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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
June 16, 2011     Shelton Mason County Journal
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June 16, 2011
 
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hI,l,l Thursday, June 16, 2011 Year 125 -- Week 24 -- 7 Sections -- 54 Pages -- Published in Shelton, Washington -- $1 Journal photo by Natalie Johnson Kenny Latimer •poke out against the propsed county fee for the boat launches at Latimer's Landing and Mason Lake. By NATALIE JOHNSON per month and $400 per year for enforce," Ring Erickson said. access to this waterway for every- each truck and trailer and $1,000 Several members of the Lat- one in the county," he said. After two public meetings andper business with no limit on imer family, who built the original Other members of the public much input from the public, the number of vehicles. Proposed rec- boat launch at the landing, testi- spoke in favor of the fee, howev- Mason Couvty Board of Commis-reational fees were a $7 daily fee fled that it was their family's wish er, stating that with budget cuts, sioners voted on Tuesday against and a $75 annual fee. to keep the launch free and public, county parks are the first to be for- a proposal to create launch fees During the initial public hear- "We are about 13 of us here who gotten. at public launches at Latimer's ing on the proposed fees, Corn- worked on the installation of the "The problem is that tax money . Landing and Mason Lake. missioner Tim Sheldon expressed original park," Kenny Latimer is not being used for parks any- The Mason County Parks and concern that the fee was actually said. "My father had a dream that more, they're the first thing to get Trails Department introduced the a tax because the funds were des- people could have free access to cut - better to charge a fee rather proposal for launch fees on May 17 ignated for the parks department, our waterway. We took so much than close parks," Susan Baker to try to increase revenue for park but not a particular park. pride in not having to take money said. . maintenance. "We received a legal opinionfrom the taxpayers." After hearing public testimony, County parks director John from our prosecutor that it is a Latimer asked that park main- Commissioners Sheldon and Ring Keates was not in attendance at fee," Ring Erickson said. tenance continue to be mostly vol- Erickson voted against the fee. Tuesday's meeting, so Commis- Several members of the public unteer-based, as it has been in the Commissioner Jerry Lingle did sioner Lynda Ring Erickson gave a asked how such fees would be en- past, rather than charge a fee for not attend Tuesday's meeting. brief presentation on the proposal, forced, use of the ramp. "This is an activity I think you The proposed fees for commer- "I still don't have an answer - I "I just ask that we pay atten- pay for with your property taxes cial boaters were $15 a day, $75 don't think there was any intent to tion to how blessed we are to have and sales taxes," Sheldon said. Pioneer kid keep eye on Hood Canal By ARLA SHEPHARD Before this school year, nine-year-old Mason Kram- er didn't know much about Hood Canal and its marine wildlife. Now, he can tell you whether an individual salmon is male or female,. he knows how to measure the turbidity and pH of wa- ter and he can spout several bits of knowledge on octopi. "It's like 'Oh my God, I didn't know that about those animals,~ said Kram- er of his pre-third-grade education. "It's kind of cool to learn more about the ani- mals in the sea. Like, I used to not know about that crea- ture and that creature? Kramer's third-grade class at Pioneer Primary School has spent the bet- ter part of this school year keeping an =Eye on Hood Canal," which is the name of the project that teacher Laurie McGovern began this year with state grant funding and support from Taylor .Shellfish and Skee- kum Rotary. The students, with the help of their teacher and local biologists, have used personal computers and digital microscopes to study Hoed Canal marine organ- isms, they've visited sites along Hood Canal and learned how to identify tidal zones and they've used their hands to dissect salmon and create clay sculptures on the sea creatures of their choice. "I'm always applying for these opportunities," said McGovern, who created a blog to showcase the stu- dents' achievements. "I know that the technology really inspires the children and it engages them." Emily Sanford, a water resource educator with Washington State See Pioneer on page A-7 Journai photoby Donna Kinnaird Bciaa u= BacEley, left, and IYavis Hanes present an award to outgoing Shelton School District Superintendent Joan Zook during the Shelton High School Class of 2011 commencement ceremony on Saturday at Saint Martht's University. rt di tor clea of alle ations By NATALIE JOHNSON A recent investigation conduct- ed by the independent consulting firm Seabold Group has appar- ently cleared Port of Shelton Ex- ecutive Director John Dobson of wrongdoing in relation to rental agreements and lease discussions related to the port's fairgrounds. On April 10, pert employee The- resa Rebo sent an e-mail to all three port commissioners alleging that Dobson planned to gift public funds by giving a less than market value rent rate to John and Rachel Hansen, of Northwest Event Orga- nizers. The organization ran the fair in 2010, will run in 2011 and is in talks with the port for a three-year lease of the fairgrounds. The pert commission responded by retaining the Seabold Group four days later, on April 14. The port commission approved the group's final report on the investi- gation, dated May 31, by a vote of two to one at a special commission meeting on Tuesday. "The investigator concluded that no misconduct, conflict of in- terest, or other than appropriate actions as alleged by the employee has occurred,: Commissioner Jay Hupp said at the meeting. Journal photo by Natalie Johnson Commissioner Jay Hupp read a statement from the Port of Shelton Commission on a recent independent investigaton into allegations of misconduct on the part of port Executive Director John Dobson. Specifically Rebo alleged that treatment resulted from a close re- Dobson offered the Hansens a less lationship with the Hansens, and than market value price for leas- that all of these alleged activities ing the fairgrounds. The lease is were kept secret from the board of still in negotiations. The port com- commissioners. mission approved a rental agree- According to the final report ment for the fairgrounds with the from the Seabold Group, the Hansens last month, delaying offi- group's investigator, Martha Nor- cial discussion of the lease because berg, interviewed nine people, of this complaint, including all three commission- Rebo also stated in the original ers and reviewed numerous docu- e-mail that Dobson chose to give ments and newspaper articles up potential revenue for the port from two local newspapers. The re- by leasing the property with a very port also states that Rebo did not low rent, that the alleged special consent to an interview with the investigator. As to the first allegation, that Dobson wanted to give the Han- sens less than market value rent for the terms of the lease. Those terms are $3,000 per month for the first year, $4,000 per month for the second year and $5,000 per month for the third. According to the report, the pre- vious lessee of the fairgrounds, Mason County, paid $100 per year plus five percent of the fair's profit. The investigator found that in 2009 the county paid the port $7,000 in rent. The first year of the Hansens' lease would total $36,000. Also, the investigator found that the Hansens' rent for the fair this year would be substantially more than most other organizations that have rented the fairground in the last year. As to the second allegation, that the port could make more money running the port itself, the investi- gator found no evidence to support that assertion. "The issues [Rebo] raised with [Dobson] and the rest ofthe team had to do with her feeling that she could run events as well as the Hansens or any other event organizer and the port would See Port on page A-7 I d