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ty's emergency services
t gets a new name
fuaWhat's in a name? Less con-
ion, Joe Murray, emergency
director, told the Mason
Board of Commissioners
ay's meeting when he
reCOmmended changing the de-
title to the Mason
Department of Emergen-
'ement.
ds word change, Murray
d commissioners John Bo-
and Cindy Olsen, "would
us better in directing the
public and in identifying us to
state and federal agencies."
His office receives calls about
food banks, help with rent and
mortgage payments and reloca-
tion of the homeless persons, he
noted. Murray also reported that'
when the state changed its de-
partment title from "emergency
services" to "emergency man-
agement" the county did not fol-
low suit.
Besides the name change, the
board approved revisions to an
ordinance establishing a joint
county and city of Shelton dis-
aster assistance council and lo-
cal emergency planning com-
mittee. The ordinance also es-
tablishes the membership of the
council and committee. This
group would replace "an outdated
and dysfunctional 'Emergency
Services Council,' " Murray
said.
No longer will Murray serve
as chairperson of this group. The
county commission chairperson
will act as chair of the disaster
assistance council and the
mayor of Shelton will act as the
vice chair. The director of emer-
gency management with his or
her counterpart from the city will
serve as council staff coordina-
tors.
The Mason County Disaster
Assistance Council will meet on
a quarterly basis.
County property-tax levy
6 percent above 1998 level
lason County commissioners
set the 1999 property-tax
for local landowners at 6
above 1998's levy at their
26 evening meeting.
order to exceed Referendum
for the current-expense
road funds, the board also
resolutions establishing
need for increases
the rate of inflation as de-
the implicit price defla-
The 1998 IPD was less
1 percent, Mason County
Budget Director Ione Siegler told
commissioners John Bolender
and Cindy Olsen.
The Washington State Depart-
ment of Revenue requires that a
property-tax levy be set by resolu-
tion, she added, and substantial
need must be established to in-
crease the levy amount. In both
cases the levy amount is 6 per-
cent greater than the highest
amount of regular property taxes
that could have been lawfully
levied in the county in any year
"es held in
iwaup break-ins
of the Mason County
Office have arrested
Juveniles in connection with
of burglaries in the Colo-
subdivision.
Gary Crane said
quantity" of property
recovered from their home.
are trying to track down
the owners of what they believe is
stolen property.
The investigation continues. At
last count four homes in the Colo-
ny Surf area had been hit by bur-
glars, some more than once.
Deputies are looking into the pos-
sibilities that more burglaries
may have occurred.
since 1985.
IN SETTING the 6 percent in-
crease for the current-expense
fund, Siegler reported,
"Washington State has declared
Mason County an 'economically
distressed county,' and the Board
of Mason County Commission-
ers have determined that, due to
the increased costs and needs of
mandated criminal-justice ser-
vices, the reduced state forest
revenue and the protection of fu-
ture property-tax revenues, there
is a substantial need to increase
the regular property-tax levy
above the rate of inflation as de-
fined by the implicit price defla-
tor."
The 1999 levy amount is
$292,186, Siegler said.
Bolender explained that the
board could not ignore the needs
of the courts, the prosecutor's of-
fice and the sheriffs office to
carry out their duties. Those
needs, coupled with the decline
in timber revenue, are the rea-
sons for a higher level than the
IPD, he added.
The board also authorized a 6
percent increase in the levy for
the road fund. The amount for
next year will be $314,448, Sie-
gler said.
SUBSTANTIAL NEED exists
"due to extensive weather dam-
age to county roads and to protect
future road property-tax levy ca-
pacity," the budget director re-
ported.
The board also authorized a 6
percent levy hike for the Skoko-
mish Flood Control District
budget. Siegler said the levy
amount is $2,656, which is 6 per-
cent greater than the previous
year. Only one resolution is
needed for the flood district be-
cause the population is under
10,000, she explained.
