June 18, 2009 Shelton Mason County Journal | ![]() |
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Thursday, June 18, 2009
Year 123 m Week 25 m 5 Sections 42 Pages m Published in Shelton, Washington ~ $1.00
Budget not bala nced yet
Development Council
°f r Ma~ °en ol°Un ctY~ecThse
sion has seen to that. rig
PageB-1 Inves ations continue into partmentofCommunityDe- money was introduced by in an attempt to meet that
velopment, which combined Mason County Budget Di- goal. The total budget short-
Classichike "special funds" as county with $151,293 the county rector Ione Siegler. fall faced by the government
claims was saved from re- "These funds are not of Mason County is some-
Mount Jupiter is searches for money cent cuts gives $328,293 to- general government funds where between $756,000
one of the hikes that
guidebooks and forest ward the $756,000 goal .... If the state is saying we and $789,000. County of-
rangers recommend in By GREG SKINNER one way is to find money Early in the proceedings, should put it in that fund, ficials expect more cuts to
spring. The trail is free Mason County Commis- squirreled away in so-called Mason County Superior we should actually use it for follow this round of cuts, as
of snow earlier than sioners Tuesday failed to special funds, the other is Court Judge Toni Sheldon, mental health purposes," there is no sign of the end to
sister of commissioner Tim Judge Sheldon said. "There Mason County's recession.
other trails in the area. balance the budget as ex- to cut more from an already Sheldon, warned the board are areas in the county not The board previously cut
G1 pected after staff presented thin budget, that the targeted $220,000 being fully served with men- $1.1 million from the 2009
None hurt confusing financial numbers The 2009 budget short- sitting in the mental health tal health services." operations budget on April
and a judge warned that fall estimate changes week- fund was not for general use For weeks the mental 14, largely through reduc-
No injuries were re- sought funds were not avail- ly and remains a moving as they expected, but rather health money has been the ing public safety funding
ported, but a kitchen able as previously thought, target for county officials, for mental health programs cornerstone of Siegler's plan and the DCD, which issues
fire at the Little Creek
Casino Resort Monday The board did vote to give It comes during a year in that help people, to balance the county's bud- building permits and con-
evening forced an evac- themselves the authority to which the county faces a 15 The use of mental health get in its current form and ducts inspections.
uation of the casino cut their Current Expense percent decrease in sales tax money has been the topic of it joins with a second round Decision day was fur-
area of the facility. A-3 Fund Budget by the esti- and unprecedented declines much discussion and debate of cuts to the Mason County ther confused when Budget
mated shortfall of $756,000, in timber-harvest revenue, among county leaders and Department of Community Director Ione Siegler be-
The season leaving two primary options Tuesday the board voted elected officials since the Development (DCD) budget san her Tuesday presents-
This is a fine season to later balance the budget; to cut $177,000 from the De- idea to move that specific - approximately $177,000 - See Cobb on page A-7
for celebrations, gradu-
a.tions and weddings.
, From bee stings
Rolex robber
A 30-year-old man to seeds up the
who participated in a
robbery last Decem- nose, Nurse Carol
ber in which a fake
Rolex watch was sto- hasseen it all in
len changed his plea
on Monday in Mason local schools
County Superior Court.
A-6
By JEFF GREEN
Missing man After treating hundreds and hundreds
The Mason County of students in the Shelton School District
Sheriff's Office is at- during a 30-year career, school nurse Carol
tempting to locate a Acocks retires at the end of the current
homeless man reporte~ school year.
missing from his camp- Born and raised in Philadelphia,
site in the Mill Creek Pennsylvania, Acocks graduated from
area. David J. Curtis, [ nursing school at Mercy Medical Center in
the Philadelphia area before coming west
June to Shelton.
12 She started with the i'oca~ school district
accord re- in 1979 teaching vocational nursing, then
became the school nurse in 1986. For 20
years, she was the lone nurse in the district
-Photo courtesy of Victoria Meadows until Anita Madea came onboard three
have not seen him for Southside's Chase Salisbury competes in the high jump at the Shelton Rotary years ago.
