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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
April 5, 2007     Shelton Mason County Journal
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April 5, 2007
 
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SHELTON- MASON COUNTY J00:)URNAL Thursday, April 5, 2007 121st Year m Number 14 5 Sections m 50 Pages Published in Shelton, Washington 75 cents Chief leaves in District 4 SANDI KVARNSTROM and husband Carl frame the Purdy Canyon Drive-In, which closed its doors one last time Saturday evening to make way for a new Purdy Creek Bridge to be built next year. Closure not a Purdy picture for lovers ,of Skok Burgers By JEFF GREEN They've flipped their last hamburger at the Purdy Canyon Drive-In. After a run spanning at least 50 Years, the unpretentious little eatery by the side of Highway 101 about 10 miles north of Shel- ton closed its doors for the final time Saturday evening. "We made a lot of friends here," said Carl Kvarnstrom, who with his Wife, Sandi, were the last of four Owners of the drive-in. "It's been fun, but it's been hard work, too." The drive-in was open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days during spring, summer and fall, then scaled back to five days a week in the winter. In the 17 years the Kvarnstroms owned the restau- rant, they took just one extended vacation, a three-week trip back to the East Coast. 'YOU'RE REALLY obli- gated. You're really tied down," Sandi said. She used to cook and work up front at the drive-in, but stopped after getting a full-time job with Mason County in 2003. The state of Washington is slated to begin negotiations to buy the restaurant, the Kvarn- strom's house, a rental mobile home and the three-and-a-half- acre parcel those sit on to make way for a new Purdy Canyon Bridge. The proposed replace- ment bridge will be a 350-foot- long precast girder structure that will raise the grade of the highway by approximately 11 feet to prevent flooding. The length of the roadway re- construction to accommodate the grade change will be about half a mile. Construction will start in the spring of 2008 and the new roadway will be built alongside (Please turn to page 8.) Hupp to seek port seat Jay Hupp this week announced he is a candidate for a seat on the Port of Shelton Commission. Hupp, a 25-year resident and business development practitio- ner in Mason County, is running for the District 3 commissioner's position currently held by Mar- leae Taylor, who is not expected to seek reelection this fall. With job creation through business de- velopment as the primary goal of the port, Hupp said he sees him- self as uniquely qualified to help make policy decisions toward that end. After 14 years on the staff of the Economic Development Coun- cil of Mason County, 23 years as a small-business owner and 18 years of involvement with busi- nesses at the port, Hupp said he has the background and motiva- tion to do the job. He said his qualifications are further broadened by seven years as the EDC's representative to the Washington State Rural De- velopment Council and his role as (Please turn to page 8.) By JEFF GREEN The atmosphere of controversy continues to bubble at Fire Dis- trict 4 as Joel Menter is out as chief and his assistant, Bob Bur- bridge, has been elevated to acting chief for now. In a public statement issued following a closed-door session at a special meeting of the Fire Dis- trict 4 commissioners on Thurs- day, March 29, it was announced that Menter is changing positions in preparation for his coming re- tirement. Between now and December 31, Menter will serve as a consultant to the district and fire commission- ers by "providing administrative guidance and support as needed while withdrawing from the day- to-day operations of the district. In his new position, Mr• Menter will be available to the board (of fire commissioners) in order to provide any support they need," the state- ment said. The statement does not elabo- rate on what compensation Menter will be paid and how much time he will put in as a consultant. Accord- ing to Gary Plews, chairman of the Fire District 4 Commission, de- tails in a new working agreement between the fire district and Men- ter are still being negotiated. "After sustaining the stress from the trials and tribulations with the board of fire commission- ers this year, I have come to the difficult conclusion that I would like to pursue other ventures be- yond District 4," Menter said in the statement. Menter has served in various capacities in the Mason County (Please turn to page 6.) MMK superintendent contract not renewed By JEFF GREEN 20. Goldy said she and MMK Busi- After a three-year tenure as su- ness Manager Tiki Willey will then perintendent at Mary M. Knight screen the applications, and for- School District, Carol Ersland is ward some on to the school board on the way out• for review at the board's April 23 Ersland's contract was not re- meeting• newed by the MMK School Board Goldy said the board is looking at its meeting in late February. for a candidate who is more of a The vote was 4-0, with Diana business person who can help the Goldy, board chairwoman, opting district do strategic planning• "She not to vote because there was no didn't have time to do it," Goldy tie vote for her to break, said of Ersland. Goldy said the board is trying THREE YEARS AGO, veteran to reorganize the school district's MMK Superintendent Fred Yanc- administration and that Ersland ey was let go after 12 years by the currently is