Last week Siegler told The
Journal that just because the
county revenue will go up by 6
percent, that does not mean prop-
erty taxes will increase 6 per-
cent. The property-tax rate is de-
termined by the assessor's office
once all levy requests are re-
ceived from the junior taxing
districts like schools, ports, fire
protection, hospital and library.
00ounty acts on road plans
y's meeting, the
County Commission took
to clarify the annual and
road plans and to move
several county road proj-
Engineer Jerry Hauth
commissioners John
and Cindy Olsen with
to clarify the coun-
responsibility for ongoing
and maintenance on
in the 1999 annual con-
n program and the six-
)ortation improve-
Program.
the annual plan, the
adds the words "and
mitigation" to county-
and large culvert re-
and, for the six-year
that to the proj-
AMENDMENTS will
the public works depart-
track mitigation work as
item in the road budget,
explained. For example,
about $320,000 is allocated
Year's road budget in an-
of salmon enhance-
Work related to scheduled
this summer.
affords us a better oppor-
keep salmon enhance-
ects in one basket so it's
to go back and track
Bolender observed.
board then established a
for wetland related mit-
With in the 1999 budget.
at $150,000 from the
$320,000 salmon enhancement
work, the work will be performed
by contract. "This gives us a
mechanism to track the wetlands
mitigation," Hauth said.
Next, Hauth was given the au-
thority to hire a project engineer
for the public works department.
He said his staff is getting far-
ther behind on road projects be-
cause they are pulled out to do
field work for other departments
like community services and the
building.
BY APPROVING this posi-
tion, Hauth said the commission
would eliminate the the need for
contract services with en-
gineers. The project engineer
would act as a field engineer for
the public works department, do
field reconnaissance work for
other departments and act as the
county's representative on miti-
gation projects.
The engineer would essen-
tially be a "troubleshooter,"
Hauth noted, adding that this
would free up three of his en-
gineers to do road project work.
The position is in the 1999 budget
under consultant contracts. "It
doesn't increase cost and should
improve services," Hauth said.
Paperwork was completed for
improvement of 1.5 miles of Old
Olympic Highway including the
Skookum Creek Bridge. Hauth
said for the past three or four
years the county has been work-
ing with the Squaxin Island In-
dian Tribe which is trying to ac-
cess Bureau of Indian Affairs
(BIA) funds for the bridge re-
placement.
The tribe also has a sincere
desire to get the road upgraded
from the reservation residential
area to the casino, Hauth report-
ed. He observed this was "a win-
win situation" for both the tribe
and the county because the stretch
of road from Highway 108 to
Bloomfield Road is "one of the
very old roads in the county."
Costs for engineering are esti-
mated at $40,000 and for right-of-
way work at $42,000.
THE PROJECT is on the
county's six-year roster and is
now at the point where a design
engineer is needed for the road
project, Hauth added. "This
won't be a simple design process.
It will take some time," he add-
ed.
The board authorized Hauth to
request proposals from the con-
sultant roster and contract with a
firm for design services. If the
BIA funds become available for
the bridge replacement project,
the county engineer said that
could be added to the contract at a
later date.
Hauth was also given the okay
to hire a consultant for archeo-
logical services on a Crestview
Drive project. Admitting he was
not even sure there was an ar-
cheologist on the roster, he noted
that the road project is unique.
There is an ancient cemetery
in the area of the proposed road
work and the records are not
clear on where the plots are,
Hauth reported. The consultant
would search for records and do
site reconnaissance survey
work.
"SOUNDS IAKE a question we
need to have answered before we
start moving too much dirt,"
Bolender commented.
The county's 101 Connector
Corridor Study agreement with
Skillings-Connolly, Incorporat-
ed was amended by the board to
include additional digital base
mapping information. Hauth
said the first two weeks in Febru-
ary are the optimum timeframe
for aerial photos of the area from
Pickering Passage to the Hood
Canal south shoreline from the
mouth of the Skokomish River to
the area where North Mason
High School is located.
The net benefit for the county
will be a more complete digital
picture of the terrain, Hauth
said. The work will provide a
base map for the Geographic In-
formation System which the
county hopes to develop in the
near future, he added.
