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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
April 19, 2012     Shelton Mason County Journal
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April 19, 2012
 
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Planned Parenthood+ WE'RE HERE? of the Great Northwest :3o.PLAN (7526) www.ppgnw.org Trust Your Hometowne Guy/ BRAKE AND MUFFLER Full Service Garage Mon-Sat 8:00 a.m.+- 5:00 p.m. 125 E. Grove St.. Shelton 360-426-1021 Like Us On www.hometownebrakeandmuffler.corn .MP3"s p I I I I II I I I Broken Jewelry? • Ring too big . Ring too small I. Ring out of round I I . Worn prongs I • Missing stones I • Missing earring 1 . Broken chains STAFF REPORT The Mason County Board of Coun- ty Commissioners invite the commu- nity to celebrate the opening of two new synthetic turf infields at Mason County Recreation Area (MCRA). At 5 p.m. on May 1, a short cere- mony will be held with a "first pitch" to commemorate the improvements to the park, located at 2100 E. Johns Prairie Road. The county received a $275,500 grant through the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program (WWRP) in 2011 that assisted with the renovation of the fields. The WWRP is a state grant program funded from the capital construction budget that provides funding to protect habitat, pre- serve working farms and creates new local and state parks. Inde- pendent experts rankthe appli- cations based on criteria such as the benefits to the public, level of threat to the property or presence of threatened or endangered spe- cies. For more information about the MCRA dedication, contact John Ke- ates at Mason County Parks, 427- 9670 ext. 669. ............... i+ Journal photo by Natalie Johnson City Commissioner Mike Olsen proposed that the city work to enforce city code to solve a ,Ga.meboy Advance . Refinish problem with illegal parking in a vacant lot near Alder Street. . ?odium plate I Reset in new I mounting Parking i u u Sh Iton I 011 TRADE I in your old neighborhood frustration I I I jewelry for I something I I Save 10% on Jewelry repair I thru the month of April* • Find it in i+ I *Expires April 30, 2012 I i theclassifieds Mustpresenteoupon I One coupon per I +lr : Sheiton-M ..... County ]1 f I household . , . . .Seest°ref°r details ..... ' Ik YJ IRt |i IRIk'~[ II IK~ Call or email I by Monday at 5pm I FINE JEWEI~RY & DESIGN By NATALIE JOHNSON The area north of Alder Street in downtown includes both residential and commercial uses, which some residents argue causes problems, particularly with parking. "How are we going to encourage people to live in our city if we do not take care of the neighborhoods?" said Birch Street resident Tracy Moore. In particular, residents are frus- trated with parking on a vacant residentially zoned lot near Seventh Street and Alder Street in downtown Shelton, which city staff admits vio- lates city code. "There's no question from the code perspective whether or not parking is allowed here," said Steve Goins, city community and economic devel- opment and public works director. The cars parking in the vacant lot often belong to staff and clients of the Lewis Mason Thurston Area Agency on Aging (LMTAAA), which is adjacent to the lot. Both the LM- TAAA building and the vacant lot are owned by the same person. However, letters exchanged be- tween former city staff and tenants and owners of that building appear to allow parking on that vacant lot -- which is zoned as residential -- de- spite its violation of cod.e. ~ • • "According to the legal advice staff iclasmfleds@mas°nc°unty'c°m : has been given, there's substantial 426 4412 risk that a hearing examiner or court " would find that the 1999 and 2000 letters are enforceable against the Page A-2 - Shelton-Mason County. Journal -Thursday, April 19, 2012 real[y, rea[[y disappointed that this is going on and on and on+" city as a contract," Goins said. In 1999 and 2000, the city, in a series of letters with the landowner and tenant, allowed the owner of the land, Byron Debben, to create four parking spaces for the commercial building that now houses the LM- TAAA, in the vacant lot, despite its conflict with code. However, parking occurs beyond those four spots, which local resi- dents say is a problem. "I'm really, really, extremely dis- appointed that this is going on and on and on," Moore said. "It has never been anything but an eyesore." C~ty attorney Kathleen Haggard commented on the issue. "The real legal question is to what extent the letters exchanged ... would bar the city from taking action to enforce the code," she said. Haggard said the letters only ad- dress four screened parking spaces on the lot, and no additional parking. She suggested that the city discuss limiting that agreement to the term of ownership by Debben. "The city staff was just going by the file and there was nothing in the file that recinded that permission," Commissioner Dawn Pannell said. Commissioner Mike Olsen argued that the city should make an effort to enforce city code, and disallow the parking. Olsen said the initial chain of let- ters between the city and Debben started with a letter from the city asking Debben to cease un-permitted work on the four original parking spots. "It was not a permitted activity when he did it," Olsen said. "I don't think any enforcement started but that was the initial volley." Neighborhood resident Bill Busac- ca also asked the city to enforce the code. "What I'm saying is ... he's got- ten away with a lot of nonsense and it's never been enforced," he said. "I think it's time to call a spade a spade." Jason Zittel, a representative of Debben, addressed the commis- sion, saying that Debben is willing to work with the city to resolve the issue. Olsen put forward a motion to be- gin the process of enforcing city code in this case by discussing the ordi- nance with the landowner, and set- ting forward a time that the tenant must be in compliance with city code. "I don't feel that what the past commission and city staff did was proper. I stop short of saying it's ille- gal," he said. "I do feel we were failed by these actions and it's created a situation where, where does it stop? It needs to stop now." Pannell seconded the motion and it passed 2 to 1, with Mayor Gary Cronce Voting against it.