June 2, 2011 Shelton Mason County Journal | ![]() |
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Bright lights, big city
More than a year ago, city officials
came up with the, err, bright idea to
save a bunch of money by turning off
street lights.
The plan originally called for turning
off about 170 lights in three phases. The
disconnect cost would be some $2,000 to
$3,000, but the long-term savings would
be about $27,000 per year.
Then the number of lights to be
turned off went down to 114 at an
estimated savings of $20,000.
That was then and this is now.
The savings have not been nearly
as much as was expected, but city
commissioners decided to push ahead
with the program and will turn off
another 36 streetlights south of Cota
Street to the city limits.
It turns out that Shelton is not alone
in this novel approach to saving a little
bit of money. A small smattering of
cities across the country are doing the
same thing.
But does it make sense or does it just
make cents?
Local police officials have consistently
said that the lights being turned off
won't have a negative impact on crime.
Supporters, for example, argue that
the Wallace Kneeland Blvd. corridor
is well lit enough that city lights are
redundant.
Perhaps there are some areas that
don't need city lights anymore, but we
tend to think that there are many more
that do.
Shelton isn't a booming metropolis,
but it is a place -- a city -- that we
are proud to call home. City lights are
important to residents and visitors
alike. They make us feel safe and make
the town we call home more inviting.
We've already got crumbling streets,
we certainly don't need to be in the dark
now, too.
Mayor John Tarrant has consistenly
raised doubts about the program. We
hope he continues to do so and is able to
convince his colleagues to see the light.
Cemetery
District
Update
Editor, the Journal
Shelton Memorial Park
Cemetery Association's
Board of Directors wishes
to thank all the individuals
cud organizations that
assisted in the 2011 effort
to form MaSon County
Cemetery District No. 2.
The committee has
determined that an
insufficient number
of registered voter
signatures was obtained
by the May due date and
has cancelled its 2011
effort to form a cemetery
district. The May date
for gathering signatures
was in accordance
with Washington State
regulatory codes, which
required public hearings,
after sufficient signatures
were collected, to be held
in July. If approved at the
hearings it would have then
appeared on the November
general election ballot.
Volunteers representing
the non-profit Shelton
Cemetery Association
manage the park located
at 1605 Van Buren Street.
Shelton Memorial Park
is a private cemetery and
receives no public support.
Future efforts will
require more energetic
commitment, community
support and assistance in
the gathering of signatures
and fund raising. This
should not be left to the
nine-member cemetery
association board to
accomplish. This is an issue
that reflects on the entire
city of Shelton and the
residents of Mason County.
The formation of a
cemetery district is the
best way to ensure that
Shelton Memorial Park will
remain a place of peaceful
tranquility, a continuing
memorial to all those
interred and a place that
relatives and fiends will
want to visit.
While the district issue
has failed this year, I
know that it will reappear
again in the future. We
will continue to work at
informing the citizens of
Mason County of the need,
benefits and economic
advantages in becoming
a public cemetery so next
time it will pass.
David Pifke
Shelton
Kudos
to Dean
Siemon
Editor, the Journal
Kudos to Dean Siemon
on the job he's done as
Sports Writer/Editor at
the Journal. The pictures
have been compelling, the
layout engaging and the
countywide stories chosen
and written with creativity.
He is the first sports writer/
editor at the Journal
that I have fallowed in
my decades here. He has,
undoubtedly, worked hard
to put so much into each
issue. I can't imagine his
shoes will be easy to fill, our
loss. I wish him well on his
next chapter.
Dianna Timm Dryden
Union
Tackling teen drinking
By Lt. Gov. Brad Owen
and Attorney General
Rob McKenna
One of the more
rewarding aspects of
holding a statewide office
is to visit schools across
the state, especially to high
schools where students are
nearing the end of their
13-year incubation period
as young scholars, ready to
fly out of the classroom and
• land in college, the military
or directly in the workplace.
And one of the most
frustrating aspects of being
in our positions is seeing
a few of these students,
so close to a place where
they chase their dreams,
have their lives crash short
due to something so easily
prevented: the use and
abuse of alcohol.
From our capital city
of Olympia we have
easy access to the tragic
numbers collected and
categorized by the State
Patrol, DSHS, Traffic
Safety Commission and
others. So as we enter
graduation season and
the summer months that
follow, now is the perfect
time to remind youth that
there are far better ways to
celebrate your life than to
risk destroying it by getting
drunk.
