September 13, 2012 Shelton Mason County Journal | ![]() |
©
Shelton Mason County Journal. All rights reserved. Upgrade to access Premium Tools
PAGE 6 (6 of 20 available) PREVIOUS NEXT Jumbo Image Save To Scrapbook Set Notifiers PDF JPG
September 13, 2012 |
|
Website © 2025. All content copyrighted. Copyright Information Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy | Request Content Removal | About / FAQ | Get Acrobat Reader ![]() |
Washington's Wild
Cat Sanctuary
from Lions to tiny
Gordon's Cats
Each wild cat is special and has a
need for a safe and comfortable
place to live out its life happily,
peacefully and with dignity.
Mail your tax-deductable donation to:
Wild Felid Advocacy Center
of Washington
3111 E. Harstine Island Rd. N.
Shelton WA 98584
w (360)
ww.wildfelids.org
ll Four
/// Forks
/liThe Olympian
Four Stars
The News Tribune
Call for Parties,
Meetings, Receptions FRESH
& spedal SHELLFISH
Occasion Lunches DAILY
Awaro-wlnnlng
7alona y Known
Chef Xinh Dwelle,
A Wide Vari 0f
Seafood & Other Meat Dishes
with Chef Xinh T. Dwelley's Asian Twist
County hires interim HR manager
By NATALIE JOHNSON
nata.Ee@nasoncounty.com
The Mason County
Board of Commissioners
voted to hire an interim
human resources director
on Sept. 3 from Prothman
& Associates, a consulting
firm based in Issaquah.
The interim director,
Patrick LeMay of Proth-
man & Associates, will be
paid $64 per hour and re-
ceive a temporary housing
allowance of $77 per day for
four days a week.
"We've worked with him
before," Commissioner Lyn-
da Ring Erickson said. "He
did two recruitments for
this county in 2004."
The board interviewed
LeMay on Aug. 29 during a
special meeting.
(360) 427-8709 • Open for Supper Tuesday-Saturday
r e Downtown Shelton, odCorner of 3rd and West Railroad
A Family .Farm Tradition] Copper
Continued from page A-1
. Greenhouse • Nursery • Produce
• Seafood • Bark
• Soils • Plants
• Olympic Mountain Ice Cream
1921 E. Hwy 106, Union WA 98592
(360) 898-2222 • (360) 426-2222
Open 9am-5:3Opm • 7 days a week
www.hunter-farrns.com
property. It has two wood-
drying kilns on the prem-
ises.
Dobson said about a
month ago metal thieves
took the aluminum doors
off the kilns, presumably
to sell as scrap metal. Port
staff responded by install-
ing padlocks on the build-
ing's doors.
On the weekend of Aug.
18-19, more metal thieves
cut through brackets hold-
ing the padlocks to the
doors, Dobson said.
The thieves went into the
building's boiler room and
stripped the copper wiring
out of the room's breaker
boxes and electrical panels,
he said.
Dobson estimated re-
pairs could cost between
$50,000 and $60,000, which'
should be covered by an in-
surance policy held by Wil-
Dredging
Continued from page A-1
feet in those days, Michael recalled.
Today, the clearance is about 18 inch-
es; a medium-size dog woUld have dif-
ficulty travelling under the road.
With fall and winter rains on their
way, Michael is averseeing the dredg-
ing of a 1,000-foot section of Shelton
Creek to prevent flooding in downtown
Shelton. The project includes clearing
rocks and sand ,out of the culvert Mi-
chael walked through as a child.
The dredging of the creek from Sec-
ond Street downstream to the railroad
culvert that borders .Simpson Lumber
property is scheduled to begin either
this week or by next Monday.
The Shelton City Commission on
Sept. 4 awarded a $349,000 contract
to George Gill Construction of Che-
halls to dredge about 8,000 yards of
sediments from the creek. The project
should be completed by mid-October,
Michael said.
The city engineer stresses that the
dredging is an interim fix as the city
seeks funds for a long-term solution
to flooding of Shelton and Canyon
creeks, which converge downtown on
Second Street, between Cedar and
Franklin streets.
"This is the bang for the buck as far
as remedial work," Michael told the
commissioners at their Sept. 10 study
meeting.
The dredging probably will relieve
flooding for the next two or three
years while the city looks for a long-
term solution, Michael said. But flood-
ing will always be an issue in down-
town Shelton, which is situated on a
former saltwater marsh just 14 to 16
feet above sea level, he said.
"All we can do is minimize the ef-
fects of these floods, to our citizens
and our environment," Michael said.
Shelton Mayor Gary Cronce said
he agrees with the decision to dredge
now to help downtown Shelton resi-
Advanced
Chiropractic
& Massage
Accepting most
insurances including
Regence
and
0 GroupHealth
2010
Journal DnOtO Dy Natalie Jonnsor
The Mason County Board of Commissioners,
from left, Steve Bloomfield, Lynda Ring
Erickson and Tim Sheldon, voted Sept. 3 to
approve proposals to hire an interim human
resources director and to begin the process of
hiring a solid waste manager.
Commissioner Tim Shel-
don said he thought the
county needed to work
quickly to secure an interim
human resources manager.
Former Human Resourc-
es Director Karen Jackson
left the county at the end
of July after working in
the position for about two
years.
"What we're attempting
to do here is get someone on
right away," Sheldon said.
The commissioners stat-
ed that"LeMay would spe-
cifically be able to help the
county with negotiations
over union contracts.
"He has many years of
experience ... his experi-
ence is in negotiating con-
tracts," Ring Erickson said.