the past nine days," Track Meet last week. Salisbury finished second in the Class B division. See results N u r s e
Byrd noted. A-5 on page C-3. Carol, as " the cure
Acocks is """
Warrants known to for
Warrants were is- UGA hearing is continued a second time ooe aoe al,
sued for the following througho ut evemltbinn
people who failed to Next hearing at city County commissioners, mean- be helpful to have a set date when the district,
appear for proceed- while, will hold a second hearing services would be available, saidshe was Band-Aids
ings June 15 in Ma- willnowbe heldon on the agreement on August 18. "With no time frame, every- constantly
son County Superior Monday, August 3 Some folks decided to offer thing seemsopen-ended,"Robert- on the go. "It and
Court: Richard David public testimony Monday night, son said. was exciting," 7 ~
By KEVAN MOORE and despite the continuance. Shelton resident Bob Stone she said of the ice packs
Bivens,
no-bail;
and
Lowella Pearl Gamber, GREG SKINNER Seattle resident Larry Robert- posed a question, to which Mayor time when she
$5,000. City commissioners continued son said he owns an acre of prop- John Tarrant said he did not yet had neither
a public hearing for the second erty on Johns Prairie Road that have an answer, a laptop nor cell phone. She got both
time this week on a proposed in- could require an investment of "If one has a perfectly good and appliances five years ago.
tergovernmental agreement with $50,000 or more with "all the ser- legal system on sewer and water, She worked out of her car and garage
~I Mason County regarding develop- vices that would be involved" un- why would they have to change and at the various schools until some four
ment applications, der the proposed agreement. One it and who would bear the cost of years ago when she finally got an office of
The next hearing will now be of the biggest problems, he said, is the change?" he asked, her own in the back of Choice High School
held on Monday, August 3, and that there is no clear time frame The Board of Mason County in a 6-by-8-foot room.
city officials asked that written for when sewer and water connec- Commissioners Tuesday decided Acocks worked primarily with the
comments on the proposed agree- tions or other work would or could to continue their own public hear- three elementary schools in Shelton, but
Births B-5 ment be submitted by July 13. need to be done. He said it would See Chamber onpageA-7 also kept an eye on things in the other
Classifieds D-3 schools as well. "I couldn't have done it
Community Calendar B-2 without the incredible secretaries," she
City said, adding.the school secretaries act as
Crossword D-2 Prosecutor says port e n a cts medical triage, referring cases to her on an
Entertainment/Dining A-8 as-needed basis.
Journal of Record C-5 resignation afait accompli development She has treated a gamut of ills, from
Obituaries A-2 slivers to fractures, bee stings to things
Opinions, Letters A-4 By KEVAN MOORE m o rator i u m kids stick up their noses, such as spit wads
Sports C-1 Port of Hoodsport Executive Director Richard and various kinds of seeds. She's made
use of countless Band-Aids and tongue
Tides C-4 McEachin says he has been left with quite a dilemma. By KEVAN MOORE depressors, tweezers and ice packs. "That
Weather A-8 "I don't know how we can pay our bills," he said. Shelton city commissioners enacted is the cure for everything: Band-Aids and
Inserts: That's because a June 15 legal opinion 'by Mason an emergency moratorium on new de- ice packs," she said.
Del's Farm County Deputy Prosecutor Monty Cobb says that most velopment applications during their See She's on page A-5
LifeLine Screening of the vouch- meeting on Monday night. The morato-
ers submitted rium ordinance was put in place, with
EF~ "IbeeXpeCtsome thereongoingWill not,bY theandPOrtcan.dO an initial one-year term, due to con-
county and the port d i c a m e n t "We've got a gun to our wallets and
cerns about the city's 30-year-old sewer
not, have the system operating beyond its capacity.
discussion between theproper signs- Shelton Mayor John Warrant called
tures, the decision "the painful, but right
That pre- thing to do."
whether Mr. Wyatt is comes follow- our heads to get the (sewer)system cor- ~,:~,~
ins the res- rected," he said. "In all honesty and fair- ....... .......
a portcommissioner ignations of . ! ,.~i~,~! ..... ii~,,i
hess, we have to do this this evening. ~ ~' ~°" ~
or not." two port com- The surprise move, which was made :~
missioners on without a public hearing, public notice
May 13 and or any public comments, comes after
Shelton Rotary the attempt, by one of them, to rescind his resignation a pair of executive sessions following
the following day. Jack Hamlin and John Wyatt each commission meetings on June 1 and
Track Meet details handed in their resignations at the end of the port's June 8. At the time of those sessions,
in sports, meeting that day. the stated purpose for private sessions
See page C-1 In a handwritten note, Hamlin said, "Due to health was "possible legal action."
concerns, I find it necessary to resign ... It has been an City attorney Kathleen Haggard
llll!!I LI]!!I]I!I!!!I!I!IilIIll honor to serve as a Port of Hoodsport Commissioner!" said following Monday night's meeting Retiring school nurse Carol Ac-
In his resignation letter, Wyatt wrote, "My philosophy that there was never any violation of
See If we on page A-5 ocks holds a picture of herself
8 2 See Emergency on page A-7 from her days in nursing school.