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I~age A-16 - Mason County Journal - Thursday, Feb. 12,2015
By NATALIE JOHNSON
natalie@masoncoun com
Mason County PUD 1
marked its 80th anniversary
providing public power to Ma-
son County residents on Hood
Canal last week.
'~Ne're not a profit-based
organization. We don't try to
make any money for private
stockholders," said PUD 1
Commissioner Ron Gold. "The
ratepayers are our stockhold-
ers. Everyone benefits by being
part of the system."
Eight decades after vot-
ers approved the creation of a
publicly funded power utility,
PUD 1 staff, board members
and customers celebrated the
district's anniversary on Feb. 4.
The district plans to have a
celebration with its customers
this fall in conjunction with the
PUD's annual customer appre-
ciation event and public power
week celebration.
PIED l's history began in the
late 1920s, when the Washing-
ten Grange Association put for-
ward an initiative to authorize
the creation of public utility
districts.
Photo courtesy of Mason County PUD I
Linemen Don Young, Jim Reeder and Jim Lahey stand next
to a Mason County PUD 1 truck in the 1950s. Mason County
PUD 1 celebrated its 80th anniversary on Feb. 4.
Voters approved the initia-Commissioner Karl Denison.
tive in a statewide ballot mea- "Our role as PUDs was to pro-
sure in 1930. vide an essential service to ev-
"At the time the rural areas eryone."
weren't getting served, or if Mason, Benton and Frank-
they were getting served it was lin county voters approved bal-
really expensive," said PUD 1 lot measures in 1934 to create
public utility districts. Mason low, which is a priority for the
County PUD 1 officially began PUD commission, Gold said.
operations on Feb. 4, 1935, and Those costs come from rising
was the first operating PUD in costs for hydropower from the
Washington. Bonneville Power Administra-
"For me, it's a real honor to tion and fish and habitat ad-
serve as the ratepaye~s repre- ministration, he said.
sentative to carry out the vision "It's a challenge because hav-
of the Grange and the Legisla- ing this public power is a real
ture," Denison said. jewel," Gold said. "Twenty-five
Morrison Pixley, who settled to 33 cents of every power bill is
in Union in 1906 and founded for habitat or fish mitigation."
the Hood Canal Telephone Co. Gold, who just began his
in 1934, helped create the util- third term as a PUD 1 com-
ity district. His son, Clark Mor- missioner, said he understands
rison Pixley, was the PUD'show higher power rates affect
first manager. PIED 1 customers.
PUD 1 acquired the Union "It's a challenge to try to
Water Co. in 1945 and now keep the rates down," he said.
owns and manages 36 water "I know my rates have doubled
systems in Mason County. from when I first became a
The district has 23 full-time commissioner to now."
employees, three elected corn- In recent years, the PUD has
missioners and serves aboutworked to upgrade infrastruc-
7,200 water, wastewater andture and facilities, for example,
electric customers, replacing aging power meters.
PD-D 1, like other public util- "A lot of the infrastructure
ity districts in the state, can of- was built right after World War
fer lower rates than privately II and much of that's in need
owned utilities because of its of replacing," Denison said. "I
access to the federally owned hope we can continue to serve
hydropower system, Gold said. our customers in the next 80
Increasing costs make it dif- years as good as we have in the
ficult for the PUD to keep rates last 80 years,"
STAFF REPORT
news@masoncoun com
The Northwest Lions Foundation
Health Screening Unit visited seven
Mason County schools Jan. 26 through
Jan. 30, providing eyesight and hear-
ing tests for more than 2,000 students. Volunteers from the Morningstar Lions Clubs can also test adults for dia-
The health screening vanvisitedEv-Lions and Shelton Lions clubs spent betes, vision and hearing levels, blood
ergreen Elementary, Mountain View 150 hours working at the screeningpressure and glaucoma.
Elementary, Bordeaux Elementary, stations. The Morningstar and Shelton
Olympic Middle, Mason County Chris- The screening unit is funded through Lions clubs will again bring the van to
tian, Southside and Pioneer Primary Lions Club fundraising activities.Shelton on June 27 to coincide with the
schools. Using the Health Screening Unit, Shelton Relay for Life.
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