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No laughin l
ment figures were releasec
EDITORIAL
Tuesday morning and the:
County numbers, once aga
abysmal.
The local unemploymen
climbed from 10.8 percent
~ason
n, are
rate
n May
to an even 11 percent in June.
The state unemployment rate,
meanwhile, edged up to 9.2 per-
cent.
You have to go back to No-
vember and December of 2008 to
find the last back-to-back months
of single digit results, and since
then only two other months (July
2009 and Oct. 2010) have been at
9.5 percent.
Here's how Jim Vleming, a re-
gional economist, summed things
up on the Washington State
Employment Security Depart~
ment website: "While the county
posted some positive growth rates
between 1990 and 2006 averag-
ing 3.3 percent, the shoe appears
to be on the other foot now. The
falling nonfarm payrolls have con-
tinued into 2011, and the ability
to overtake 2010 totals remains
questionable."
That's why this week's news
that the City of Shelton is headed
back to square one in its efforts to
, ~zone 160 acres on the west side
of Highway 101, about a half mile
south of Sanderson Field, is so
disappointing.
At a time when the city and
county are reeling, the Port of
Shelton is bending over back-
wards to fight the kind of develop-
ment that is so desparately need-
ed. Adage's smokestacks were just
fine with the port, but new homes
that will allow for an expanded
commercial and retail base are
somehow not okay.
The whole thing had us hum-
ming a silly tune this week:
How many rezones would a
rezone rezone if a rezone could
rezone rezones?
Sometimes you just have to
shake your head and laugh it off.
Fire 4- help
us help you
Editor, the Journal
Speaking with the peop
regarding Mason County F~
District 4's upcoming fire t~
lid-liR proposal has brought
light many misconceptions ol
there when it comes to loc
fire districts that I would lil
to clear up.
Fire districts are not pa
of county government nor
they tied up in the county,
the city budget. Fire distric
are a quasi-government wil
their own elected officials m
individual budgets.
Just because the valuatic
of your property has gone u
does not mean the fire distri
receives more money. Bas~
on Initiative 747 passed:
2001, your fire district can on
levy a one percent increase p
year without voter approw
To put that into perspectiv
Fire 4 only levied a $4,712 i~
crease from 2010 to 2011.
Fire 4 does not have pa
firefighters or EMTs on du'
24/7. Fire 4 has three full-tin
paid administrative staff; tl
remainder of our responds
are volunteers. These voh~
teem have families, full-tin
jobs and lives that they put ¢
hold when you dial 911.
Those are the three biggo
misconceptions I have he~
from the people, now I wou
like to address the facts tit
make people say, "Wow,
didn't know that."
With the $1.10 we A.
asking for, a home valued
$200,000 would pay $18.,"
per month for Fire/EMS pr
tection, which is equivalent
four lattes.
Fire 4 has the third hi~
est call volume in the coun'
(out of 14 fire districts). Wer
spond to appro~dmately 10(
calls per year.
Fire 4 currently has tl
lowest Fire/EMS tax rate :
the county and has nev,
raised the fire tax in our 6
year existence.
Fire 4 has no debt.
The average age of our fE
engines is 19.
Volunteers are not free. 7o
train and outfit a firefight~r
cost around $5000 then ano
er $500 per year to maint
with ongoing training and i.
surance costs.
Fire 4's vision is to six
fire at the room of origin, sa~
more lives and do so effective
and efficiently.
Vote yes on August 16, he
us help you.
Lisa BrengE
Shelt¢
our local fak
Editor, the Journal
Let's celebrate our loc
fair. Call it the Mason Coun
Fair or Mason Area Fair;, il
all the same. It is our fair. 1V
husband and I led a 4-H hot
group for many years, please
come and support the kids.
They have been working hard
to got a chance to go to the
State Fair. We have many tal-
ented people around here with
art, photography, collections,
gardens, flowers, animals
and so much more plus enter-
tainment and contests. Don't
forget all the hard work and
many, many hours that the
volunteers have spent to make
sure that we even have a fair.
rve heard some individuals
may not attend because of the
actions of certain local elected
officials. Please do not let them
divide this commtmity. We
must remember how luck we
are to live in this community
and it is the people that make
a difference.
