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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
May 17, 2007     Shelton Mason County Journal
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May 17, 2007
 
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PEOPLE WITH A CROSS to bear listen to Father Joe Kramis on the occasion of a church service on his 50th anniversary as a priest. Kramis not looking down fronL heights he's scaled By SEAN HANLON Father Joseph Kramis is 77 and mostly retired now, Raying mass on Saturday evenings and living with Joan Walker at their bucolic retreat nestled in a stand of cedar trees on the shores of Hammer- sley Inlet. Joan is the mother of five and the grandmother of nine, and her offspring are a great comfort to Joe because as a Roman Catholic priest he is the father of the many and the parent of none on ac- count of his being bound by a vow of celibacy. Kramis observed the 50th anniversary of that A PAIR OF parishioners chat with Fa- ther Joe Kramis on the occasion of his 50th year as a Catholic priest. vow on Saturday at a Mass of Thanksgiving at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Lacey. His ser- mon recalled a day 50 years ago when he and two other newly ordained priests climbed Mount Rain- ier, which the Indians call Tahoma, meaning the mountain that is God. He doesn't climb mountains anymore, but he still has his eyes on the skies. "I think of Christ as the leader on the rope of life that has pulled me and all of us to God," he told those gathered for the mass. "And since all of us are the body of Christ today, we all do our part to help one another to the glory of God. If it were not for you, I would not have learned so many lessons in life's journey." He started his climb to the heavens in Idaho, where he was born, and continued it in Montana, where he was raised, moving to Washington to bedn his studies ibr the priesthood at Saint Ed- ward's Seminary in Kenmore. Following his or- dination into the priesthood, he was assigned to Saint Anthony Church in Renton, and in 1960, after the passage of about five years there, Arch- bishop Thomas Connolly sent Kramis to Catholic University in Washington, D.C., there to study canon law. IT WAS WHILE Kramis was studying canon law that Pope John XXIII convened Vatican Coun- cil II, a gathering of cardinals, bishops and priests who were making changes in the code just as Kra- mis was learning it. "It was an exciting time be- cause a lot of the things I believe in they were put- ting into place," Kramis said. Over the years that have gone since then, he has collected a number of books about canon law and points with special affection to two of them: an edition of The Documents of Vatican H signed with the notations "I was there!" and "with every bless- ing" by Archbishop Connolly, who presented it to Kr2amis after coming home to Seattle from Vatican IrandCode, Community and Ministry, a commen- tary on canon law which contains an article titled, "The Ages of Man," written by Father Bertram F. Griffin, a classmate of Kramis' in the seminary. (Please turn to page 9.) Port commission roundup: Airport area feeling some growth pains By JEFF GREEN as a sub-area plan for Sand When it comes to the Shelton Urban Growth Area Sub-area Plan and Sanderson Field, Shel- ton port commissioners are wary at best. Following a briefing by Patti Miller-Crowley, the port's plan- ning and development manager, about Shelton's progress on the sub-area plan, port commission- ers Marlene Taylor and Rick Byrd Tuesday morning let it be known they prefer the port's own comprehensive plan for regulat- ing Sanderson Field, which is located within the urban growth area. There are separate designa- tions for airports in other places, Taylor said, adding, "I think that is the way to go." Miller-Crowley noted the port's comprehensive plan al- lows for maximum flexibility for future development. "We have our plan and it's not necessarily the city's plan," Taylor said. BYRD SAID he was in no hurry to approve the sub-area plan and said it's the way for the port to go. "This port is not going to be pressured into anything by the city," he declared. He said the port must protect the businesses at the airport, which lease their property from the port. The city wants taxes and utility taxes from the firms, he added. "We have companies here that would not locate in the city because of taxes," Byrd said, referring to companies on port property near the airport. "The mission of the city and its purpose for being is different from the port," Taylor noted. "We have a comprehensive plan but it's not a regulatory doc- ument," Miller-Crowley told the commissioners. Currently the port staff is working to update the port's comprehensive plan and the airport master plan. The airport master plan could serve Field. PORT OF SKAGIT ha! sub-area plan for its air Miller-Crowley told The J¢ nal. Currently, the lands n the Shelton Urban Growth P are regulated by Mason Co and would stay that waY' til they are annexed by the  $ sometime in the future. .., | "We're trying to proteol " | interests and be a team P,- | at the same time,' said Bob | inson, the port's managi  rector. ,, In other port businesSL.  