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Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
August 23, 2007     Shelton Mason County Journal
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August 23, 2007
 
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Congressman touches many bas By JEFF GREEN Congressman Norm Dicks whisked through Shelton last Thursday, attending a ground- breaking ceremony at Sanderson Field, then speaking to a luncheon crowd downtown. "If we want to protect Hood Ca- nal, if we want to protect Puget Sound, we've got to do these proj- ects," the Belfair Democrat said during the "Golden Shovel" event commemorating the start of con- struction on one phase of the Shel- ton Area Regional Water and Sew- er Project. Dicks said he was committed to all four phases of the Shelton re- gional project, noting it will help bring in jobs and because it is the right thing to do. The congressman appeared at the ceremony at the Shelton air- port marking the beginning of construction of a satellite water reclamation plant, with sewer and reclaimed, that is treated, water lines that will cross the airport to the Washington State Patrol Acad- emy and Washington Corrections Center. Partners in the regional project include the City of Shelton, Washington State Department of Corrections and the Washington State Patrol. DICKS AND others extolled the environmental effects of the $42-million project. Dave Jansen of the Washington Department of Corrections said the department is a $14-million participant in the project that expects to use some of the reclaimed water for irrigation at the Shelton prison. Lieutenant Tim Winchell, assis- tant commander at the state pa- trol academy, said there currently are 10 septic fields there and that the regional program will allow the academy to dispose of waste in a "more environmentally friendly manner." Reclaimed water will be used on the academy driving track and tbr campus irrigation. After the guests' remarks con- cluded, Dicks donned a hard hat and joined Shelton Mayor John Tarrant, Jansen and Winchell in CONGRESSMAN NORM DICKS speaks at a groundbreak. ing ceremony last Thursday at Sanderson Field for the Shelton Area Regional Water and Sewer Project. Watch- ing are Lieutenant Tim Winchell, assistant commander of the Washington State Patrol Academy, and Shelton Mayor John Tarrant. turning over dirt using special shovels painted gold for the occa- sion. Minutes later, the congress- man appeared at Xinh's Clam and Oyster House, where he was guest speaker at the monthly lun- cheon of the Economic Develop- ment Council of Mason County. He touched on a number of top- ics, including the Iraq War, treat- ment of military veterans and more. THE NATION currently spends $12 billion a month on the war on terrorisn, Dicks said. Congress is awaiting a report by U.S. Army General David Petraeus, com- mander of the Multinational Force in Iraq, about the state of the war. Dicks went to Iraq in 2003 and spent some time with Petraeus, adding he was impressed by the general. Last February, Dicks went back County commission roundup: Belfair land swap is okayed at last trict really has substantial needs and I know that we envision the day when we have a public works facility that meets the needs of the north end of the county," said Com- missioner Lynda Ring-Erickson. She noted that the Sand Hill property is a prime location for a future public works facility. The county's property was zoned for use as 10-acre single family homesites. It had no merchant- able timber on it and had been re- cently appraised at $315,000. The school district's land was zoned and recommended for use as 5- acre homesites. It didn't have any merchantable timber on it either and had been recently appraised at $259,304. The school district balanced the land exchange with $55,696 in cash. They finally agreed to swap lots. After a public hearing on Tuesday, the Mason County Commission authorized an exchange of real property with the North Mason School District. The county traded 40 acres of surplus land adjacent to the school district campus on State Route 302. The school district needs this property for further expansion. Commissioners had continued this hearing twice so that both authori- ties would have time to look over and discuss the agreement. The school district owned 11.27 acres of surplus property on Sand Hill Road that the county could use for a future public works road maintenance shop. "I think this is one of those op- p0rtunities where the school dis- State closes shellfish bed with vibrio parahaemolyticus, a natural bacterium that can cause diarrhea, stomach cramps, nau- sea, vomiting, headache, fever and chills. Symptoms usually appear about 12 hours after eating infect- ed shellfish. The illness is usually mild to moderate and lasts for two to sev- en days. However, it can be life threatening