I hope to see all of you at
the fair this weekend. The $5
admission (kids 16 and under
got in free) will go a long way
in supporting all who have
worked so hard and have tak-
en the time to participate.
Let us celebrate all the
things about our community.
Chris Bretche
Shelton
~unt'y
ing to Mr. Baumgart of Belfair efforts to make your own per- Our community needs to
(Journal 7/14), I feel you were sonal property a place of peace approve the EMS levy or we
way off base about the cats and smelling nice and devoid may face a future without
and also calling him loath- of cats. Continue to do what EMS. I am a proud member
some for feeding his squirrels you have to do to achieve this. of this community and my
and birds. I totally agree with Katie Groves wife and I feel safe here. I urge
him in every aspect. There are Shelton you to educate yourself on the
many dangerous people, my- EMS levy by reading the levy
self included, who are darn fhcts literature sent to us in
wellfedupwithloesocatsand District 6 the marl by the department.
the stench they leave by our Look for it and I believe you
houses. Mr. Baumgart never levy is ~ see that this is an essen-
said he killed the cats, only a tial service that has served our
took them to animal control, community well since 1962.
If you are missing a cat, go Rich Heinrich
Editor, the Journal check out the pound, pay the Fire Chief(retired)
fee and get it back, or adopt a Union
How is it that our pert cem- stray and keep it home. If they Editor, the Journal
missioners are so concerned areferal, they don't need to be My name is ]~i.ch He'mrich Simpsonis
with keeping their meetings running lose. They can also and I served as the Fire Chief
secret? Did they keep it a se- carry disease, like your hated of the Union Fire Department
cret when they were trying to squin~ls, for over 11 years before retir-
jam through the biomass pol- We have to build a fence ing in 2009.
luter project? ! understand to contain our dog and pay to I am writing today to urge our water
one of the commissioners was license her. Responsible pet the citizens of Union to sup-
so enamored with the proj- ownership means containing port the 2012 EMS Levy by
ect he stated, "Anyone who's your pet on your own property voting yes in the August elec-
not in favor of the project is a and picking up after them if tion. This levy is vital to the
koek." Shortly after this state- you are walking them I am Rre department and the cou-
ment, all the doctors at Ma- speaking of both cat and dog munity because it provides
son Genera] Hospital signed owners, air
a petition stating they were You know what is loath- the only source of funding for our
emergency medical services.
against the project because it some, Ms. Fisher? Loathsome Without this levy, our fire de-
was a health hazard, what a is having cats come in your partment will no longer be Editor, the Journal
bunch of kooks. How much fenced back yard and kill the able to fund the emergencey
of the commissioners time and birds you feed. I.~athsome is medical program. If you followed the Adage
our meneywas spent in secret gardening and breaking up What does this mean to story in this paper (or else-
trying to push through this fi- dirt clods that are cat turds, you and me? In my opinion, where) you know that con-
asco? ~athsome is sitting in our liv- it means tht reponse times to cerned citizens organized and
Only one commissioner has ing room and watching several medical emergencies will in- resisted, with all their might, a
spoken out against the love times a day two to three neigh- crease by six to eight minutes; pollutingindustrybeingplaced
affair between the biomass borhoed cats wander over to the department wil no longer in the heart of our community.
industry and our secretive you or yourneighbor'syard to carry top of the line medi- That proposed biomass in-
commissioners -- Jack Miles. do their business and you are cinerator would have been lo-
Because of his ~mreasonable" helpless to do anything about cal equipment or life saving cated right next to the MCRA
medications and the fire sta-
position with his colleagues he it. Loathsome is the stench tion willnot have 24 hour a soccer fields, within shouting
distance of a school, and right
has become the target of child- near the front door from a fa- day staffing ready to serve our next to the neighborhood of
ish sniping such as working vorite dumping spot for neigh- community.
