is a transformation. "I think the biggest thing for us is, he's not getting frustrated," Sloan said of her son. The read- ing, she adds, is also helping Aar- on with his speech. "His speech is clearer. You can understand every word now," Sloan said with a smile. Since starting in the program last September, Aaron has gone from a reading level below the first-grade level to nearly three- quarters of the way through the first-grade level. "I'm a total believer," Sloan said. Like many kids, Aaron likes to play computer games, but now he chooses games where players read a story and then are asked to answer questions about that story. JAMES BYFORD IS happy with his son Jordan's progress. "He's starting to sound out things," Byford said. "He's read- ing more at home now, and better books." Jordan looks forward to coming to the weekly sessions, his father said. "He likes the program. He's had real good teachers all the way through here," Byford said. "He needed a little bit of extra help and this is right up his alley. Mrs. Knight and Mrs. Madison have a real good way with kids. Heather Knight has a real good rapport with kids. Mrs. Madison's the same way," the elder Byford said. DON ROBBINS, who's also a Southside School Board member, brings his daughter, Courtney, to the sessions. "It's helped out a lot," he said. "She's reading better." Courtney is able to pronounce the words she reads now, he add- ed. "We've got really good teachers here. The teachers can only do so much; it's got to start at home," Robbins said. "It's encouraging to see the parents that are involved in this. It's proof that they care and want to help," he said. "It really doesn't take much as long as you're will- ing to work." L 'II , , ............... /IIF  i:!,i; :: :/ :  .... :00ii il 00iii0000i000000iiii:i,:00 iii00 SOUTHSIDE SCHOOL parent James Byford works with his son, Jor- dan, in the school's Reading Mentor program. The weekly, one-on- one sessions with.parents and students has helped the youngsters make gains in thezr reading abilities. Wedeliver I-IIEATING UIL COMPARE OUR LOW PRICES! Located at Sanderson We carry kerosene. Industrial Park uNo00tO 427-8084 SHELTON CITY COMMISSIONERS Janet Thornbrue, left, and John Tarrant, right, discuss the Shelton Civic Center project with Jim Quillin, the city's project inspector. The area behind them will be the site of the new emergency communications center. Deputies invited out: MMK kids hot about smoking on campus Student body representatives at Mary M. Knight School are doing a slow burn. The issue, they say, is smoking. On Monday, the school's Associated Student Body president Erik Larson, vice president Aaron Brear and treasurer Jeremy Brehmeyer penned a letter to Mason County Sheriff Steve Whybark to air their concern over "a blatant disregard for the law." Citing state law that prohibits the use of to- bacco products on school grounds, they called the sheriff's attention to their concern that adults at- tending sports events or programs at the school don't seem to care. "Ironically," the trio wrote, "they smoke right in front of the sign which states the RCW (Revised Code of Washington) that prohibits such acts." The smokers "set a poor example for children and other adults," the ASB reps wrote. "This is the most impressionable time in many students' lives, and when they see adults nonchalantly breaking the law, what lesson are they teaching? What kind of future leaders are they forming?" Being ASB leaders or even school administra- tors, they pointed out, doesn't involve the right to enforce the law. "Therefore," they wrote, "we are requesting occasional patrols on campus and ask that your deputies enforce the law and tick offenders. "Your deputies," they added, "are also invited to stay and enjoy some good old-fashioned high school sports, as well." Shelton board lauds four student leaders Four Shelton High School stu- dents were recognized at Tues- day's Shelton School Board meet- ing for their community efforts. All four are members of social studies teacher Ed Stewart's lead- ership class at SHS, which stress- es, among other things, communi- ty involvement. Crystal Brush and Rebecca Haertel organized a stories-and- sweets program at the high school. On January 13, some 40 children attended the program at the SHS Student Union Building where, they listened to stories read by 30 high-school student volunteers. They also munched on sweets and received books collect- ed during a book drive the two girls started. Susanne Feucht and Aimee Pierce coordinated a swing dance at the school on January 16. The dance raised nearly $300 for Ma- son County Habitat for Humani- ty. The two students organized the dance, bought cookies and ad- vertised the dance through a loan from the SHS Associated Student Body and arranged for soda pop to be donated by local grocery stores. The dance was attended by 150 community members. "The two of us found this to be a very reward- ing experience," Pierce told the school board. Drop in, Neighbor :D:[:LicioIIS , at Little Creek Casino % • MON DAYS le 5PM TO 9PM YOUR CHOICE OF: • • 2 pancakes, legg, and • - "8oz. Top Sirlo,n sausage or bacon ,, Red Potatoes  • -or. " ._ Vegetables • The Daffy Breakfast Special $  Dinner Roll / 00$199 *395. \\; You also .et th00s st00-ke: i EVERYDAY 10AM-NOON ";" e ,.. ; . • U FRIDAY, SATURDAY 1| PM-SAM D matcnpay, or SUNDAY=THURSDAY | | PM-2AM e coupon for Megamama/Flashcash C A S I. N" " " " u 0 ---- r':: :''" t " Open Daily Interchange Hwy 1011108 * Shelton • (360) 427-7711 * re.little-creek.corn Check out our new hours: Sunday thru Wednesday 10am to 4am, Thurla)' thru Saturday 10am to 6am .... 'r'l A Ak At, Ak Ak At, Ak Ak AIk Thursday, January20, 1999 - Shelton-Mason County Journal. Page 3