Notice: Undefined index: HTTP_REFERER in /home/stparch/public_html/headmid_temp_main.php on line 4394
Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
July 19, 2012     Shelton Mason County Journal
PAGE 1     (1 of 20 available)        PREVIOUS     NEXT      Jumbo Image    Save To Scrapbook    Set Notifiers    PDF    JPG
 
PAGE 1     (1 of 20 available)        PREVIOUS     NEXT      Jumbo Image    Save To Scrapbook    Set Notifiers    PDF    JPG
July 19, 2012
 
Newspaper Archive of Shelton Mason County Journal produced by SmallTownPapers, Inc.
Website © 2025. All content copyrighted. Copyright Information
Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy | Request Content Removal | About / FAQ | Get Acrobat Reader




Thursday, July 19, 2012 Week 29 -- The Voice of Mason County since 1886 -- Published for Mason County and Norman Eveleth of Shelton -- $1 By EMILY HANSON emil2, @masoncounty.com The Mason County Superior Court has ordered a compentency evaluation for the suspect of an arson case earlier this month. On July 7, Jason Falter, 34, was ar- rested and charged with first-degree arson and first-degree malicious mis- chief after a fire was reported at 36 W. Wivell Road, Shelton. Falter's family said his bipolar dis- order played a role in the fire. Falter is accused of breaking out the windows of his rental house, busting holes into the walls, throwing knives at the walls and putting fireworks, wood debris and clothing items into the oven before setting it to 550 de- grees Fahrenheit, its highest setting, See Arson on page A-7 Garbage lawsuit gets day I ,n court By NATALIE JOHNSON 0 Earlier this month, the Advocates for Responsible Government. a Belfair based nonprofit, filed a lawsuit against Mason County and the Mason County Board of Commissioners over the le- gality of a garbage-hauling contract approved on June 5: Representatives for Ma- son County and the non- profit met in Grays ]~Iarbor Superior Court Monday for the first hearing on the mat-' ~er. :'The hearing went as expected." said Tim White- head. chief deputy pros- ecuting attorney for Mason County, who represented the county at the hearing. Grays Harbor County St- perior Court Judge Gordon Godfrey heard arguments Monday from the nonprofit and the county, as well as a representative from Allied Waste/Regional Disposal Company, the garbage haul- ing company named in the disputed contract. He did not make any rulings on the requests made in the law- suit on Monday. "We feel very confident about our position," said Wayne Hagen. who repre- sents the Advocates for Re- sponsible Government. The lawsuit argues that the Mason County Commis- sion failed to comply with the requirements of Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 36.58.090 when it approved a contract with Regional Disposal Company/Allied Waste for long haul and dis- posal of solid waste, The lawsuit specifically is a petition for writ of manda- mus, writ of prohibition, de- claratory relief and injunc- tive relief. The suit asks the court to prohibit Mason County from entering into the contract, and would instruct the county to go throhgh a bid process to secure a contract. The RCW requires coun- ties to use competitive bid- ding procedures for most contracts, and outlines re- quirements for those proce- dures. At Monday's hearing, Whitehead argued that the county should not have to comply with the RCW in this case~ He said the RCW applies See Lawsuit on page A-7 8¸1111!! UI!! 11!!1!1!1!1111'2 City administrator finds similarities, differences in Poland By NATALIE JOHNSON nutalie@masoncounty.com This summer, Shelton has played a role in influencing another small town with a history in the wood and paper products industry -- Krapkowice, Po- land. Shelton city Administrator Dave O'Leary traveled to the central Euro- pean country last month foic two weeks as part of the Washington City/County Management Association to consult with government leaders in Krapkowice, and advise them about the Polish municipal- ity's government. "We learned a lot while we were there," he said. "It was a remarkable adventure." At the end of his trip, O'Leary gave a presenta- tion to Krapkowice leadership. In that presentation, he highlighted many similarities between the Polish municipality and Shelton. For example, both Shelton and Krapkowice have struggling economies, are working to build new, state-of-the-art infrastructure and to create oppor- tunities for job growth. While the local water system there is publicly owned, the sewer is a public/private partnership with a local pulp mill. Much of Krapkowice's economy involves the prod- ucts of the mill, including specialty paper and col- ored toilet paper. However, he said there are also many differences between the two places. In Poland, there is more designated farmland. See Industry on page A-8 Courtesy photo Shelton city Administrator Dave O'Leary and Jurek Delewicz, water and sewer manager for the Krapkowice municipality in Poland met last month when O'Leary traveled with his wife Sally to consult on local government organization with leaders in .... Krapkowice. in repa,rs By NATALIE JOHNSON scheduled to be completed before na~alie@masoncounty.com the end of October. "It's our intent to get in and get this work done before the rains The Washington Department, begin again," Project Engineer of Transportation (WSDOT) an- ScottyIrehnd said. nounced this week that it plans to CreWs:from contractor Rogn- begin work to repair a flood-dam- !ins Inc:i which bid $1.3 million aged section of State Route 3 near to complete the project, will begin Shelton by Monday. mobilizing on site this week, he The work, which includes drill- said. ing 60-foot pilings into the hillside During construction, one lane "Alternating one way traffic lize the highway, in March, an will be maintained through the existing retaining walt, called a project," Ireland said. concrete "crib wall," ~vas compro- After arriving Monday, Rogn- mised when heavy rainfall raised lin's crews plan to widen the one the groundwater level and eroded lane of travel into the existing part of the hillside. ditch. By July 30, they will erect a '~ "Part of what makes the proj- concrete barrier between that lane ect a little bit tricky is we have of traffic and workers, to enhance an existing retaining wall that safety throughout the project: s~pported the roadway," Ireland After widening the road andsaid. "That (crib) wall slid a little constructing the concrete barrier, under the busy state highway,: is of travel will be open to motOrists, crews will begin work to stabi- See Repairs on page A-7