The board also approved
a request to advertise for,
interview and hire a solid
waste program manager for
the utilities and waste man-
agement division of Mason
County Public Works.
The position has been va-
cant since April 2011. Since
then, the duties of the solid
waste manager have been
performed by John Cun-
ningham, a consultant un-
ffer contract. His contract
will expire in Dcember.
lapa Bay Hardwoods.
A few weeks before the
copper theft at the Willapa
Bay Hardwoods building,
Dobson said metal thieves
hit the Simpson Lumber
Company's location at the
port's Johns Prairie Indus-
trial Site as well.
Scott Wilson, owner
of Wilson Recycling, said
scrap metal processors have
to be careful to avoid taking
in stolen scrap metal.
"The biggest thing for us
is to learn to spot what dif-
ferent kinds of people will
have metal for scrap," he
said.
For example, he said
it would, be normal for a
plumber to try to sell scrap
pipe, but if a painter came
in with scrap pipes, he
would be suspicious.
When Wilson Recycling
first opened and began ac-
cepting scrap metal four
years ago, Wilson said
thieves would come in two
or three times a week to
attempt to sell scrap. Em-
ployees at Wilson can usu-
ally spot a metal thief just
by asking questions about
where the metal came from,
he said.
"They stumble really
easily when you start ask-
ing questions," he said.
Some thieves are easy to
spot the moment they walk
in the door. Items such as
metal plaques from grave
markers immediately raise
a red flag, Wilson said.
Dobson said the port
plans to step up security
measures to prevent fur-
ther thefts from port prop-
erty.
"From the port's stand-
point, I'm real concerned,"
he said. "All of our proper-
ties need greater security."
Port staff plans to install
high-resolution security
cameras throughout port
property to deter theft and
to catch thieves in the act.
"You can create security
situations to discourage
them," Byrd said.
Ultimately, stopping
or decreasing scrap metal
theft will take a cooperative
effort between law enforce-
ment and scrap metal pro-
cessors, he said.
"What we have is a situ-
ation that is going to have
to be addressed by the state
Legislature," he said.
Byrd suggested the Leg-
ilature could regulate
scrap metal processing
and theft similarly to how
it regulates methamphet-
amine, another difficult-to-
trace substance.
In order to regulate
methamphetamine, the
Legislature regulated its
component parts, such as
pseudoephedrin, a common
ingredient in decongestang
cold medicines like Su-
dafed.
Byrd suggested the Leg-
islature should more strict-
ly regulate scrap metal
sales and processors to cut
down on metal theft.
Couesy photo
Downtown Shelton is located on a former saltwater marsh and
has always been prone to flooding. This photo, courtesy of the
Mason County Historical Society, shows the southwest corner
of First Street and Grove Street during flooding in February
1937.
dents.
"I think we made the right deci-
sion," he said. "Next year is next year."
Michael likens the drainage prob-
lem in downtown Shelton to a bathtub
with a clogged drain, with water con-
tinuing to pour in. Dredging the lower
section of the Shelton Creek will in-
crease the water flow and prevent wa-
ter from backing up on the converging
Canyon Creek and spilling onto lawns
and streets, he said.
Flooding has primarily affected
residents of the Birch and Laurel resi-
dents of Third and Fourth streets, he
said.
"Culvert capacities is our big issue
here," Michael said.
The critical point for relieving
flooding is the culvert that travels un-
der the railroad onto Simpson Lum-
ber property and then into Oakland
Bay, Michael said. About three feet
of sediment will be dredged under the
culvert, allowing the stream to flow
more freely, he said.
Starting on Second Street, the
workers will place sheet piles at cul-
verts, drop in pumps, divert water
over the road through the pipes and
back into the creek, and then scrape
up rocks and other sediments. They
then will move on to the next section
of the creek. The dredged sediments
will be hauled away to a temporary
site next to the city pumping station.
The dredging project was approved
by the U.S. Army Corps ot)Engineers
and the state Department of Fish and
Wildlife.
At the Sept. 10 Shelton City Com-
mission study session, the mayor said
that if the flooding problem had oc-
curred in 1942, a group of men sim-
ply would have spent the day digging.
holes in the creek. But these days, the
city must deal with many agencies to
move ahead, he said.
"Our hands are tried on a lot of
these things," he said.
TO0 LATE TO CLASSlff
MOVING SALE Saturday,
September 15th 10am-4pm.
Sofas, beds, sofabed, other
furnishings, housewares. 160
North Potlatch Rd off Hwy
101, 2 miles south of Hood-
sport. P9/13
GARAGE SALE - furniture,
appliances, misc. items. Fri-
Page A-6 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, Sept. 13, 2012
day-Sunday, 9am-6pm. 2324
King Street. P9/13
FREE - Baby and children's
clothing. Friday only, 9/14,
noon-4pm at The Kids' Castle,
107 S. 4th Street. 360-427-
3797. H9/13
AGED, FIR FIREWOOD for
sale. One cord delivered to
Shelton area, $150. 360-427-
0263. R9/13-20
MOVING SALE, 417 Chest-
nut, Capital Hill. Power tools,
furniture, clothes, books, misc.
Saturday and Sunday, 9am-
4pm. J9/13
MULTI-FAMILY yard sale, 211
E. Leisure Lane, between
Lake Limerick and Mason
Lake. Saturday, Sunday, 9am-
6pm. Boat, fishing poles, an-
tiques, furniture, tools, rifle,
ammo. Little bit of everything.
W9/13
PLACE AN AD in the Journal
Classified section to buy or
sell. $$$$$ Call 426-4412.