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SHELTON-
MASON COUNTY
JOURtqAL
Thursda00 September 13, 2007 121st Year -- Number 37 5 Sections -- 46 Pages Published in Shelton, Washington 75 cents
GREEN
of Peacock Ridge are plan-
build 650 single-family houses and
townhouses there, Shelton
Board members were told Tuesday
Joan Zook said she has
with representatives of the de-
firm and they asked to appear at
board meeting, scheduled on
September 25, to discuss the proj-
the board.
Ridge is composed of a 240-acre
undeveloped site located east of
looms at Peacock Ridge
and behind Olympic College Shelton. Bos-
ton Harbor Land Company, based in Aria-
cortes, plans to buy the land from Green
Diamond Resource Company, then develop
it during the next decade.
Zook said the developers intend to build
80 homes per year beginning in 2009. Pea-
cock Ridge would also include some small
commercial development. The developers
also want to set aside nine acres for a new
school site, where the school district prob-
ably would build an elementary school to
serve Peacock Ridge residents and others.
"THEY ARE very, very much wanting
to work with us," Zook said, adding the de-
velopers plan to build walking paths so stu-
dents aren't walking in traffic on their way
to and from the new school.
The developers will show design plans
and present timelines at the September 25
school board meeting, Zook said. They want
to make the development "family-friendly
and school-focused," she said. The proposed
school site would be in the middle of the
development and students could walk to
school, Zook explained.
Board member Marty Crow said similar
developments have been built in the Bend,
Oregon, area and attracted younger fami-
lies. But elementary schools in those devel-
opments now face declining enrollments be-
cause while the families stay, the students
move on to other schools located outside the
developments.
Zook said the school district has not yet
signed a development mitigation agree-
ment with the Peacock Ridge developers.
The district now is covered by develop-
ment mitigation fees through the State
Environmental Policy Act. Meanwhile, the
district is working to get the City of Shel-
(Please turn to page 7.)
hall
gallery
GREEN
local artists: It appears
be a rotating art gallery
Civic Center at last.
the gallery itself won't ro-
the restaurant atop Se-
)ace Needle, only the art-
there, which will
for 12-week periods.
: Ziegler, supervisor of the
and Recreation De-
appeared at Monday
She]ton City Commis-
to present a policy
for the art gallery.
Project, in the works for the
only now is near-
Professional and am-
working in two- and
media (video is
will be invited to
to exhibit their work at the
LOCAL artists
an application form
it, a r6sum6 and a color
proposed work,
size and de-
according to the policy.
Shelton Arts Commission
submissions and select
work reflects the his-
cultural and natu-
of Washington State.
gallery will be located on
floor of the civic center
the east corridor
Shelton Municipal
and Shelton Police Depart-
the main lobby.
said the arts commis-
leets next Tuesday and he
to issue a call for artists
by the end of this month.
an inventory of the
ARTS commission re-
the right not to select art
reason, whether the work
not of outstand-
or does not fit a theme,
aoted in a briefing memo
commissioners voted to
Administrator Dave
authorize the policy and
for the art gallery.
also announced that two
on the five-member arts
are opening with the
of Kim Stracke, who
out of the country, and
of David Beers, who
attended a meeting in more
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIU
the inside
12
.................. • ..... ..° 34
Calendar ....... 17
........ 39
Dining ..... 32
................. 18
........................... 10
Letters ................. 4
21
19
27
lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllilillllll
2
The boardwalk of life
Here comes Johnny with a band of work- ing that breaching of dikes that have re-
efs ready to install guardrails on a board- stricted the natural flow of water for de-
walk being constructed in the estuary cades will restore the prospects of grass
of the Skokomish River. Elders of the and shellfish native to the area. There's
Skokomish Tribe are hoping and pray- a story on page 3.
Wildfire near Dayton
is called 'suspicious'
A fire that started Tuesday
night off Martin Road in the vicin-
ity of Simpson Timber Company's
Mill 5 west of Shelton burned some
15 to 17 acres of timberland before
it was contained.
The fire initially was reported
at 8 p.m. on Tuesday by someone
in a passing aircraft, said Chuck
Frame, a spokesman with the
Washington State Department of
Natural Resources.
