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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
July 21, 2011     Shelton Mason County Journal
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July 21, 2011
 
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I By NATALIE JOHNSON After long time Shelton School District (SSD) Su- perintendent Joan Zook's announcement of her up- coming retirement last sum- mer, the district embarked on a long search for a good candidate for the job. Their top pick, Wayne Massie, officially began as the new SSD superinten- dent on July 1 and is quick- ly settling into his new job. "The first year is so much about getting to know the culture of the district and the community - just getting to know a lot of the commu- nity members and I'm trying to get involved with some of the service organizations," he said. "I very much want to meet people who are the movers and the shak- ers here in our community, but I want to meet parents and really pick their brains about what's good about the community and the school." Massie said he is optimis- tic about the future of Shel- ton and the school district. "Shelton is certainly mak- ing some good movement to be right on the cusp of doing some great things," he said. For the last five years Massie served as the su- perintendent at the Tekoa School District in east- ern Washington. He also worked as an administrator in the Ferndale School Dis- trict for 15 years and taught for 11 years in Oroville and Idaho. This will be his first year in the Shel- ton School District, which in- cludes Shel- ton High School, Choice Massie H i g h School, Oakland Bay Junior High School, Olympic Middle School, Evergreen Elemen- tary School, Mountain View Elementary School, and Bordeaux Elementary. Massie's initial goals are to get involved with the com- munity in Shelton, but over- the long-term he wants to "establish an environment of academic excellence" in the district. "That's something that every school district would really like to aim for," he said. "It's really getting ev- erybody, including parents, students, new staff and ev- erybody that works in the district pulling together to make that come to fruition." Massie said that it is necessary to create this at- mosphere of excellence in a time when students need to get a high school diploma to be competitive in the work- force. "There's a lot of challeng- es out there for kids com- ing out of our school system right now," he said. "You have to know so much and have so much background behind you to be competi- tive out there." While he said that a four-year college is not for everyone, Massie wants to encourage all kids in the district to pursue some kind of post-secondary education. "It could be an appren- ticeship, it could be the world of work, it could be the military or it could be a post secondary institution. It could be a two-year col- lege, a four-year college or a technical school. You get them prepared to move on- ward and be successful," he said. Massie said that he wants to be available to parents to receive input about the dis- trict. He plans on creating some kind of forum outside of school district meetings to allow for public input. "I've looked at having some forums throughout the year to see if there are some ways to elicit some more responses and informa- tion from parents," he said. "They could focus on differ- ent types of topics or the dif- ferent schools in the area." Overall, Massie said that he wants to see concrete re- sults from the extra training that teachers in the district have been going through. Teachers in the SSD should be able to tailor instruction to student needs after their recent training programs. "Training has been ongo- ing and pretty intense and teachers have worked hard and now they need to apply it and we need to start see- ing results from students," he said. 6o to for medical Water district applies for USDA funcls By ~ SHEPHARD The Belfair Water District is applying for a $2 million federal loan and grant offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Ru- ral Development program. If obtained, the USDA monies would be used toward funding the district's water- line removal and replace- ment project under State Route 3, which is required as part of the Washing- ton State Department of Transportation's (WS- DOT) highway widening project. As required under the guidelines for the grant Tipton and loan application, the district held a public meet- ing as a notice of its intent to apply for the funds on Monday night. District Manager Dave Tipton explained that the district's project, like the state's SR-3 widening project, would extend from the McDonald's on Ridgepoint Boulevard to Sweetwater Creek behind the Mary E. The- ler Community Center. t Tipton said it was uncloli} as to whether the district was obliged to move the water- line for the entire scope of the WSDOT proj- ect. "We don't know if we're required to move the line from Belfair Street to McDonald's," Tipton said. "We don't have all of the pieces of the puzzle. I can't tell you want will be the hard and hard and the fast of it because we don't know yet." The application would not preclude the district from seeking funding elsewhere. A previous application for the funds was made to the state's Public Works Trust Fund, but the proposal did not make the funding cut- off after the legislature reduced the budget for public works. "We're not putting all our eggs in the USDA, but it's our best bet at this point," Tipton said. The water district's contracted engineers have completed their jobs, and the. district is still negotiating with WSDOT to see if the state could construct the waterline project at the same time as the widening project, Tipton said. BWD candidates advocate transparency By ARLA SHEPHARD Phillips will still appear at the district and look into on the ballot in the August changing the meeting time. 16 primary, up against can- "I'd like to secure the While six candidatesorig- didates Linnie Griffin and funding for the pipe that inally threw their names in Lynn Stevenson. has to go in the ground [as the hat for the two open po- Stevenson, 71, said he required by the State Route sitions on the Belfair Water was motivated to run for3 state widening project]," District Commission, essen- office by the thick stack of Stevenson said. "I'm out for tially only four now remain, newspaper articles concern- the good of Belfair." Ken VanBuskirk with- ing the water district on his Stevenson's competitor drew his name for conten- kitchen table and by the re- Linnie Griffin has moved tion on June 17 in the race straining order that Phillips to Belfair in 1974 with her for the two-year Commis- attempted to file against husband and three children, sioner Position No. 2, and him earlier this year, which who all attended school in incnmben~ John Phillips in t~e aistrict court threw out. ~ort]] 1~ason. the six-year Commissioner "I was one of the earliest Griffin has served and Position No. 3 has made it water ratepayers in the Bel- volunteered on numerous clear that he has no plans to fair water system and I've public service boards and is run an active campaign, watched the water district the current chairperson of "This office is taking too for years," said Stevenson. the North Mason Communi- much of my time," said Phil- "It's not since the last two ty Voice and a commissioner lips, who said he has been years that it's disintegrat- on the cemetery district in politics for more than 40 ed." board in Belfair. years and has never lost an Stevenson moved to Bel- "Some of it just comes au- election. "I want to see my fair in 1958 with his wife tomatically, it's just part of grandchildren and travel and three daughters, nowmy life," Griffin said of her on church missions. I called grown, and has spent 50 volunteer work, which also Mason County Auditor's Of- years in the construction in- includes volunteering for rice to withdraw and have dustry in Washington, Ore- 45 years for the Girl Scouts. my name removed from the gon, Alaska and the Central "I just go and give a hand primary election ballot, but Pacific, where he workedwherever I can, it's part I was too late. Therefore, I on making ~slands biggerof being in a community, have told my friends and for missile l~unch pads, he just putting a helping hand supporters I will not run an said. when you can." active campaign as I am not If he were elected, he interested in another term." would make staff changes See District on page A-7 UNOCAL 76 PRODUCTS * Motor Oils and Hydraulic Oils * Industrial Lubricants *Automotive Oils *Metal Working Fluids *Job Site High-Volume Commercial Diesel * Greases and Gear Oils * PuMp Repair, Tanks, Nozzles, Grease Guns * Solvents, Antifreeze * Heating Oil Delivered * Cutting Oils * Furnace and Stove Oil, Kerosene OIL CO Located at Sanderson Industrial Park Shelton Shelton-Mason County Journal -Thursday, July 21,2011 - Fueling Page A-3