to people with lowered immunity or chronic liver disease. The best way to prevent this illness is to cook oysters during the warm summer months. The bacteria are killed when oysters are cooked to 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Several new cases of vibriosis have led to state health officials to close an oyster growing area on Hood Canal. The Washington Department of Health has closed commercial harvesting on beaches from the Hamma Hamma River south to Sisters Point near Tahuya. State officials are working with repre- sentatives of the shellfish industry to recall oysters from the affected area. People who have purchased oysters recently should check with the place of purchase to see if they were harvested from the affected growing areas. Of concern are shellfish tainted to Iraq with a congressional del- egation, including, he noted, some members who had served there earlier with the military. The current military surge has a chance of working, but Dicks said he told generals they've still got to worry about al-Qaida and terrorists. "A1-Qaida is commit- ting genocide," Dicks noted. The current Iraqi government isn't functioning, he said, adding, "At some time, we've got to start a phased withdrawal." There is no effort at reconciliation between the Shiite and Sunni factions. A PHASED withdrawal of American troops is not losing, Dicks insists. "We've achieved our goal," which was the removal of Saddam Hussein and his govern- ment, he added. "At some point, they've got to take responsibility for their coun- try," he said of the Iraqis. "We would not have done this if there was not a threat of nuclear weapons," he said of the war. Thirty-thousand Americans have been injured in the war, in- cluding 15,000 whose injuries are very severe, Dicks said. More than 90 percent of the wounded are saved. "That part of it is done re- ally, really well," he said, adding, "It's what happens to them when they get out of Walter Reed and Bethesda (military hospitals)" that concerns him. CONGRESS HAS funded more people to help the veterans with their claims and advocate for them, while the Army is try- ing to push them out the door, he said. And while people may differ with the policies of President Bush and Vice President Cheney, every- body is supporting the troops, he said, adding, "You don't cut off funding when people are still in the field. The agencies under the U.S. De- partment of the Interior's budget were cut by 16 percent between 2001 and 2007, and the Forest Ser- vice was cut by 35 percent, Dicks said. That has put the agency way behind in thinning timber on its lands in the Northwest. Dicks said he made sure extra money stayed in bills to pay for thinning opera- tions. Fire has become a huge issue for the Forest Service, he said. In 2001, 13 percent of the Forest Ser- vice budget was for fire protection. Today, that amount has grown to 47 percent of the budget, Dicks said. "It's a major problem and the fires are getting more intense," he added. ONE LOCAL highlight was the shellfish agreement finalized last month by local shellfish growers and tribes. The parties had been working on it for 25 years, Dicks said. "That was a biggie," he said of the agreement, which was signed early last month. "A big part of the economy is the he added. "We have to water quality." Under the outlined tribes will forgo their to harvest an estimated lion worth of shellfish private beaches; ers will provide $500,000 of shellfish enhancement lic tidelands over a years; and treaty tribes access to a $33-million to acquire and enhance to which they exclusively access. Dicks said he was in on Wednesday, August 15, ! grand opening of a gallon biodiesel plant. THE NEW PLANT'S ity equals one-third of amount of biodiesel produced in the U.S., he project includes 14 huge and was built in a record months. "It's a good example of tive energy sources," Dicks Another Grays Harbor project was worthy of Quigg Brothers firm is into the woods and wood waste, to the firm and ground up t biomass, Dicks ex mass collected from the els a steam generator at th0l and also produces excess ity. Before he finished his Dicks took a swipe at the Administration. "Global ing is a reality and question about it," he ing, all of the experts equivocally, it is a problemS. business community is more about this problem the White House." Call today for a FREE ESTIMATE on a new Trane system! IU" Olynpic Heating & Coolin • Sales • Service * Installations It's Hard To Stop A a: * Repairs * Heating • Air Conditioning * Refrigeration • 426-9945 * 754-1235 * 1-800-400-9945 OLYMPH(:968BA Beat the Price " 00September 12, 2007 PRESSURE RELIEVING SWEDISH MATTRESSES AND PI Priced as low as the will allow! You've seen it on We Deriver and Set-Up Twenty Year Warranty 360-4116-470II or CALL TOLL FREE t-800-4M-4702 Free Delivery • Convenient Personalized Terms • Free Parking 