Firefighters from the DNR and
Fire District 16 located the blaze
an hour and a half later. Frame
said the fire was difficult to find be-
cause there was no smoke column,
as winds of 10 to 20 miles per hour
blew the smoke "everywhere."
The fire started in older logging
slash on Green Diamond Resource
Company land, then spread to
young trees about 10 years old, then
to some standing, mature timber.
Firefighters from eight fire dis-
tricts and the DNR battled the
fire. They were aided by two bull-
dozers from Green Diamond and a
private contractor. On Wednesday
morning, three fire crews, three
engines and a couple of water ten-
ders from the DNR remained on
the scene.
The cause of the fire has been
listed as suspicious and it is being
investigated by a DNR fire investi-
gator. "We know it was not caused
by logging or lightning," Frame
said.
WASL
scores
vary as
usual
The results from last spring's
Washington Assessment of Stu-
dent Learning tests were released
late last week by the Washington
Office of Superintendent of Public
Instruction.
As usual, there was a mixed bag
of results among students at local
schools. A chart showing WASL
results for Shelton and other area
school districts appears on page 6.
Mountain View Elementary
School's fourth-graders exceeded
the state average in all three parts
of their standardized tests, the lone
area class to accomplish that feat.
Third-graders at Bordeaux
and Mountain View elementary
schools also exceeded the state av-
erages in math and. reading, the
only subjects appearing on their
WASL tests.
AT THE 10TH-grade level,
Mary M. Knight students topped
the state average in writing. Shel-
ton High School and CHOICE Al-
ternative School 10th-graders nei-
ther met nor exceeded state aver-
ages in the four subjects of math,
reading, writing and science.
As for SHS, the 10th-graders'
scores in writing and science im-
proved from a year earlier, but
class scores last spring dipped in
math and reading.
Math and science continued to
pose problems for most local stu-
dents, as they did for students
throughout the state. Statewide
averages in math and science were
the lowest among WASL subjects
across all grade levels. Students
typically fared better in reading
and writing.
Among eighth-graders, stu-
dents at Pioneer Intermediate
and Middle School and Mary M.
Knight topped the state average
in reading. Seventh-graders at
Southside School finished above
(Please turn to page 6.)
Hood Canal greets new principal
By JEFF GREEN
Tom Churchill likes what he's
seen so far at Hood Canal School.
Churchill is the new assistant
superintendent and principal at
Hood Canal, succeeding longtime
principal Bert Miller, ousted by
a controversial split vote on the
Hood Canal School Board last
spring. Miller is now executive di-
rector of the Squaxin Island Child
Development Center.
"It seems like it's a great staff
and it's a beautiful building,"
Churchill said. The new school
held a combination reunion, open
house and dedication ceremony
last week and area residents
turned out in numbers for the
event. The turnout was estimated
at 700 or more people.
The school parking lot was
still awaiting the installation of
lights and parking stripes at last
week's event. Volunteers from
Fire District 9 came to the res-
cue, lighting up the lot with the
spotlights on their fire trucks
and directing traffic. "It does
seem people are willing to help,"
Churchill said, adding the call
for help went out from the school
to the fire district on the day of
the open house.
LAST THURSDAY, as he sat
inside his office for this interview,
teachers were guiding students
on tours of the new building. "The
kids are walking around wide-
eyed, especially the younger stu-
dents. It's kind of like a big adven-
ture for them," Churchill said.
"I couldn't ask for a nicer fa-
cility. I feel extremely lucky," he
added.
As the movie cliche goes, if you
build it, they will come. Enrollment
this fall is up a bit, with 310 stu-
dents so far. "We could certainly
handle more students," Churchill
said. There are two classrooms
now used for tutoring programs
that are available if needed.
Churchill, 45, grew up in Yuba
City, California, in an education-
oriented family. His father was a
middle-school vice principal; his
(Please turn to page 9.)
TOM CHURCHILL, the new assistant superintendent and
principal at Hood Canal School, brings with him a vari-
ety of educational experiences and a fondness for smaller
communities like Hood Canal.