commissioners heard lmw Crowley give staff recog._,, to departing project assi Dayna Seminara. Her laSt. with the port will be June 1'}" is engaged and moving to fornia. Seminara is always a great team player and a hard person to replace, Crowley said.  FULL AUTO Specializing in brakes, exhaust and custom work FREE & FLUID "Quality and That's Hometowne Service" / GET A TASTE FOR THE Lifetime Warranty on all exlx i.less k'eel Comlxts&all. 10 Year Warranty on all burners except side burner & cooking ccls. FREE COVER OR FREETANK Jobless rate dips here in April Unemployment in Mason Coun- ty was at 5.6 percent in April, down nearly a full point from the 6.5 percent rate posted in March of this year. State labor market analysts es- timate that the county has added approximately 600 jobs since April of last year, making for total em- ployment last month of about 23,290. Approximately 1,370 local job seekers were unemployed in April of this year. Job figures are estimates rounded to the nearest zero. Mason County was tied with Skamania for 14th place on the statewide unemployment chart, with 13 of" Washington's 39 coun- ties having higher rates and 24 having lower rates. The highest rate statewide was 9.2 percent in Ferry County on the Canadian border in the northeast corner of the state and the lowest rate was 3.3 percent in San Juan County. The statewide rate was 4.4 per- cent in April, the lowest it has been since comparable record-keeping began in 1976. That's according to officials in the Washington State Employment Security Depart- ment. "This is a great time for people of all ages to find jobs, even our teens and new college graduates," said Employment Security Com- missioner Karen Lee. Neighboring counties had the following unemployment rates: Grays Harbor, 7.0; Jefferson, 4.6; and Kitsap and Thurston, 4.2. Variety is the spice of life, so come to us for the area's most diverse assortment of plants and Mason Largest We have over $1,000.000 in Premium Quality Come browse our over 6 acres of perennials, shrubs & trees Hanging Baskets Come see Plagie's new gift OPEN DALLY 8:30 a.m.-6:00 Page 8 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, May 17, 2007 S&S Produce Stan I ALWAYS TOP QOALITY PRODUCE I Farm Fresh Fruit & Produc00 NOW FEA TURIN Sweet, Juicy California Open 10-6 Daily Except Wednesday 253-405-2832 Located at Oakland Bay Garden Center. 5962 Hwy. 3, PEOPLE WITH A CROSS to bear listen to Father Joe Kramis on the occasion of a church service on his 50th anniversary as a priest. Kramis not looking down fronL heights he's scaled By SEAN HANLON Father Joseph Kramis is 77 and mostly retired now, Raying mass on Saturday evenings and living with Joan Walker at their bucolic retreat nestled in a stand of cedar trees on the shores of Hammer- sley Inlet. Joan is the mother of five and the grandmother of nine, and her offspring are a great comfort to Joe because as a Roman Catholic priest he is the father of the many and the parent of none on ac- count of his being bound by a vow of celibacy. Kramis observed the 50th anniversary of that A PAIR OF parishioners chat with Fa- ther Joe Kramis on the occasion of his 50th year as a Catholic priest. vow on Saturday at a Mass of Thanksgiving at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Lacey. His ser- mon recalled a day 50 years ago when he and two other newly ordained priests climbed Mount Rain- ier, which the Indians call Tahoma, meaning the mountain that is God. He doesn't climb mountains anymore, but he still has his eyes on the skies. "I think of Christ as the leader on the rope of life that has pulled me and all of us to God," he told those gathered for the mass. "And since all of us are the body of Christ today, we all do our part to help one another to the glory of God. If it were not for you, I would not have learned so many lessons in life's journey." He started his climb to the heavens in Idaho, where he was born, and continued it in Montana, where he was raised, moving to Washington to bedn his studies ibr the priesthood at Saint Ed- ward's Seminary in Kenmore. Following his or- dination into the priesthood, he was assigned to Saint Anthony Church in Renton, and in 1960, after the passage of about five years there, Arch- bishop Thomas Connolly sent Kramis to Catholic University in Washington, D.C., there to study canon law. IT WAS WHILE Kramis was studying canon law that Pope John XXIII convened Vatican Coun- cil II, a gathering of cardinals, bishops and priests who were making changes in the code just as Kra- mis was learning it. "It was an exciting time be- cause a lot of the things I believe in they were put- ting into place," Kramis said. Over the years that have gone since then, he has collected a number of books