In terms of cost, Hauth stated
$1.1 million had been allocated
for Phase I work on the corridor
study and about $290,000 is left.
The anticipated cost for this work
is $240,000 but the use of stafftime
could cut down that figure, he re-
marked.
/
/
\\;
\\;
(360) 426-4431
12 Convenient Locations in
Mason, Thurston and Pierce £ounties
SHEmTA6EBANK
$5-million addition to North Shelton
SUNRISE CARE and Rehabilitation
has opened its doors to its first resi-
dents and expects its inspections for
Medicaid and Medicare certification
soon. In the meantime, say staffers at
the new 76-bed care center, local resi-
dents are invited to an open house
from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, February 14.
More information on SunRise can be
found on page 1.
SOCK lease armory
(Continued from page 1.)
cy, it's a great place to pass along
replaced computers and software.
She'd like to see more interfac-
ing with other agencies. Right
now, she said, there's no connec-
tion between SOCK and Boys and
Girls Club of Mason County. "But
there are times when we'd like to
join forces and maybe do a
dance," she instanced. "That
hasn't happened yet."
SHE HOPES that eventually
the Boys and Girls Club organiza-
tion will provide a similar kind of
activity for younger kids. "The
youngest we allow," she said, "are as well, she said with a smile.
Plan to Plan
The following governmen-
tal meetings, all open to the
public, can affect property
rights, the environment and
planning for the future of
Mason County.
Monday, February 8
7 p.m., Mason County
Planning Commission, com-
missioners' chambers at 411
North Fifth.
Monday, February 22
7 p:m,, Mason County
Shorelines Advisory Board,
commissioners' chambers at
411 North Fifth,
Mason County Solid Waste
Advisory Board will not
meet in February and
March, Now meeting on a
q arterly schedule, the
b rd will hold its next
meeting at 7p.m. Thursday,
April 22, in the commission-
ers' chambers at 411 North
Fii Street,
i i,, h, i il:ll i i i
8 years old unless, they're with a
parent who stays with them."
And she'd like to see more ac-
tivities for teen moms. "It's a good
place," she said, "for teen moms to
come where their babies are
fussed over and the morns get a
chance to be with some friends."
Other mothers are encouraged
"We encourage people to come see
what's going on," she said. "We
had one room come in to see what
we were doing, but she told us up
front, 'I don't want any part of
this.' But as she watched and lis-
tened, she changed her mind.
"Now," Cruickshank said,
"she's a volunteer."
At Friends of College meeting:
Olympic's dean will
visit on February 11
Michael Connolly, Olympic
College's dean of business ser-
vices, will meet with the Friends
of Olympic College Shelton at the
group's meeting at 5:30 p.m.
Thursday, February 11, at the
OCS campus, 937 West Alpine
Way, Shelton. The public is wel-
come to attend.
"We have the largest number
of full-time equivalent students
on the Shelton campus since win-
ter quarter of 1997," said Nora
Ellen Richard, OCS director.
"And we are projecting that en-
rollment growth to hit at least
255 by the end of winter quarter
this year. So it's timely Dr. Con-
nolly can be here. OCS has en-
tered into a new phase of working
together as a team to provide the
best educational experiences pos-
sible in Mason County."
Connolly has been with Olym-
pic College since 1976. He holds a
doctor of jurisprudence degree
from Fordham University, and
served as interim president of
Olympic College during the 1987-
1988 academic year.
PRICES
PUGET SOUND
PROPANE
(360) 753-5877
C A S I NO
Dinner & Show
.... 00only S25 per couple
Open Daily • Interchange Swy 1011108 • Shelttm • (360) 427-7711 • www.little.a'eek.€om .