We urge parents,
teachers, mentors, youth
leaders and law enforcement
to reach out to teens at
every opportunity to show
youth how much you care
about this issue as well.
Every year around this
time the •news is full of
preventable, alcohol-related
tragedies, from fatal car
crashes to stupid, alcohol-
induced stunts that send
our kids to the emergency
room. Too often we hear
stories of families who
should be enjoying some of
the best times of their lives
suddenly facing the worst
because of a careless act of
irresponsible drinking.
There is a recent and
tragic example that
especially hits home. In
February, two 17-year-olds
died near Soap Lake in
Grant County as the result
of an accident after their
car left the road at high
speed and hit a culvert.
Authorities believe alcohol
was a factor.
State stats tell us that
most deaths to young
drivers occur in July
and ugust when youth
are driving more so risk
exposure is at the highest.
We know that motor
vehicle accidents are the
leading cause of death
for young people. Every
day, car crashes kill more
young people than cancer,
unintentional poisoning,
homicide and suicide
combine.
We also know that those
who start drinking as a teen
are more likely to become
alcoholics as adults, teens
who drink are more likely
to get in trouble with the
law, get booted off sports
teams, get suspended
or expelled from school,
experiment with other
illegal substances and the
list goes on.
Despite these examples,
our community attitudes
toward youth drinking
remain somewhat passive
as though drinking is some
kind of rite of passage,
when it's really more a
rite of failure. More often
than not it is parents who
host teen drinking parties,
figuring it is better to have
the kids within sight than
off at a keg party in the
woods. This is not only a
bad idea--it could be costly:
Washinton's social hosting
law carries a penalty of up
to $5,000 per violation.
The good news is that
the number of teens who
drink in Washington is
going down. The 2010
Washington Healthy Youth
Survey reported a decrease
overall in alcohol use, with
more kids saying their
parents talk to them about
not drinking alcohol. We
have an active Coalition to
Reduce Underage Drinking,
comprised of state agency
and community partners,
that is taking the lead by
publishing materials and
web sites where parents
can learn the rules and,
especially important -
how to talk to their kids.
StartTalkingNow.org and
LetsDrawtheLine.org are
two web sites with plenty oi
resources.
What's even more
encouraging is to see
schools and communities
across the state take part
by signing commitment
cards and hosting events
that say, with loud fervor,
that they are taking a stand
against underage drinking.
The momentum is
building and we are seeing
results. As state elected
officials, we urge you to get
on board with these efforts
to keep our kids safe,
healthy and sober.
NOTICE
High Low Precip
Fahrenheit (In.)
May 25 54 44 .15
May 26 55 42 .33
May 27 55 42 .38
May 28 63 35 .01
May29 62 44 .00
May 30 63 48 .00
May 31 57 41 .13
Measurements are recorded for the National
Weather Service at Sanderson Field.
Showers are likely on Thursday with a high of 57
and a west-southwest wind of up to 11 mph. Thurs-
day night will have a 40 percent chance of showers
with a low of 49.
Friday has a 30 percent chance of showers in the
morning, but will be partly sunny with a high near
69. Friday night should be partly cloudy with a low
near 47.
Saturday is forecasted to be sunny with a high of
73 and a low of 48.
Sunday should be similarly warm, with sun and a
high of 71. Sunda night will be mostly cloudy with a
low of 48.
Journal photo by Natalie/ohnson
Area flowers soak up the sun when they can, since Spring weather re-
mains cloudy, cold and rainy.
Due to space constraints,
these two death notices did
not appear on page B-7.
Blanche Wynne
Blanche Wyrme, 96, died
Friday, May 27, 2011 at
home in Olympia. McComb
Funeral Home of Shelton is
handling the arrangements.
Mass will be at 11 a.m. on
Friday June 3, at St. Ed-
ward's Catholic Church,
with burial at Shelton Me-
morial Park. A reception
will be held at St. Edward's
after the burial.
Donald D. Chenowcth
Donald D. Chenoweth,
89, died Monday, May 30,
2011 at his home in Union.
McComb Funeral Home of
Shelton is handling the ar-
rangements. A memorial
service will be held at 1 p.m.
on Sunday, June 5 at the
Union Community Church.
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