72 Years In Shelton • Same Family Ownemhip • We Do It RightU Page 12 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, August 23, 2007 Congressman touches many bas By JEFF GREEN Congressman Norm Dicks whisked through Shelton last Thursday, attending a ground- breaking ceremony at Sanderson Field, then speaking to a luncheon crowd downtown. "If we want to protect Hood Ca- nal, if we want to protect Puget Sound, we've got to do these proj- ects," the Belfair Democrat said during the "Golden Shovel" event commemorating the start of con- struction on one phase of the Shel- ton Area Regional Water and Sew- er Project. Dicks said he was committed to all four phases of the Shelton re- gional project, noting it will help bring in jobs and because it is the right thing to do. The congressman appeared at the ceremony at the Shelton air- port marking the beginning of construction of a satellite water reclamation plant, with sewer and reclaimed, that is treated, water lines that will cross the airport to the Washington State Patrol Acad- emy and Washington Corrections Center. Partners in the regional project include the City of Shelton, Washington State Department of Corrections and the Washington State Patrol. DICKS AND others extolled the environmental effects of the $42-million project. Dave Jansen of the Washington Department of Corrections said the department is a $14-million participant in the project that expects to use some of the reclaimed water for irrigation at the Shelton prison. Lieutenant Tim Winchell, assis- tant commander at the state pa- trol academy, said there currently are 10 septic fields there and that the regional program will allow the academy to dispose of waste in a "more environmentally friendly manner." Reclaimed water will be used on the academy driving track and tbr campus irrigation. After the guests' remarks con- cluded, Dicks donned a hard hat and joined Shelton Mayor John Tarrant, Jansen and Winchell in CONGRESSMAN NORM DICKS speaks at a groundbreak. ing ceremony last Thursday at Sanderson Field for the Shelton Area Regional Water and Sewer Project. Watch- ing are Lieutenant Tim Winchell, assistant commander of the Washington State Patrol Academy, and Shelton Mayor John Tarrant. turning over dirt using special shovels painted gold for the occa- sion. Minutes later, the congress- man appeared at Xinh's Clam and Oyster House, where he was guest speaker at the monthly lun- cheon of the Economic Develop- ment Council of Mason County. He touched on a number of top- ics, including the Iraq War, treat- ment of military veterans and more. THE NATION currently spends $12 billion a month on the war on terrorisn, Dicks said. Congress is awaiting a report by U.S. Army General David Petraeus, com- mander of the Multinational Force in Iraq, about the state of the war. Dicks went to Iraq in 2003 and spent some time with Petraeus, adding he was impressed by the general. Last February, Dicks went back County commission roundup: Belfair land swap is okayed at last trict really has substantial needs and I know that we envision the day when we have a public works facility that meets the needs of the north end of the county," said Com- missioner Lynda Ring-Erickson. She noted that the Sand Hill property is a prime location for a future public works facility. The county's property was zoned for use as 10-acre single family homesites. It had no merchant- able timber on it and had been re- cently appraised at $315,000. The school district's land was zoned and recommended for use as 5- acre homesites. It didn't have any merchantable timber on it either and had been recently appraised at $259,304. The school district balanced the land exchange with $55,696 in cash. They finally agreed to swap lots. After a public hearing on Tuesday, the Mason County Commission authorized an exchange of real property with the North Mason School District. The county traded 40 acres of surplus land adjacent to the school district campus on State Route 302. The school district needs this property for further expansion. Commissioners had continued this hearing twice so that both authori- ties would have time to look over and discuss the agreement. The school district owned 11.27 acres of surplus property on Sand Hill Road that the county could use for a future public works road maintenance shop. "I think this is one of those op- p0rtunities where the school dis- State closes shellfish bed with vibrio parahaemolyticus, a natural bacterium that can cause diarrhea, stomach cramps, nau- sea, vomiting, headache, fever and chills. Symptoms usually appear about 12 hours after eating infect- ed shellfish. The illness is usually mild to moderate and lasts for two to sev- en days. However, it can be life threatening to people with lowered immunity or chronic liver disease. The best way to prevent this illness is to cook oysters during the warm summer