overtime in the office for one borhood cats. In today's cash strappedHiawatha. It was planned
and a half hours. If everyone kept their economy, I fully understand that this fire-breathing dragon
I would suggest everything cats and dogs indoors or in the interest in cutting waste- would burn Washington's for-
those commissioners do should an enclosed (for cats) run we ful government spending, but est "debris" 24 hours a day,
be made public immediately so wouldn't be having this con- I can assure you that the EMS seven days a week, 365 days
we can keep an eye on them. versatien. Like stray dogs, cats levy is not wasthfl. It is an es- a year and that it would emit
Joe Carney shouldlikewise be taken to the sential service that our corn- dangerous pollutants into the
Shelton pound and their owner pay to munity relies upon daily. Our air measured in tons.
bail them out. A few times of fire department stands ready This was bothersome to
that and they will keep them to serve us day and night. Con- the citizens; whose vocal resis-
penned up or indoors. If you sidering that a house worth tance may be part of the rea-
care for your pet you would $250,000 would be taxed only sen Adage is no longer a threat
anyway. Anyone who loves$87.50 a year or a meager to our community.
their pet would not risk them $7.29 a month, I regard that But we citizens learned
exposed to cars, other animals, as very inexpensive health in- a few things while studying
slug bait, garden poisons, or
irate property owners pushed surance. I say again that this the science and medicine in
to buying and legally using cat EMS levy is not wasteful. This learnedconnecti°nthatwithpollutantsAdage" mea-We
is what government was cre- sured in tons are unacceptable
Editor, the Journal traps, ated to do, deliver essential
To Jean Fisher, (JournalMr. Baumgart, I and my services, when they rain down on chil-
7/21). As to your letter respond- neighbors, support you in your dren and other living things.
Simpson Timber Company
has been burning in the har-
bor for over 100 years.
Simpson is polluting our
water and polluting our air.
Presently, Simpson's air
operating permit is up for re-
newal and, if renewed, it will
be renewed for five years.
Knowing what we know
now about air pollution and
particulate matter, and the
risk to the young and the el-
derly posed by burning wood
to create energy (think "cave-
man technology" here), I feel it
is very important that the citi-
zens be afforded a public hear-
ing in connection with ORCAA
issuing a five year air operat-
ing permit.
If you feel the same way I
do please write ORCAA to let
them know that you desire a
public hearing, that the hear-
ing should be held in Shelten
and that the notice of the pub-
lie hearing should be published
in the Shelton-Mason County
Journal (for the Adage public
hearing they published notice
in the Olympian).
The science does not change
from Johns Prairie to the Har-
bor.
If it is not acceptable to rain
death on Hiawatha and the
soccer fields, it is not okay to
rain it on downtown.
Katherine A. Price
Sbelton
Editor, the Journal
Regarding last week's arti-
cle "Grapeview candidates vie
for fire district positions," my
attention was drawn to candi-
date Catron's piece wherein he
alludes to the ~little squabble"
that is going on in Grapeview.
What really got to me was the
intimation that the members
of the Grapeview Community
Association are a bunch of free
loaders because "They seem to
think they don't have to pay
a maintenance fee, so I guess
they really want the tax payer
to pay their maintenance."
Mr. Catron knows, but may
have forgotten in his declin-
ing years, that members of the
community association raised
the money to build the present
fire department facility after
a levy for that purpose failed.
In return for their largess the
fire department granted to
the community association in
writing the right to use the
building at no charge, which it
has done for several years. Re-
cently however the fire depart-
ment unilaterally changed
the language in its Station
Use Policy to include the word
":rental" charge and began
charging the community ass
ciation $100 per month calling
it a utilities fee.
I see that in another life Mr.
Catron was a banker. I guess
only a banker would presume
such an under handed major
change would only provoke a
'q_ittle squabble."
Stan Walster
Grapeview
USPS 492-800
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Jnty Journal - Thursday, July 28, 2011
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