Check out our new hour: Sunday thru Wednesday 10am to 4am, Thursday thru Saturday loam to tram
dkAk& AkAkAkAk
'ITI Illll IIIIII III
Thursday, February 4, 1999- Shelton-Mason County JotJrnat - Page 3
ty's emergency services
t gets a new name
fuaWhat's in a name? Less con-
ion, Joe Murray, emergency
director, told the Mason
Board of Commissioners
ay's meeting when he
reCOmmended changing the de-
title to the Mason
Department of Emergen-
'ement.
ds word change, Murray
d commissioners John Bo-
and Cindy Olsen, "would
us better in directing the
public and in identifying us to
state and federal agencies."
His office receives calls about
food banks, help with rent and
mortgage payments and reloca-
tion of the homeless persons, he
noted. Murray also reported that'
when the state changed its de-
partment title from "emergency
services" to "emergency man-
agement" the county did not fol-
low suit.
Besides the name change, the
board approved revisions to an
ordinance establishing a joint
county and city of Shelton dis-
aster assistance council and lo-
cal emergency planning com-
mittee. The ordinance also es-
tablishes the membership of the
council and committee. This
group would replace "an outdated
and dysfunctional 'Emergency
Services Council,' " Murray
said.
No longer will Murray serve
as chairperson of this group. The
county commission chairperson
will act as chair of the disaster
assistance council and the
mayor of Shelton will act as the
vice chair. The director of emer-
gency management with his or
her counterpart from the city will
serve as council staff coordina-
tors.
The Mason County Disaster
Assistance Council will meet on
a quarterly basis.
County property-tax levy
6 percent above 1998 level
lason County commissioners
set the 1999 property-tax
for local landowners at 6
above 1998's levy at their
26 evening meeting.
order to exceed Referendum
for the current-expense
road funds, the board also
resolutions establishing
need for increases
the rate of inflation as de-
the implicit price defla-
The 1998 IPD was less
1 percent, Mason County
Budget Director Ione Siegler told
commissioners John Bolender
and Cindy Olsen.
The Washington State Depart-
ment of Revenue requires that a
property-tax levy be set by resolu-
tion, she added, and substantial
need must be established to in-
crease the levy amount. In both
cases the levy amount is 6 per-
cent greater than the highest
amount of regular property taxes
that could have been lawfully
levied in the county in any year
"es held in
iwaup break-ins
of the Mason County
Office have arrested
Juveniles in connection with
of burglaries in the Colo-
subdivision.
Gary Crane said
quantity" of property
recovered from their home.
are trying to track down
the owners of what they believe is
stolen property.
The investigation continues. At
last count four homes in the Colo-
ny Surf area had been hit by bur-
glars, some more than once.
Deputies are looking into the pos-
sibilities that more burglaries
may have occurred.
since 1985.
IN SETTING the 6 percent in-
crease for the current-expense
fund, Siegler reported,
"Washington State has declared
Mason County an 'economically
distressed county,' and the Board
of Mason County Commission-
ers have determined that, due to
the increased costs and needs of
mandated criminal-justice ser-
vices, the reduced state forest
revenue and the protection of fu-
ture property-tax revenues, there
is a substantial need to increase
the regular property-tax levy
above the rate of inflation as de-
fined by the implicit price defla-
tor."
The 1999 levy amount is
$292,186, Siegler said.
Bolender explained that the
board could not ignore the needs
of the courts, the prosecutor's of-
fice and the sheriffs office to
carry out their duties. Those
needs, coupled with the decline
in timber revenue, are the rea-
sons for a higher level than the
IPD, he added.
The board also authorized a 6
percent increase in the levy for
the road fund. The amount for
next year will be $314,448, Sie-
gler said.
SUBSTANTIAL NEED exists
"due to extensive weather dam-
age to county roads and to protect
future road property-tax levy ca-
pacity," the budget director re-
ported.
The board also authorized a 6
percent levy hike for the Skoko-
mish Flood Control District
budget. Siegler said the levy
amount is $2,656, which is 6 per-
cent greater than the previous
year. Only one resolution is
needed for the flood district be-
cause the population is under
10,000, she explained.
