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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
September 13, 2012     Shelton Mason County Journal
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September 13, 2012
 
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Letters Continued from page A-4 More input needed Editor, the Journal Mason County&apos;s handling of the Lake Nahwatzel rezone leaves me baffled. They tell us the process needs to be fair. Alright, then why can't we delay the process to allow citizens of the lake to catch up with Green Diamond, who is one and a half years ahead of us? Well, we are told, commissioners cannot talk to us about it. So, the process moves ahead, and our organization scrambles to catch up. We are forced to appeal the SEPA Determination of Non- Significance (DNS), which contains numerous instances of flat-wrong, inadequate and misleading in- formation. How did that happen? Did Mason County even read our input? I doubt it. They are too busy trying to be "fair" to Green Dia- mond. A clue to the above might be found on Mason County's website and the Q&A about Lake Nah- watzel: it is a classic instance of telling a very selective version of the truth. Public statements by Green Diamond about their inten- tions for the land don't make it into the Q&A, which allows the county to act as though they, the county, are blithely unaware of Green Diamond's intentions. How convenient. Here are some of the public statements we heard at the orga- nizational meeting of Friends of Lake Nahwatzel. The Green Dia- mond representative handed out a flyer, which outlined the 248.7 acres of long-term commercial for- est adjacent to Lake Nahwatzel that they want to have rezone& Even though the rep stated up- front that they have no immediate plans to develop the lake, he went on to state that they estimate 49 lots could be formed along the lake and that much of the 5 acres per lot that is normally required would be in common areas, which actual- ly extend behind existing cabins on the east end of the lake (I believe that is called a "performance sub- division"). That sounds like high density to me. He further said that Green Diamond intended to work with a developer to be sure that a good plan that met their standards would be developed. That sounds like they have already made plans to develop. He even mentioned things like "speed bumps," "bike lanes" and "street lights" when people complained that it would create too much traffic along Nah- watzel Beach Drive. If that isn't enough, we are given an extremely short window to prepare for the appeals hearing, which inclu.des expert witnesses and voluminous documentation. Oh, and by the way, the process is nothing short of a trial with law- yers, cross-examinations, multiple deadlines all with paid attor- neys in attendance. The hearings examiner says it's all done to be fair to Green Diamond. Of course. Gee, I'm sure glad someone is looking out on their behalf. In the meantime, the residents of the lake are forced to collect donations to fight this battle against the deep pockets of Green Diamond! Erin Brokovich, where are you? Finally, we are told this proj- ect is on a fast track. No kidding. What's the hurry? Hmmm... let's see: elections in November, change of commissioners in Janu- ary, review of the shoreline man- agement plan. Could it possibly be that Mason County and Green Diamond are in a big rush to get this done before anyone can catch up with the process? Why isn't Mason County inter- ested in savmg one of the last pris- tine waterfront areas in the coun- ty? Why would they want to allow a rezone that would inevitably lead to overcrowding on the lake, excess traffic along Nahwatzel Beach Drive, reduced water quality (think 49 septic systems and increased phosphorus load), potential reduc- tion in the aquifers, and displace- ment of wildlife that uses the old growth-like shores of the lake. We completely agree with the concept that fairness is good. We'd just like to see a little of it come our way. Sharon Kirry Shelton It's time for Haigh to.go Editor, the Journal It was brought to my attention to watch the Kitsap Sun's Edito- rial Review Board's interview with Kathy Haigh (D) and Dan Griffey (R), particularly the discussion of the Fund Education First bill (HB- 25331 that did not make it out of the Education Appropriations Commit- tee Haigh is chair of. When asked about the bill, Haigh shook her head and told the interviewer that the bill never made it to her ccmmittee as Griffey looked at her in disbelief., as she lied about it. Then I watched another video of her education com- mittee and as I did, there she was residing as chair over the discussion of HB-2533. The bill could have sup- ported a situation where legislators would vote on funding education first before moving on to other state expenditures -- a novel thought. No, instead these legislators like Haigh pay for their special interest favorites first and come back to us voters with their handout telling us there isn't enough for education or cops or something that is important to the public. Some years back when the Leg- islature was about to vote on a bill with a substantial gas tax increase for roadway infrastructure spend- ing, I read in the paper Haigh sup- ported passing the gas tax increase. so I called her up and expressed my concerns that the bill was skewed to spend more in places like Seattle and discussed with her that Seattle wanted the viaduct replaced and at that time a tunnel was the highest cost item by far on their wish list of replacements, and that the bill was not the best thing in the interests of us here in Mason County. She told me then that bill was good for everyone and she doubted Seattle would ever get the tunnel. Well, she voted for the bill and the gas tax in- crease and Seattle is building their precious tunnel with one less lane than the old viaduct had. which seems absurd when you think of Seattle's traffic. On July 26, I at- tended the Shelton Mason County Chamber and the Mason County League of Women Voters forum of candidates at Oakland Bay Junior High where Seattle's tunnel and other infrastructure projects were talked about. There was Haigh again, shaking her head. in what looked like disgust, with the project she had her part of voting in. Well folks, it's time to vote her out. Jerry Goodwin Union Janda for PUD 1 Editor, the Journal It is with great pleasure that I endorse Jack Janda for reelection as commissioner with the Mason Public Utility District 1. I have served as a commissioner with Pend Oreille PUD for the past 11 years and have had the honor of working with Janda. I have wit- nessed