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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
September 13, 2007     Shelton Mason County Journal
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September 13, 2007
 
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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.