Last week Siegler told The
Journal that just because the
county revenue will go up by 6
percent, that does not mean prop-
erty taxes will increase 6 per-
cent. The property-tax rate is de-
termined by the assessor's office
once all levy requests are re-
ceived from the junior taxing
districts like schools, ports, fire
protection, hospital and library.
00ounty acts on road plans
y's meeting, the
County Commission took
to clarify the annual and
road plans and to move
several county road proj-
Engineer Jerry Hauth
commissioners John
and Cindy Olsen with
to clarify the coun-
responsibility for ongoing
and maintenance on
in the 1999 annual con-
n program and the six-
)ortation improve-
Program.
the annual plan, the
adds the words "and
mitigation" to county-
and large culvert re-
and, for the six-year
that to the proj-
AMENDMENTS will
the public works depart-
track mitigation work as
item in the road budget,
explained. For example,
about $320,000 is allocated
Year's road budget in an-
of salmon enhance-
Work related to scheduled
this summer.
affords us a better oppor-
keep salmon enhance-
ects in one basket so it's
to go back and track
Bolender observed.
board then established a
for wetland related mit-
With in the 1999 budget.
at $150,000 from the
$320,000 salmon enhancement
work, the work will be performed
by contract. "This gives us a
mechanism to track the wetlands
mitigation," Hauth said.
Next, Hauth was given the au-
thority to hire a project engineer
for the public works department.
He said his staff is getting far-
ther behind on road projects be-
cause they are pulled out to do
field work for other departments
like community services and the
building.
BY APPROVING this posi-
tion, Hauth said the commission
would eliminate the the need for
contract services with en-
gineers. The project engineer
would act as a field engineer for
the public works department, do
field reconnaissance work for
other departments and act as the
county's representative on miti-
gation projects.
The engineer would essen-
tially be a "troubleshooter,"
Hauth noted, adding that this
would free up three of his en-
gineers to do road project work.
The position is in the 1999 budget
under consultant contracts. "It
doesn't increase cost and should
improve services," Hauth said.
Paperwork was completed for
improvement of 1.5 miles of Old
Olympic Highway including the
Skookum Creek Bridge. Hauth
said for the past three or four
years the county has been work-
ing with the Squaxin Island In-
dian Tribe which is trying to ac-
cess Bureau of Indian Affairs
(BIA) funds for the bridge re-
placement.
The tribe also has a sincere
desire to get the road upgraded
from the reservation residential
area to the casino, Hauth report-
ed. He observed this was "a win-
win situation" for both the tribe
and the county because the stretch
of road from Highway 108 to
Bloomfield Road is "one of the
very old roads in the county."
Costs for engineering are esti-
mated at $40,000 and for right-of-
way work at $42,000.
THE PROJECT is on the
county's six-year roster and is
now at the point where a design
engineer is needed for the road
project, Hauth added. "This
won't be a simple design process.
It will take some time," he add-
ed.
The board authorized Hauth to
request proposals from the con-
sultant roster and contract with a
firm for design services. If the
BIA funds become available for
the bridge replacement project,
the county engineer said that
could be added to the contract at a
later date.
Hauth was also given the okay
to hire a consultant for archeo-
logical services on a Crestview
Drive project. Admitting he was
not even sure there was an ar-
cheologist on the roster, he noted
that the road project is unique.
There is an ancient cemetery
in the area of the proposed road
work and the records are not
clear on where the plots are,
Hauth reported. The consultant
would search for records and do
site reconnaissance survey
work.
"SOUNDS IAKE a question we
need to have answered before we
start moving too much dirt,"
Bolender commented.
The county's 101 Connector
Corridor Study agreement with
Skillings-Connolly, Incorporat-
ed was amended by the board to
include additional digital base
mapping information. Hauth
said the first two weeks in Febru-
ary are the optimum timeframe
for aerial photos of the area from
Pickering Passage to the Hood
Canal south shoreline from the
mouth of the Skokomish River to
the area where North Mason
High School is located.
The net benefit for the county
will be a more complete digital
picture of the terrain, Hauth
said. The work will provide a
base map for the Geographic In-
formation System which the
county hopes to develop in the
near future, he added.