the lone administra- school board. That decision rocked tor. "She's been the only adminis- the small community of Matlock. trator and has been putting in all According to then school board these extra hours," Goldy said. member Judy Curry, Yancey was THE DISTRICT currently is ambushed by two school unions advertising for a superintendent/ who presented votes of no-confi- principal, then, depending on dence in him to the board. the new person's preference, will Yancey ultimately was replaced seek a second administrator to be by Ersland, who had been serv- principal of either the elementary ing as principal of the elementary school or high school, school at MMK. Goldy said there Goldy said the school board of- were no votes of no-confidence in fered Ersland that second position, Ersland. as a principal, but she declined. Board members who voted for Woman LI: to prison for theft Applications for the superinten- not renewing her contract were see dent/principal's position for the Rick Johnson, Chris Willey, Joe coming school year close on April Rothrock and Jim Frost. of 837,000 from auto dealership By CAROLYN MADDUX Gillis Auto Center and the com- tion that provides in-home health Oien, Whitener die Etbezzling $37,000 from a munity before Sheldon imposed care, indicating that Strickland accident Shelton car dealership amounted the sentence, had applied for a position with in Oregon to a Prison sentence for Dawndi "How can you sleep at night?" that group. Heilman said she wor- Michelle Strickland of Montesano, her angry supervisor, Gillis office ried that Strickland could violate who Was sentenced to 43 months manager Sandy Heilman, asked a position of trust in that capac- Two Shelton residents died The rural highway leads to the incarceration when she appeared as she described the impact of ity. early Monday in a single-car crash coast and police said it would be Monday before Judge Toni Shel- Strickland's altering of balance DEPUTY PROSECUTOR near the Oregon Coast. difficult for persons to have seen uon in Mason County Superior sheets over a period of 14 months. Mike Dorcy said there was a plea According to news reports, driv- the car as they drove past. A local Court. She told the court she was also bargain involved in resolving the er Andrew James Oien, 23, and resident was returning home from A tearful Strickland apologized troubled by a call from the Korean case that included an agreed rec- passenger Darla J. Whitener, 25, lunch Monday afternoon with his to her CO-workers, the owners of Women's Association, an organiza- (Please turn to page 6.) died in the crash. Oregon State wife and daughter when they spot- Police officers found the wrecked ted the wrecked car. Pontiac Grand Am about 5:30 p.m. Oien and Whitener had been 00nytatt-Or says Monday off the side of Highway on theirwayfromtheWilsonville, 38 east of Scottsburg, Oregon. The Oregon, area to meet family in highway was closed some three the Winchester Bay area, police • A tlt'e'" run mrs-- hours while police investigated believe. Oien was driving with a the crash, suspended license, a police spokes- Whitener's 7-year-old niece, man said. reelection 00m,ly Whitener of Olympia, was found injured il the back seat of IIIIIIIlUllllllllllllllllUlllllllnllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll the car. She was reported in stable IncumbentSheltonMayorJohn conditionatSacredHeartMedical On the insMe Tarrant has announced he plans Center in Eugene, where she was to run for reelection this fall. taken by helicopter. Births .................................. 33 Tarrant was elected to the Shel- According to a report in The Classifieds ........................... 37 ton City Commission in 1995 as News-Review newspaper in Rose- Community Calendar ....... 20 commissioner of finance. He ran burg, the girl seemed to have been Crossword ........................... 41 SUccessfully for mayor in 1999 and pinned inside the car, surrounded 2003. by clothing and pillows, which Entertainment, Dining ..... 36 "As mayor I preside over city probably saved her life. She was Health Journal ................. 18 commission meetings," he said in reported to have been calm and Journal of Record ............. 23 a press release announcing his bid able to remember phone numbers, Obituaries ........................... 10 for a third term. "Together with names and addresses she had Opinions, Letters ................. 4 ray two fellow commissioners we probably memorized in case of an Sports ................................... 25 represent the citizens of Shelton Fiddle Fest this weekend emergency. Tides ..................................... 23 and directly represent their in- THE EDUCATS (left to right, Paul Barber, Vern Morgus Oien apparently lost control terests in the carrying out of city around 1 a.m. Monday while go- Weather ................................ 11 Policy.', and Ron Grinnell) will be one of 12 acts on stage Satur- ing around a curve, police said. [II[lUIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII|IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIU[ Tarrant said his visions for the day night in the Shelton High School Auditorium at the The car hit a tree and came to rest lty include, first and foremost, 22nd annual Shelton Fiddle Fest. The benefit for Save at the bottom of an embankment. IIIi!1! I H]III II II !!1!11111 , etPlng to continue to make Shel- Our County's Kids features shows at 7 p.m. Friday and 2 The young girl remained in the car oa a livable community, or as the and 7 p.m. Saturday. For more details, see page 36. with the two bodies until police lo- riease turn to page 8.) cated her some 15 hours later. 