months. The bacteria are killed when oysters are cooked to 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Several new cases of vibriosis have led to state health officials to close an oyster growing area on Hood Canal. The Washington Department of Health has closed commercial harvesting on beaches from the Hamma Hamma River south to Sisters Point near Tahuya. State officials are working with repre- sentatives of the shellfish industry to recall oysters from the affected area. People who have purchased oysters recently should check with the place of purchase to see if they were harvested from the affected growing areas. Of concern are shellfish tainted to Iraq with a congressional del- egation, including, he noted, some members who had served there earlier with the military. The current military surge has a chance of working, but Dicks said he told generals they've still got to worry about al-Qaida and terrorists. "A1-Qaida is commit- ting genocide," Dicks noted. The current Iraqi government isn't functioning, he said, adding, "At some time, we've got to start a phased withdrawal." There is no effort at reconciliation between the Shiite and Sunni factions. A PHASED withdrawal of American troops is not losing, Dicks insists. "We've achieved our goal," which was the removal of Saddam Hussein and his govern- ment, he added. "At some point, they've got to take responsibility for their coun- try," he said of the Iraqis. "We would not have done this if there was not a threat of nuclear weapons," he said of the war. Thirty-thousand Americans have been injured in the war, in- cluding 15,000 whose injuries are very severe, Dicks said. More than 90 percent of the wounded are saved. "That part of it is done re- ally, really well," he said, adding, "It's what happens to them when they get out of Walter Reed and Bethesda (military hospitals)" that concerns him. CONGRESS HAS funded more people to help the veterans with their claims and advocate for them, while the Army is try- ing to push them out the door, he said. And while people may differ with the policies of President Bush and Vice President Cheney, every- body is supporting the troops, he said, adding, "You don't cut off funding when people are still in the field. The agencies under the U.S. De- partment of the Interior's budget were cut by 16 percent between 2001 and 2007, and the Forest Ser- vice was cut by 35 percent, Dicks said. That has put the agency way behind in thinning timber on its lands in the Northwest. Dicks said he made sure extra money stayed in bills to pay for thinning opera- tions. Fire has become a huge issue for the Forest Service, he said. In 2001, 13 percent of the Forest Ser- vice budget was for fire protection. Today, that amount has grown to 47 percent of the budget, Dicks said. "It's a major problem and the fires are getting more intense," he added. ONE LOCAL highlight was the shellfish agreement finalized last month by local shellfish growers and tribes. The parties had been working on it for 25 years, Dicks said. "That was a biggie," he said of the agreement, which was signed early last month. "A big part of the economy is the he added. "We have to water quality." Under the outlined tribes will forgo their to harvest an estimated lion worth of shellfish private beaches; ers will provide $500,000 of shellfish enhancement lic tidelands over a years; and treaty tribes access to a $33-million to acquire and enhance to which they exclusively access. Dicks said he was in on Wednesday, August 15, ! grand opening of a gallon biodiesel plant. THE NEW PLANT'S ity equals one-third of amount of biodiesel produced in the U.S., he project includes 14 huge and was built in a record months. "It's a good example of tive energy sources," Dicks Another Grays Harbor project was worthy of Quigg Brothers firm is into the woods and wood waste, to the firm and ground up t biomass, Dicks ex mass collected from the els a steam generator at th0l and also produces excess ity. Before he finished his Dicks took a swipe at the Administration. "Global ing is a reality and question about it," he ing, all of the experts equivocally, it is a problemS. business community is more about this problem the White House." Call today for a FREE ESTIMATE on a new Trane system! IU" Olynpic Heating & Coolin • Sales • Service * Installations It's Hard To Stop A a: * Repairs * Heating • Air Conditioning * Refrigeration • 426-9945 * 754-1235 * 1-800-400-9945 OLYMPH(:968BA Beat the Price " 00September 12, 2007 PRESSURE RELIEVING SWEDISH MATTRESSES AND PI Priced as low as the will allow! You've seen it on We Deriver and Set-Up Twenty Year Warranty 360-4116-470II or CALL TOLL FREE t-800-4M-4702 Free Delivery • Convenient Personalized Terms • Free Parking 72 Years In Shelton • Same Family Ownemhip • We Do It RightU Page 12 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, August 23, 2007