SHELTON-
MASON COUNTY
JOURtqAL
Thursda00 September 13, 2007 121st Year -- Number 37 5 Sections -- 46 Pages Published in Shelton, Washington 75 cents
GREEN
of Peacock Ridge are plan-
build 650 single-family houses and
townhouses there, Shelton
Board members were told Tuesday
Joan Zook said she has
with representatives of the de-
firm and they asked to appear at
board meeting, scheduled on
September 25, to discuss the proj-
the board.
Ridge is composed of a 240-acre
undeveloped site located east of
looms at Peacock Ridge
and behind Olympic College Shelton. Bos-
ton Harbor Land Company, based in Aria-
cortes, plans to buy the land from Green
Diamond Resource Company, then develop
it during the next decade.
Zook said the developers intend to build
80 homes per year beginning in 2009. Pea-
cock Ridge would also include some small
commercial development. The developers
also want to set aside nine acres for a new
school site, where the school district prob-
ably would build an elementary school to
serve Peacock Ridge residents and others.
"THEY ARE very, very much wanting
to work with us," Zook said, adding the de-
velopers plan to build walking paths so stu-
dents aren't walking in traffic on their way
to and from the new school.
The developers will show design plans
and present timelines at the September 25
school board meeting, Zook said. They want
to make the development "family-friendly
and school-focused," she said. The proposed
school site would be in the middle of the
development and students could walk to
school, Zook explained.
Board member Marty Crow said similar
developments have been built in the Bend,
Oregon, area and attracted younger fami-
lies. But elementary schools in those devel-
opments now face declining enrollments be-
cause while the families stay, the students
move on to other schools located outside the
developments.
Zook said the school district has not yet
signed a development mitigation agree-
ment with the Peacock Ridge developers.
The district now is covered by develop-
ment mitigation fees through the State
Environmental Policy Act. Meanwhile, the
district is working to get the City of Shel-
(Please turn to page 7.)
hall
gallery
GREEN
local artists: It appears
be a rotating art gallery
Civic Center at last.
the gallery itself won't ro-
the restaurant atop Se-
)ace Needle, only the art-
there, which will
for 12-week periods.
: Ziegler, supervisor of the
and Recreation De-
appeared at Monday
She]ton City Commis-
to present a policy
for the art gallery.
Project, in the works for the
only now is near-
Professional and am-
working in two- and
media (video is
will be invited to
to exhibit their work at the
LOCAL artists
an application form
it, a r6sum6 and a color
proposed work,
size and de-
according to the policy.
Shelton Arts Commission
submissions and select
work reflects the his-
cultural and natu-
of Washington State.
gallery will be located on
floor of the civic center
the east corridor
Shelton Municipal
and Shelton Police Depart-
the main lobby.
said the arts commis-
leets next Tuesday and he
to issue a call for artists
by the end of this month.
an inventory of the
ARTS commission re-
the right not to select art
reason, whether the work
not of outstand-
or does not fit a theme,
aoted in a briefing memo
commissioners voted to
Administrator Dave
authorize the policy and
for the art gallery.
also announced that two
on the five-member arts
are opening with the
of Kim Stracke, who
out of the country, and
of David Beers, who
attended a meeting in more
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIU
the inside
12
.................. • ..... ..° 34
Calendar ....... 17
........ 39
Dining ..... 32
................. 18
........................... 10
Letters ................. 4
21
19
27
lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllilillllll
2
The boardwalk of life
Here comes Johnny with a band of work- ing that breaching of dikes that have re-
efs ready to install guardrails on a board- stricted the natural flow of water for de-
walk being constructed in the estuary cades will restore the prospects of grass
of the Skokomish River. Elders of the and shellfish native to the area. There's
Skokomish Tribe are hoping and pray- a story on page 3.
Wildfire near Dayton
is called 'suspicious'
A fire that started Tuesday
night off Martin Road in the vicin-
ity of Simpson Timber Company's
Mill 5 west of Shelton burned some
15 to 17 acres of timberland before
it was contained.
The fire initially was reported
at 8 p.m. on Tuesday by someone
in a passing aircraft, said Chuck
Frame, a spokesman with the
Washington State Department of
Natural Resources.