8 3 2 6 3 0 0 2 SHELTON- MASON COUNTY J00:)URNAL Thursday, April 5, 2007 121st Year m Number 14 5 Sections m 50 Pages Published in Shelton, Washington 75 cents Chief leaves in District 4 SANDI KVARNSTROM and husband Carl frame the Purdy Canyon Drive-In, which closed its doors one last time Saturday evening to make way for a new Purdy Creek Bridge to be built next year. Closure not a Purdy picture for lovers ,of Skok Burgers By JEFF GREEN They've flipped their last hamburger at the Purdy Canyon Drive-In. After a run spanning at least 50 Years, the unpretentious little eatery by the side of Highway 101 about 10 miles north of Shel- ton closed its doors for the final time Saturday evening. "We made a lot of friends here," said Carl Kvarnstrom, who with his Wife, Sandi, were the last of four Owners of the drive-in. "It's been fun, but it's been hard work, too." The drive-in was open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days during spring, summer and fall, then scaled back to five days a week in the winter. In the 17 years the Kvarnstroms owned the restau- rant, they took just one extended vacation, a three-week trip back to the East Coast. 'YOU'RE REALLY obli- gated. You're really tied down," Sandi said. She used to cook and work up front at the drive-in, but stopped after getting a full-time job with Mason County in 2003. The state of Washington is slated to begin negotiations to buy the restaurant, the Kvarn- strom's house, a rental mobile home and the three-and-a-half- acre parcel those sit on to make way for a new Purdy Canyon Bridge. The proposed replace- ment bridge will be a 350-foot- long precast girder structure that will raise the grade of the highway by approximately 11 feet to prevent flooding. The length of the roadway re- construction to accommodate the grade change will be about half a mile. Construction will start in the spring of 2008 and the new roadway will be built alongside (Please turn to page 8.) Hupp to seek port seat Jay Hupp this week announced he is a candidate for a seat on the Port of Shelton Commission. Hupp, a 25-year resident and business development practitio- ner in Mason County, is running for the District 3 commissioner's position currently held by Mar- leae Taylor, who is not expected to seek reelection this fall. With job creation through business de- velopment as the primary goal of the port, Hupp said he sees him- self as uniquely qualified to help make policy decisions toward that end. After 14 years on the staff of the Economic Development Coun- cil of Mason County, 23 years as a small-business owner and 18 years of involvement with busi- nesses at the port, Hupp said he has the background and motiva- tion to do the job. He said his qualifications are further broadened by seven years as the EDC's representative to the Washington State Rural De- velopment Council and his role as (Please turn to page 8.) By JEFF GREEN The atmosphere of controversy continues to bubble at Fire Dis- trict 4 as Joel Menter is out as chief and his assistant, Bob Bur- bridge, has been elevated to acting chief for now. In a public statement issued following a closed-door session at a special meeting of the Fire Dis- trict 4 commissioners on Thurs- day, March 29, it was announced that Menter is changing positions in preparation for his coming re- tirement. Between now and December 31, Menter will serve as a consultant to the district and fire commission- ers by "providing administrative guidance and support as needed while withdrawing from the day- to-day operations of the district. In his new position, Mr• Menter will be available to the board (of fire commissioners) in order to provide any support they need," the state- ment said. The statement does not elabo- rate on what compensation Menter will be paid and how much time he will put in as a consultant. Accord- ing to Gary Plews, chairman of the Fire District 4 Commission, de- tails in a new working agreement between the fire district and Men- ter are still being negotiated. "After sustaining the stress from the trials and tribulations with the board of fire commission- ers this year, I have come to the difficult conclusion that I would like to pursue other ventures be- yond District 4," Menter said in the statement. Menter has served in various capacities in the Mason County (Please turn to page 6.) MMK superintendent contract not renewed By JEFF GREEN 20. Goldy said she and MMK Busi- After a three-year tenure as su- ness Manager Tiki Willey will then perintendent at Mary M. Knight screen the applications, and for- School District, Carol Ersland is ward some on to the school board on the way out• for review at the board's April 23 Ersland's contract was not re- meeting• newed by the MMK School Board Goldy said the board is looking at its meeting in late February. for a candidate who is more of a The vote was 4-0, with Diana business person who can help the Goldy, board chairwoman, opting district do strategic planning• "She not to vote because there was no didn't have time to do it," Goldy tie vote for her to break, said of Ersland. Goldy said the board is trying THREE YEARS AGO, veteran to reorganize the school district's MMK Superintendent Fred Yanc- administration and that Ersland ey was let go after 12 years by the currently is the lone administra- school board. That decision rocked tor. "She's been the only adminis- the small community of Matlock. trator and has