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Page 38 — Shelton-Mason County Journal Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023
Port of Grapeview prepares budget, centennial
By Kirk Boxleitner
kbox/el'tneflernasoncoonty com
The Port of Grapeview’s Aug. 15
meeting saw commissioners consider
renovations and spending, and the
port’s 100th anniversary approaches,
celebrations.
Port commissioners Jean Farmer
and Mike Blaisdell agreed the anniver—
sary in November isn’t the best time to
mark the centennial because they pre-
fer an outdoor open house that could
take advantage of pleasant weather
and draw “big names” to the festivities.
Farmer and commissioner Art Whit—
son agreed such an occasion should also
use the marina space, so it’s possible
the ceremonies might be observed next
summer.
Moving onto the port’s upper park-
not yet been ordered, saying he hadn’t
been able to produce a draft for reno-
vating and shifting the parameters of
its parking lot.
To produce that draft, Whitson re-
quested the location and layout of the
septic system on site.
Turning to the port’s lower parking
lot, Whitson told commissioners how
“several people in the community” had
approached him about the parking lot’s
light, asking whether the port could re-
duce the amount of light it casts on its
surroundings. One person suggested
some form of shade covering.
Whitson said other area residents
have told him the light should be left as
is for safety reasons.
Blaisdell and Farmer took no action
regarding the light, which Whitson ul-
timately found persuasive. Blaisdell
matter had also yielded positive and
negative feedback about the light.
Blaisdell and Farmer agreed the
light helps avoid certain risks at night
and during the darker winter months,
but given the many commercial har—
vesting vessels that’launch from the
port, multiple times daily, the lights
absence could constitute a liability.
Commissioners also discussed the
preliminary draft of the port’s budget
for next year, which is typically intro-
duced in August and subject to public
hearings in autumn, allowing residents
of the ports districts to contribute
their comments to the draft’s poten—
tial revisions before its adoption by the
commissioners.
As the port’s auditor, Amanda Mont—
gomery normally would have led the
Aug. 15 budget discussion, but her
Blaisdell noted he’d already provided
her with his feedback. Farmer noted
the budget does not include a specific
line item for the Case Inlet Fisheries
Task Force website, which is a joint
venture between the ports of Allyn and
Grapeview.
Farmer inquired about the port’s
landscape maintenance budget. Blais-
dell said it was higher this year due to
an initial cleanup, but as the landscap-
ing is conducted at scheduled intervals,
he said he anticipates those expendi-
tures will even out. Commissioners
agreed they should check what their
landscapers’ rates will be next year.
With those considerations factored
in, Blaisdell expressed confidence the
port would meet its deadline of post—
ing its preliminary draft budget at
portofgrapevicw.com for the public to
ing lot, Whitson noted its gravel had
noted previous public discussion on the
online connection was
intermittent.
View on or before Sept. 15.
Lack of quorum forces Dewatto to cancel meeting
By Kirk Boxleitner
kbox/e/tner@masoncounty com
The Port of Dewatto canceled its scheduled Aug. 9
commissioners meeting because a personal emergency
arose that would have left the board without a quo-
rum, according to Port Manager Jeana Crosby.
The port did have a special meeting Aug. 11, both
remotely and in-person at the port office building in
Tahuya, to sign vouchers that would allow the port to
pay its bills and salaries. However, according to Cros~
by, the rest ofthe business that had been scheduled for
the port’s August meeting will likely have to wait until
its Sept. 13 meeting, unless another special meeting
occurs before that date.
Crosby said the absence of a quorum also affected
the port’s public record-keeping. In order for the port
to publish the minutes from its July 12 meeting at por—
toidewatto.com, those minutes must be approved by
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both of the port’s remaining commissioners.
Crosby promised to provide minutes from the Aug.
1] meeting at that same time as well.
By the time the port’s September meeting takes
place, Crosby said the ongoing search to fill the vacant
seat on its board will be close to being escalated to the
next level, this time from Mason County to the Gover—
nor’s Office.
The port had 90 days from the start ofthe position’s
vacancy, caused by the death of then-commissioner
Ray Mow in April, but because no one was appointed
during that period, the county was then tasked with
appointing a commissioner for District 2, which en-
compasses the areas surrounding Haven and Wooten
lakes.
“After the additional 90 days allotted to the county,
we will have to ask the governor to appoint someone
to the position,” Crosby said. “At this point, even if
we do finally get someone who is interested, they will
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no longer be able to be appointed by our commission,
but will instead be appointed by the county, or by the
governor if it’s after the county’s 90-day window has
expired.”
Crosby urged any registered voters who live in Dis—
trict and are interested in the position to call her at
the Port of Dewatto office at 360-372-2695.
In other port news, cybersecurity matters have been
a matter of some interest for the commissioners this
summer. Dave Haugen, Mow’s successor as commis-
sion chair, deemed its handling to be “quite serious” in
the wake of a recent spate of “scams and ransomware.”
Crosby continued for Haugen that the port already
maintains backups of its data. He suggested the port
conduct such data backups daily via thumb drives, a
suggestion Crosby pledged to explore, although she
suggested using external drives.
Crosby and Haugen agreed that would help safe—
guard the port against hackers and computer crashes.
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