In terms of cost, Hauth stated
$1.1 million had been allocated
for Phase I work on the corridor
study and about $290,000 is left.
The anticipated cost for this work
is $240,000 but the use of stafftime
could cut down that figure, he re-
marked.
/
/
\\;
\\;
(360) 426-4431
12 Convenient Locations in
Mason, Thurston and Pierce £ounties
SHEmTA6EBANK
$5-million addition to North Shelton
SUNRISE CARE and Rehabilitation
has opened its doors to its first resi-
dents and expects its inspections for
Medicaid and Medicare certification
soon. In the meantime, say staffers at
the new 76-bed care center, local resi-
dents are invited to an open house
from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, February 14.
More information on SunRise can be
found on page 1.
SOCK lease armory
(Continued from page 1.)
cy, it's a great place to pass along
replaced computers and software.
She'd like to see more interfac-
ing with other agencies. Right
now, she said, there's no connec-
tion between SOCK and Boys and
Girls Club of Mason County. "But
there are times when we'd like to
join forces and maybe do a
dance," she instanced. "That
hasn't happened yet."
SHE HOPES that eventually
the Boys and Girls Club organiza-
tion will provide a similar kind of
activity for younger kids. "The
youngest we allow," she said, "are as well, she said with a smile.
Plan to Plan
The following governmen-
tal meetings, all open to the
public, can affect property
rights, the environment and
planning for the future of
Mason County.
Monday, February 8
7 p.m., Mason County
Planning Commission, com-
missioners' chambers at 411
North Fifth.
Monday, February 22
7 p:m,, Mason County
Shorelines Advisory Board,
commissioners' chambers at
411 North Fifth,
Mason County Solid Waste
Advisory Board will not
meet in February and
March, Now meeting on a
q arterly schedule, the
b rd will hold its next
meeting at 7p.m. Thursday,
April 22, in the commission-
ers' chambers at 411 North
Fii Street,
i i,, h, i il:ll i i i
8 years old unless, they're with a
parent who stays with them."
And she'd like to see more ac-
tivities for teen moms. "It's a good
place," she said, "for teen moms to
come where their babies are
fussed over and the morns get a
chance to be with some friends."
Other mothers are encouraged
"We encourage people to come see
what's going on," she said. "We
had one room come in to see what
we were doing, but she told us up
front, 'I don't want any part of
this.' But as she watched and lis-
tened, she changed her mind.
"Now," Cruickshank said,
"she's a volunteer."
At Friends of College meeting:
Olympic's dean will
visit on February 11
Michael Connolly, Olympic
College's dean of business ser-
vices, will meet with the Friends
of Olympic College Shelton at the
group's meeting at 5:30 p.m.
Thursday, February 11, at the
OCS campus, 937 West Alpine
Way, Shelton. The public is wel-
come to attend.
"We have the largest number
of full-time equivalent students
on the Shelton campus since win-
ter quarter of 1997," said Nora
Ellen Richard, OCS director.
"And we are projecting that en-
rollment growth to hit at least
255 by the end of winter quarter
this year. So it's timely Dr. Con-
nolly can be here. OCS has en-
tered into a new phase of working
together as a team to provide the
best educational experiences pos-
sible in Mason County."
Connolly has been with Olym-
pic College since 1976. He holds a
doctor of jurisprudence degree
from Fordham University, and
served as interim president of
Olympic College during the 1987-
1988 academic year.
PRICES
PUGET SOUND
PROPANE
(360) 753-5877
C A S I NO
Dinner & Show
.... 00only S25 per couple
Open Daily • Interchange Swy 1011108 • Shelttm • (360) 427-7711 • www.little.a'eek.€om .
Check out our new hour: Sunday thru Wednesday 10am to 4am, Thursday thru Saturday loam to tram
dkAk& AkAkAkAk
'ITI Illll IIIIII III
Thursday, February 4, 1999- Shelton-Mason County JotJrnat - Page 3