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Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023 Shelton-Mason County Journal - Page 37
Serving the communities of Beltair, Allyn, Grapeview, Tahuya, Mason Lake,
South Shore and Victor
Grapeview looks at maintenance, grants ,
By Kirk Boxleitner
kbox/e/tne@masoncou/ try. com
Port of Grapeview Commis—
sioner Alt Whitson said sever-
al matters worthy of public in—
terest were raised at the ports
special meeting Aug. 22.
Under the ports mainte-
nance plan, landscaping, irri—
gation and septic systems were
addressed, its trees have been
trimmed, and its restrooms
and gutters have been cleaned,
although replacing the wom—
en’s restroom toilet requires
some work.
Whitson praised AAA Sep-
tic in Shelton, which had to
deal with hundreds of pounds
of invasive roots infiltrating
the port’s septic system. That
fact made Whitson, an envi-
ronmental engineer, realize
that septic system mainte-
nance needed to be scheduled
far more frequently.
The po‘rt has pressure—
washed its ramp and dock
s.
floats, and while there had
been plans to supplement the
gravel levels of the port’s up-
per parking lot, Whitson deter-
mined that to be unnecessary.
“We had enough gravel as it
was, in all the wrong places,”
said Whitson, explaining how
its previous plans shifted to re—
distributing the existing grav-
el with tractors, in addition to
a,
Port of Grapeview’s Fair Harbor boat launch facility.
Hera/d file photo by Matt Ba/de
restriping the parking lot.
An admittedly minor is-
sue was the state of the park-
ing lots’ signs, which Whit-
son reported had also been
addressed, although he said
the pavement and gravel sur-
face maintenance plans for
the parking lots need to be
completed.
With almost all of the
remaining maintenance plan
tasks that have yet to be com—
pleted, Whitson said those in-
complete tasks pose no risk
of causing outright system
failures.
The tasks include the
catch basin maintenance that
Whitson had expected Mason
County to address by new. es—
pecially since the only non—
governmental companies who
perform such work are based
outside the county.
While the port’s water—well
valve verification has been
completed, its water system
inspection and maintenance
plans remain incomplete, as do
the repairs to the resting stilts
on the port’s dock. Whitson
said he intends to have most
of these matters addressed by
the end of the year.
A notable exception is the
port’s missing south buoy,
which Whitson stressed is
being dealt with far more
urgently.
In a preview ofmatters that
will take center stage during
the port commissioners regu-
larly scheduled Sept. 19 meet—
ing, \Vhitson said the port
could potentially expect grant
funding from the state Recre—
ation and Conservation Office
to conduct local parks main~
tenance, in an amount from
$35,000 to $100,000.
Among the tasks included
in this potential matrix of lo—
cal parks maintenance would
be removing the trees in the
port’s upper parking lot, re—
pairing the port’s fencing, ep-
oxy—treating the floors of the
ports restroom and addressing
the erosion on the sides of the
port’s ramp.
In other news, Whitson said
he and fellow Commissioner
Mike Blaisdell’s terms of office
are up for re-election in No—
vember, while Jean Farmer,
the third port commissioner,
plans to retire when her term
concludes in 2026.
Port of Allyn discusses harbor improvements
By Kirk Boxleitner
kbox/e/tner@masoncounty com
The Port of Allyn’s special meet-
ing Aug. 24 saw port officials and
port district residents comment on
the port’s comprehensive plan for
harbor improvements, with Port
Commissioner Ted Jackson suggest—
ing that broadband expansion be
added to the community survey re-
garding the plan.
Jackson recommended a specific
grant writer for his fellow commis-
sioners to meet. and Port Executive
Director Lary Coppola agreed a lot of
unclaimed grant money is available
that, could help the porth work on its
infrastructure.
Commissioner Judy Scott sug-
gested removing the sports complex
from the comp plan because she said
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she doesn’t see that happening with-
in the next five years.
It was noted that the sports com—
plex has been the community’s first
choice in previous surveys, and that
sports tourism could create an eco—
nomic development driver.
The consensus was to leave the
sports complex in the comp plan, but
move it down the list.
Port staff are working to generate
surveys that can be handed out "at
public places, which the public would
be able to return via mail, while the
survey would also be posted and pro-
moted through the portofallyncom
website and its Farebook pageThe
port is waiting to hear from the state
Recreation and Conservation Office
whether electric vehicle charging
stations could be incorporated into
Kayak Park, while Scott called for
s
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the port to own and operate a com—
mercial and/or light industrial park.
Coppola expressed interest in
ploring the port establishing a shoot—
ing range at the abandoned public
utility district building and property
on state Route 3, and credited Main-
tenance Supervisor Don O’Keefe
with suggesting the location.
Moving onto Sweetwater Park,
Coppola said the cost, of the project
has tripled since the port started
working with The Salmon Center
in Beli'air to pursue money for the
park, and while it‘s qualified for
Recreation and Conservation Office
money in the past three rounds, the
approved list of projects hasn’t been
funded.
Coppola suggested The Salm—
on Center could work with Mason
County or one of the tribes, instead
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of the port, so that the project doesn't
die. Jackson and Commissioner John
Sheridan touted the park as a needed
green space in north Mason County. '
Coppola also reminded commis-
sioners of his impending retirement,
and the need to hire a new executive
director for the port.
Area resident Ken VanBuskirk
criticized the meeting for not being
advertised enough to attract more
members of the public, and also
voiced support for pursuing broad—
band, the sport complex and an in~
dustrial park. He added that “l and
others" would like to see the Sweet
water Park project removed from the
comp plan.
VanBuskirk also mentioned the
Route widening project would
have a significant. effect on stream
restoration.
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