firsthand his true passion for the people he serves. He always carries himself professionally and is well-respected by the others who work by his side, whether it is in the local, state or federal arena. Janda has the ability to work with all people regardless of which side of the aisle they sit on. Janda has also been elected to serve on the executive board of di- rectors for Energy Northwest and once again he is respected for his insight and leadership. In today's world, many people see politicians with a negative eye. ']?he people of Mason PUD 1 can be proud to have elected Janda as your commissioner and I wish him well with his reelection efforts. Curt Knapp Newport Postal Continued from page A4 Here, advertising dol- lars pay most the freight to keep this paper prosper- ous and foot the bill for the news coverage of Ma- son County. And without those dol- lars, many newspapers across the country could face going under. That hurts their com- munities tremendously, whether the papel is big or small. It is important that the postal service con- tinues, and faced with rising debt and decreased mail volume, we're glad they're assessing their options, but in offering an unfair advantage to one corporation, they will be hurting not just newspapers like this one, but also communities like this one. The postal service isn't a business. It is owned by Uncle Sam. It is ours and it exists to serve us all equally. It shouldn't be picking winners and losers in any marketplace. It shouldn't be competing with and undercutting its stake- holders us. In last week's What's Cooking article, the book signing for Michelle Mer- rin's book "A Faith of a Dif- ferent Color" was incorrectly stated as Sept. 25. The book signing will take place from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. on Sept. 15 at Sage Book Store. The Journal regrets the error. Driving event stresses safety By GORDON WEEKS gordon@znasoncounty.com Automobile accidents are the No. 1 cause of deaths of American teenagers, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports. Shelton State Farm Insurance agent Melanie Bakala cited that statistic last week when she told the City of Shelton Board of Commissioners about the free family safety event "Celebrate My Drive," which will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday at Oakland Bay Junior High School in Shelton. Celebrate My Drive is sponsored by State Farm Insurance and the Shelton High School/Oakland Bay Junior High Students Against Destructive Driving (SADD) Club. The event features a golf cart obstacle course that simulates the effects oftexting or drink- ing while driving. It also offers a driving contest in the parking lot, with $124 gift certificates given to the top three finishers. The bicycle rodeo includes drawings for free bicycle helmets. Admission, the activities and the food and refreshments are all free of charge. The event reinforces positive driving hab- its as teens learn to drive, Bakala said. 'hese are not scare tactics- they're share tactics," she said. Organizers added more offerings to make Celebrate My Drive a community event for all ages. A dunk tank will provide opportuni- ties to make a splash, the deejay Music De Lite from Olympia will play music and chil- dren can enjoy the slide and bouncy house. The free food includes hot dogs, hamburgers, popcorn and cotton candy, and firefighters will host a smokehouse. A big truck demonstration will show mo- torists how to stay within the sight lines of the drivers of semi-trucks, and classic cars will be showcased. On display in the parking lot will be a wrecked car that was driven by a young per- son who was killed while texting and driv- ing. The Thurston County coroner and the mother of the young driver will talk about the tragedy. This is the inaugural Celebrate My Drive event in Shelton, and organizers hope to make it an annual event, said Gerald Apple, who has taught driver education at Shelton High School for 42 years. Participants will see that texting while driving is as danger- ous as driving while intoxicated, he said. Apple said he believes strongly in educat- ing children from kindergarten on in driver safety, beginning with bikes, so they know the rules of the road when they come into his class. The goal of the event "is to celebrate and support teens as they learn to drive and get ready for driving on our highways," Apple said. "But we want to make sure these teens are safe on the road by giving them the skills and telling and showing them the conse- quences of distracted driving." Apple said he hopes the event draws 1,000 people. He plans to record the event and show it at seminars. Apple coordinates the driver education courses at 31 schools in five counties. Agressive goats keep Mt. Ellinor.trail closed By NATALIE JOHNSON natalie(@nasoncounty.com . Olympic National Forest personnel announced recent- ly that the forest's Mr. Elli- nor Trail will remain closed because of concerns about "human-goat interactions." The trail was first closed in July when four separate hiking parties reported en- counters with aggressive mountain goats on the trail. Forest staff said that the goats have become accus- tomed to people in their hab- itat and are "inappropriately assertive in their efforts to obtain food and salt from hu- mans." Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Olympic National Park and mountain goat experts to monitor the situation. '%Ve will reopen the trail as soon as it is safe but we need to give our strategy time to work. People need to become a part of the so- lution and not the problem; they can do this by not feed- ing the goats or allowing them to lick salt from their skin or backpacks," Acting Forest Supervisor Amanda McAdams said in a state- ment. Up to 20 goats, including seven kids, have been ob- served in the area since the trail was first closed. Forest to humans and are obtaining food and salt from people. "A comprehensive, sci- ence-based plan for manag- ing the human-mountain goat conflicts is being devel- oped," forest staff said in a press release. The plan addresses goat numbers, distribution and behavior. Staff members are work- ing on an "aversive condi- tioning program," which would discourage goats from approaching people. McAdams said people need to understand how their actions can encourage or discourage harmful hu- man-goat interactions. For more information, SkokomishPark.com • 360-877-5760 Olympic National For- staff members have noticed contact the Hood Canal est staff is working with the that the goats are habituated Ranger District at 765-2200. Had My Check.up.... Have You?" 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