about canon law and points with special affection to two of them: an edition of The Documents of Vatican H signed with the notations "I was there!" and "with every bless- ing" by Archbishop Connolly, who presented it to Kr2amis after coming home to Seattle from Vatican IrandCode, Community and Ministry, a commen- tary on canon law which contains an article titled, "The Ages of Man," written by Father Bertram F. Griffin, a classmate of Kramis' in the seminary. (Please turn to page 9.) Port commission roundup: Airport area feeling some growth pains By JEFF GREEN as a sub-area plan for Sand When it comes to the Shelton Urban Growth Area Sub-area Plan and Sanderson Field, Shel- ton port commissioners are wary at best. Following a briefing by Patti Miller-Crowley, the port's plan- ning and development manager, about Shelton's progress on the sub-area plan, port commission- ers Marlene Taylor and Rick Byrd Tuesday morning let it be known they prefer the port's own comprehensive plan for regulat- ing Sanderson Field, which is located within the urban growth area. There are separate designa- tions for airports in other places, Taylor said, adding, "I think that is the way to go." Miller-Crowley noted the port's comprehensive plan al- lows for maximum flexibility for future development. "We have our plan and it's not necessarily the city's plan," Taylor said. BYRD SAID he was in no hurry to approve the sub-area plan and said it's the way for the port to go. "This port is not going to be pressured into anything by the city," he declared. He said the port must protect the businesses at the airport, which lease their property from the port. The city wants taxes and utility taxes from the firms, he added. "We have companies here that would not locate in the city because of taxes," Byrd said, referring to companies on port property near the airport. "The mission of the city and its purpose for being is different from the port," Taylor noted. "We have a comprehensive plan but it's not a regulatory doc- ument," Miller-Crowley told the commissioners. Currently the port staff is working to update the port's comprehensive plan and the airport master plan. The airport master plan could serve Field. PORT OF SKAGIT ha! sub-area plan for its air Miller-Crowley told The J¢ nal. Currently, the lands n the Shelton Urban Growth P are regulated by Mason Co and would stay that waY' til they are annexed by the  $ sometime in the future. .., | "We're trying to proteol " | interests and be a team P,- | at the same time,' said Bob | inson, the port's managi  rector. ,, In other port businesSL.  commissioners heard lmw Crowley give staff recog._,, to departing project assi Dayna Seminara. Her laSt. with the port will be June 1'}" is engaged and moving to fornia. Seminara is always a great team player and a hard person to replace, Crowley said.  FULL AUTO Specializing in brakes, exhaust and custom work FREE & FLUID "Quality and That's Hometowne Service" / GET A TASTE FOR THE Lifetime Warranty on all exlx i.less k'eel Comlxts&all. 10 Year Warranty on all burners except side burner & cooking ccls. FREE COVER OR FREETANK Jobless rate dips here in April Unemployment in Mason Coun- ty was at 5.6 percent in April, down nearly a full point from the 6.5 percent rate posted in March of this year. State labor market analysts es- timate that the county has added approximately 600 jobs since April of last year, making for total em- ployment last month of about 23,290. Approximately 1,370 local job seekers were unemployed in April of this year. Job figures are estimates rounded to the nearest zero. Mason County was tied with Skamania for 14th place on the statewide unemployment chart, with 13 of" Washington's 39 coun- ties having higher rates and 24 having lower rates. The highest rate statewide was 9.2 percent in Ferry County on the Canadian border in the northeast corner of the state and the lowest rate was 3.3 percent in San Juan County. The statewide rate was 4.4 per- cent in April, the lowest it has been since comparable record-keeping began in 1976. That's according to officials in the Washington State Employment Security Depart- ment. "This is a great time for people of all ages to find jobs, even our teens and new college graduates," said Employment Security Com- missioner Karen Lee. Neighboring counties had the following unemployment rates: Grays Harbor, 7.0; Jefferson, 4.6; and Kitsap and Thurston, 4.2. Variety is the spice of life, so come to us for the area's most diverse assortment of plants and Mason Largest We have over $1,000.000 in Premium Quality Come browse our over 6 acres of perennials, shrubs & trees Hanging Baskets Come see Plagie's new gift OPEN DALLY 8:30 a.m.-6:00 Page 8 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, May 17, 2007 S&S Produce Stan I ALWAYS TOP QOALITY PRODUCE I Farm Fresh Fruit & Produc00 NOW FEA TURIN Sweet, Juicy California Open 10-6 Daily Except Wednesday 253-405-2832 Located at Oakland Bay Garden Center. 5962 Hwy. 3,