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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
June 21, 2012     Shelton Mason County Journal
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June 21, 2012
 
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Call for a FREE Estimate/ (360) 229-1874 Page A-2 - Shelton-Mason County Journal -Thursday, June 21 2012 By NATALIE JOHNSON nah:die(~masoncounty.com After several months of discussion, the Port of Shelton commission voted 2-1 Tuesday to ask for bids for about 100 acres of Tim- ber at its Johns Prairie site. While the commission is not committed to selling the timber, commission- ers Dick Taylor and Tom Wallitner agreed to ask for bids to see what timber companies would be will- ing to pay for the trees. Commissioner Jay Hupp disagreed, and gave a pre- sentation citing his rea- sons for not supporting a timber harvest on the land. "What we've heard over the past couple of months has all been oriented to- ward harvest," he said. Hupp argued that the trees have room to grow before harvesting, and that the port could double its money if it waited ten years to harvest the trees. Port staff has estimated the timber to be valued at about $575 per 1,000 board feet, based on current mar- ket conditions. "In my mind it makes no sense to cut it down and simply put the money in the bank," he said. Port staff has identified seVeral potential uses for any money earned through a timber harvest. These uses include fortifying the port's reserve fund or pay- ing to connect to and ex- tend the City of Shelton's Johns Prairie water line to port businesses. Hupp said he thought the timber was worth between $200,000 and $300,000, but port execu- tive director John Dobson said the number could be higher if the organization went out to bid. "From what we're hear- ing you might be surprised at the number," he said. Hupp also expressed concern that the invasive Courtesy pnoto The Port of Shelton is considering harvesting trees on 100 acres of its property on Johns Prairie for timber. About 20 percent of the trees are affected by laminated root rot, as seen in these photos. scotch broom would take over if the land was clear- CUt. Port staff and its timber consultant, North Wind Forest Consultants, have also argued that clearcut- ting is needed to control a laminated root rot problem in the stand. Based on his analysis of several photographs of the stand of trees, Hupp said the root rot might only affect 10 percent of the trees. Port staff has estimated the number to be closer to 20 percent in the past. Hupp suggested managing the rot in pockets rather than cutting the whole stand. In previous meetings, port staff has argued that with a stand density of 75- 85 trees per acre. thinning further would diminish fu- ture growth of the trees. Taylor addressed Hupp's concerns after the presen- tation. "There are assumptions made that are just that -- assumptions," he said. Taylor said he was not necessarily in favor of clear-cutting either. "I think we need to know what the value of the prod- uct is," he said. "Then we can make an educated de- cision." The commission briefly discussed including com- ing up with a minimum bid amount, but then agreed to wait to surplus the timber until it approved a bid. "At what net value would it be worth cutting?" Hupp asked. Hupp expressed concern that the port could damage its reputation with timber companies by asking for bids only to decide not to sell the timber. "We've got the cart be- fore the horse," he said. "This organization puts its credibility on the line when it does something like this." Robin Hood Village Resort faces fines By KEVIN SPRADLIN ~ .~cv#t. .:.ma,~on(:o~nty.com Darin Barry never thought he'd receive so much grief over putting an RV in an RV space. But it seems that what is a recreational vehicle to one federal agency is a "struc- ture" to the Washington State Department of Ecol- ogy. Barry, owner of Robin Hood Village Resort in Union, has been assessed $12,000 in fines for what state officials said is a fail- ure to comply with shoreline permitting requirements. Barry had placed four rental RVs along the Hood Canal shoreline property, which he has owned since 2006. In a news release, De- partment of Ecology offi- cials allege that Barry has violated the voter-approved Shoreline Management Act, which aims to "help protect shore areas and water qual- ity (and) to manage shore- line development." Hood Canal is a shoreline of statewide significance, of- ficials said. Paula Ehlers, manager of the agency's shorelands pro- gram, said in a news release that officials attempted "to gain voluntary compliance first. Well before a notice of correction was issued, Ecol- ogy attempted to advise the park owner of the shoreline permitting requirements." Ehlers said Barry stopped advertising the four shoreline units for rent "but he has not complied with the principal requirements of the notice -- either ap- plying for necessary shore- line permits or removing the units." Barry said that is, in part, because the rules seem to keep changing as time passes. "The Department of Ecol- ogy assumes you're guilty until you can prove your innocence, initially accus- ing me of developing the RV spaces that have been there for 50-plus years," Barry said in a written statement. "Once they discovered the county permitted and ap- proved a septic holding tank for these RV spaces installed a few years back ... they changed their argu- ment to their definition of the word development." That's when, Barry said, .the Department of Ecol- ogy started calling an RV a structure "even though the federal government calls a recreational park trailer an RV and the Department of Transportation licenses them as a vehicle." The initial $12,000 isn't the only fine Barry faces. The state could impose a $1,000 penalty per day for each of the four units, as each of the unpermitted units is considered a sepa- rate violation. Barry alleges the state is simply trying to outlast him -- and outspend him -- in the situation. "I'm determined to play this out," Barry said, noting that "this experience has changed my life forever." Barry can appeal the penalties to the Shoreline Hearings Board. County unemployment rate slightly up STAFF REPORT pr@ma,~,oT~couT~ty.com The Washington State Employment Security Department released state and county unemployment rates for May this month. Mason County's May unemployment rate was 10.9 percent. That rate is up slightly from April's 10.4 percent. In May 2011, the county's unemployment rate was 11.2 percent. Neighboring counties' unemployment rates varied, with Kitsap County at 7.8 percent, Jefferson County at 10 percent, Grays Harbor County at 13.7 percent, the highest in the state, and Thurston County at 8.1 percent. The preliminary statewide unemploy- ment rate that has not been seasonally ad- justed is 8.4 percent.