Firefighters from the DNR and
Fire District 16 located the blaze
an hour and a half later. Frame
said the fire was difficult to find be-
cause there was no smoke column,
as winds of 10 to 20 miles per hour
blew the smoke "everywhere."
The fire started in older logging
slash on Green Diamond Resource
Company land, then spread to
young trees about 10 years old, then
to some standing, mature timber.
Firefighters from eight fire dis-
tricts and the DNR battled the
fire. They were aided by two bull-
dozers from Green Diamond and a
private contractor. On Wednesday
morning, three fire crews, three
engines and a couple of water ten-
ders from the DNR remained on
the scene.
The cause of the fire has been
listed as suspicious and it is being
investigated by a DNR fire investi-
gator. "We know it was not caused
by logging or lightning," Frame
said.
WASL
scores
vary as
usual
The results from last spring's
Washington Assessment of Stu-
dent Learning tests were released
late last week by the Washington
Office of Superintendent of Public
Instruction.
As usual, there was a mixed bag
of results among students at local
schools. A chart showing WASL
results for Shelton and other area
school districts appears on page 6.
Mountain View Elementary
School's fourth-graders exceeded
the state average in all three parts
of their standardized tests, the lone
area class to accomplish that feat.
Third-graders at Bordeaux
and Mountain View elementary
schools also exceeded the state av-
erages in math and. reading, the
only subjects appearing on their
WASL tests.
AT THE 10TH-grade level,
Mary M. Knight students topped
the state average in writing. Shel-
ton High School and CHOICE Al-
ternative School 10th-graders nei-
ther met nor exceeded state aver-
ages in the four subjects of math,
reading, writing and science.
As for SHS, the 10th-graders'
scores in writing and science im-
proved from a year earlier, but
class scores last spring dipped in
math and reading.
Math and science continued to
pose problems for most local stu-
dents, as they did for students
throughout the state. Statewide
averages in math and science were
the lowest among WASL subjects
across all grade levels. Students
typically fared better in reading
and writing.
Among eighth-graders, stu-
dents at Pioneer Intermediate
and Middle School and Mary M.
Knight topped the state average
in reading. Seventh-graders at
Southside School finished above
(Please turn to page 6.)
Hood Canal greets new principal
By JEFF GREEN
Tom Churchill likes what he's
seen so far at Hood Canal School.
Churchill is the new assistant
superintendent and principal at
Hood Canal, succeeding longtime
principal Bert Miller, ousted by
a controversial split vote on the
Hood Canal School Board last
spring. Miller is now executive di-
rector of the Squaxin Island Child
Development Center.
"It seems like it's a great staff
and it's a beautiful building,"
Churchill said. The new school
held a combination reunion, open
house and dedication ceremony
last week and area residents
turned out in numbers for the
event. The turnout was estimated
at 700 or more people.
The school parking lot was
still awaiting the installation of
lights and parking stripes at last
week's event. Volunteers from
Fire District 9 came to the res-
cue, lighting up the lot with the
spotlights on their fire trucks
and directing traffic. "It does
seem people are willing to help,"
Churchill said, adding the call
for help went out from the school
to the fire district on the day of
the open house.
LAST THURSDAY, as he sat
inside his office for this interview,
teachers were guiding students
on tours of the new building. "The
kids are walking around wide-
eyed, especially the younger stu-
dents. It's kind of like a big adven-
ture for them," Churchill said.
"I couldn't ask for a nicer fa-
cility. I feel extremely lucky," he
added.
As the movie cliche goes, if you
build it, they will come. Enrollment
this fall is up a bit, with 310 stu-
dents so far. "We could certainly
handle more students," Churchill
said. There are two classrooms
now used for tutoring programs
that are available if needed.
Churchill, 45, grew up in Yuba
City, California, in an education-
oriented family. His father was a
middle-school vice principal; his
(Please turn to page 9.)
TOM CHURCHILL, the new assistant superintendent and
principal at Hood Canal School, brings with him a vari-
ety of educational experiences and a fondness for smaller
communities like Hood Canal.