been putting in all According to then school board these extra hours," Goldy said. member Judy Curry, Yancey was THE DISTRICT currently is ambushed by two school unions advertising for a superintendent/ who presented votes of no-confi- principal, then, depending on dence in him to the board. the new person's preference, will Yancey ultimately was replaced seek a second administrator to be by Ersland, who had been serv- principal of either the elementary ing as principal of the elementary school or high school, school at MMK. Goldy said there Goldy said the school board of- were no votes of no-confidence in fered Ersland that second position, Ersland. as a principal, but she declined. Board members who voted for Woman LI: to prison for theft Applications for the superinten- not renewing her contract were see dent/principal's position for the Rick Johnson, Chris Willey, Joe coming school year close on April Rothrock and Jim Frost. of 837,000 from auto dealership By CAROLYN MADDUX Gillis Auto Center and the com- tion that provides in-home health Oien, Whitener die Etbezzling $37,000 from a munity before Sheldon imposed care, indicating that Strickland accident Shelton car dealership amounted the sentence, had applied for a position with in Oregon to a Prison sentence for Dawndi "How can you sleep at night?" that group. Heilman said she wor- Michelle Strickland of Montesano, her angry supervisor, Gillis office ried that Strickland could violate who Was sentenced to 43 months manager Sandy Heilman, asked a position of trust in that capac- Two Shelton residents died The rural highway leads to the incarceration when she appeared as she described the impact of ity. early Monday in a single-car crash coast and police said it would be Monday before Judge Toni Shel- Strickland's altering of balance DEPUTY PROSECUTOR near the Oregon Coast. difficult for persons to have seen uon in Mason County Superior sheets over a period of 14 months. Mike Dorcy said there was a plea According to news reports, driv- the car as they drove past. A local Court. She told the court she was also bargain involved in resolving the er Andrew James Oien, 23, and resident was returning home from A tearful Strickland apologized troubled by a call from the Korean case that included an agreed rec- passenger Darla J. Whitener, 25, lunch Monday afternoon with his to her CO-workers, the owners of Women's Association, an organiza- (Please turn to page 6.) died in the crash. Oregon State wife and daughter when they spot- Police officers found the wrecked ted the wrecked car. Pontiac Grand Am about 5:30 p.m. Oien and Whitener had been 00nytatt-Or says Monday off the side of Highway on theirwayfromtheWilsonville, 38 east of Scottsburg, Oregon. The Oregon, area to meet family in highway was closed some three the Winchester Bay area, police • A tlt'e'" run mrs-- hours while police investigated believe. Oien was driving with a the crash, suspended license, a police spokes- Whitener's 7-year-old niece, man said. reelection 00m,ly Whitener of Olympia, was found injured il the back seat of IIIIIIIlUllllllllllllllllUlllllllnllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll the car. She was reported in stable IncumbentSheltonMayorJohn conditionatSacredHeartMedical On the insMe Tarrant has announced he plans Center in Eugene, where she was to run for reelection this fall. taken by helicopter. Births .................................. 33 Tarrant was elected to the Shel- According to a report in The Classifieds ........................... 37 ton City Commission in 1995 as News-Review newspaper in Rose- Community Calendar ....... 20 commissioner of finance. He ran burg, the girl seemed to have been Crossword ........................... 41 SUccessfully for mayor in 1999 and pinned inside the car, surrounded 2003. by clothing and pillows, which Entertainment, Dining ..... 36 "As mayor I preside over city probably saved her life. She was Health Journal ................. 18 commission meetings," he said in reported to have been calm and Journal of Record ............. 23 a press release announcing his bid able to remember phone numbers, Obituaries ........................... 10 for a third term. "Together with names and addresses she had Opinions, Letters ................. 4 ray two fellow commissioners we probably memorized in case of an Sports ................................... 25 represent the citizens of Shelton Fiddle Fest this weekend emergency. Tides ..................................... 23 and directly represent their in- THE EDUCATS (left to right, Paul Barber, Vern Morgus Oien apparently lost control terests in the carrying out of city around 1 a.m. Monday while go- Weather ................................ 11 Policy.', and Ron Grinnell) will be one of 12 acts on stage Satur- ing around a curve, police said. [II[lUIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII|IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIU[ Tarrant said his visions for the day night in the Shelton High School Auditorium at the The car hit a tree and came to rest lty include, first and foremost, 22nd annual Shelton Fiddle Fest. The benefit for Save at the bottom of an embankment. IIIi!1! I H]III II II !!1!11111 , etPlng to continue to make Shel- Our County's Kids features shows at 7 p.m. Friday and 2 The young girl remained in the car oa a livable community, or as the and 7 p.m. Saturday. For more details, see page 36. with the two bodies until police lo- riease turn to page 8.) cated her some 15 hours later. 8 3 2 6 3 0 0 2