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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
September 27, 2012     Shelton Mason County Journal
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September 27, 2012
 
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FI~ILL TOi~',~ P~PERS ~17 ~ COTA ST ~ .... Thursday, Sept. 27, 2012 Week 39 -- The Voice of Mason County since 1886 -- Published for Mason County and Norm Curtis of Tahuya -- $1 Rehabilitation project celebrated during ribbon-cutting By GORDON WEEKS gordon@masoneounty.eom Completion of the $39-million up- grade to the City of Shelton wastewa- ter treatmen~ plant allows more shell- fish harvesting in Oakland Bay, helps the city meet water quality standards, and improves capacity for a growing population. The rehabilitation project was cel- ebrated at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday at the plant on Fairmont Avenue, on a wooded bluff above Ham- mersley Inlet. The upgrade culminates 12 years of efforts by a partnership that includes the City of Shelton, Mason County, the Port of Shelton, the Squaxin Is- land tribe, and the state departments of ecology and health. "It's not something the city of Shel- ton could have taken on on its own," said Steve Goins, the city of Shelton's See Wastewater on page A-7 Burn ban extended until end of October Local agencies take precautions By NATALIE JOHNSON natalie@ma,~oncounly.com After more than a month of little or no rainfall region- wide. local and state agen- cies are taking precautions to prevent fires. The Mason County Fire Marshal's Office announced Monday that the burn ban in the county, which began July 15, would be extended through Oct. 31. "Normally by this time of the year we've had a~ least a moderate amount of rain- fall. The burn ban would normally have come off by the end of September," said Mike Patti, Central Mason Fire & EMS assistant chief. Under the burn ban rec- reational fires, such as camp fires, are still allowed. Extending the burn ban into October is an unprece- dented step to prevent fires, Patti said. "We've never considered going into October, at least in the 40 years I've been in the fire service," he said. With the spring and early Journa onoto by Gordon Weeks A crew dredges rocks, sand and other debris from Shelton Creek next to Dairy Queen on Monday. The dredging will continue to shut down a portion of First Street to traffic through the end of the week, said Shelton City Engineer Mike Michael. The $349,000 project to prevent flooding in downtown Shelton is expected to be completed by mid-October. summer months being wet, grass and brush grew quick- ly, contributing to the dan- gerous fire conditions the county faces in early fall, he said. "With the late summer coming in it dried out and that's what's giving us our grief," he said. Fire district personnel throughout Mason County are patrolling areas to spot fires early. Patti said dis- trict staff members are also working ~o educate the pub- lic about fire safety. "If you're going to have your recreational campfires, make sure they're out when you're done," he said. "This is not a time to burn any kinds of fires if you don't need to." The City of Shelton Parks and Recreation Department announced that effective Sept. 21, it would close its watershed property -- the Huff n' Puff Trail and Ma- son County Disc Golf Course -- due to fire danger. "The city closed their watershed property and they happen to house the Huff n' Puff and the disc golf course," city Parks and Recreation Director Mark Ziegler said. See Burn ban on page A-7 8 ilIIU! !I!!II!U!!!I1112 JOURNAL SPECIAL REPORT in By NATALIE JOHNSON nataiie@masoncounty.corn It wasn't a full moon Thurs- day night, but Mason County had a weird, on-edge feel all night. A storm was rolling in, and the strange 911 callers came out. It was slow -- about 40 calls fewer than average bythe end of the night -- but that wasn't the only reason. Three ofthe calls Ma- son County Sheriffs Deputy Jus- tin Cotte responded to involved potential, or unsuccessful suicide attempts. Several callers recanted their statements to dispatchers as soon as a deputy arrived. Dispatch ac- cidently sent out the code for ho- micide, then quickly reversed it, shooting everyone's pulse through the roof for a moment. Another call reported a poten- tially dangerous felon in a stolen car, which seemed to flit in and out of their grasp. Swing shift for the Mason County Sheriffs Offi~e~run from 2 p.m. to midnight. 0~i ~nursday, that meant from early afternoon until the early mo~ng hours, there were only twq :~ree sher- iffs deputies on the road. One of them wa~Cotte, who joined the Mason C~ Sheriffs Office when he w~/~: 2003 as County quickly. On busy nights, Mason County Jail staff some- times have to house new inmates on cots in common areas of the jail. Journal DnOIO D~ Natalie Johnson Mason County Sheriffs Deputy Justin Cotte works the swing shift Thursday night. It was a slow night, marked with strange calls. a corrections officer at the Mason County Jail. Four years later, in 2007, he became a patrol deputy. Many members of his family are firefighters, and when it came time to chose a career. Cotte said he Wanted to be active and meet new people. "I've always liked customer ser- vice, but l hated working i~side," he said. "You meet new people. You get to help people" 2:38 p.m. The first event of what would become a slow night happened on Shelton Matlock Road shortly af- ter 2:30 p.m. while Cotte was on the way to get a formal statement from a fraud/identity theft victim. Cotte swung the car around after his dashboard radar caught a man driving 30 miles over the speed limit on Sheldon Matlock Road. Cotte let the man off with a warning. He said he prefers not to write traffic tickets if he can help it. However, the people he meets are not always pleasant, and they don't always want help. Oxycontin and heroin have been major problems in Mason County recently, Cotte said, but methamphetamine use is everpre- sent and coming back into fashion 4:12 p.m. A Shelton Police officer puts out a call for assistance along Olympic Highway South. He pulled over a man who was mak- ing vague threats and he wanted some backup. Cotte and another Shelton Police officer pull over to support the first officer. After five years on patrol and among users in the area because e0~tless traffic stops, Cotte said it's cheap and easy to find. he still feels nervous as he walks Low bail costs and an over- up to the driver's window. crowded jail also put many offend- ers back on the streets of Mason See Deputy on page A-7