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tl SHELT
IjMM__ASON CO °N"
UNTY JOURNAL
00GDVF K
121st Year -- Number 43 5 Sections m 48 Pages Published in Shelton, Washington 75 cents
Christian club
SHELTON'S STUDENT MEDIATORS pose in the wake of their
"summit meeting" last week with Capital. Seated, from left, are Jacob
II Hicks, Paige Barrett and Jacob Hanes. In back are Dee SiA.gmjond, Robyn
I Stewart, Kyle Burbridge and Adam Spurling. Not pictured. Alex Olson.
Capital'
,,0000limbers meet
The Enemy'
-- PATCH
e slings and arrows were
fo be left at the door.
ative though they were,
they clidn t figure to serve
tructive purpose with re-
. the business at hand:
ng to mend the longstand-
L, tl tbetween Shelton and Capi-
Schools. .
COnsidered it to be kind ol
i
an unhealthy rivalry," said Climb-
er principal Wanda Berndtson,
speaking on behalf of her Cougar
counterpart.
And so it was that the two ad-
ministrators did something about
it last week. They rounded up rep-
resentatives of the two warring
student bodies and brought them
together behind closed doors.
On hand were matching con-
tingents from each school. From
Shelton: football starters Kyle
Burbridge, Jacob Hanes, Adam
Spurling and Jacob Hicks, bas-
ketball starters Paige Barrett and
Alex Olson, cheerleader cocaptains
Dee Sigmond and Robyn Stewart,
AD and football offensive coordi-
nator Bill Hicks, counselor Susie
Honaker Wirzbicki and principal
Berndtson.
Two days later the Climbers'
representatives reassembled on
their own, expressly for the benefit
of the Journal.
(Please turn to page 22.)
of tainted soil to close First
and Franklin streets, a second just
a few blocks west at Fourth and
Franklin. The First and Franklin site
has more contamination, perhaps as
much as 10 times more, than the
other site, said Shelton Engineer
Mike Michael.
Beginning Monday, November 12,
First Street will be closed at Franklin
Street for an estimated two weeks for
the cleanup operation, which includes
soil extraction, infrastructure repairs
and soft replacement. Closure of the
intersection means traffic will have
to be rerouted. First Street is one of
the main north-south arterial streets
downtown.
There formerly were two gas
stations on comers at First and
Franklin. Michael thinks the
probable cause of the contamina-
(Please turn to page 12)
GREEN
.ry of a contaminated soil
town Shelton may snarl
Bag an already busy First
Upwards of two weeks or
ldhtl.n city commissioners
,uon, Monday. "a b
![, Were discovered recently
I[york on the downtown Basin
Project. One site is at First
Ption's landmark waterwheel
00nerates historic nomination
view of a property should a federal
or state action have a potential ad-
verse effect on the property's his-
toric values.
The structure was fixed up and
planted in a new location along-
side State Route 106 by the efforts
of the Dalby Waterwheel Reloca-
tion Committee. Financial support
for this came from 23 members of
the "Bucket Brigade," people who
contributed a total of $34,000 by
sponsoring the buckets lashed to
the wheel.
More than 125 people attend-
ing a dedication ceremony in April
of last year watched as the wheel
started turning in its new confines.
Among them were approximately
30 members of the Dalby family
who traveled to Union from places
as distant as England and British
Columbia.
The council will consider the
status of the waterwheel at a meet-
ing scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. on
Friday, November 2, in Room 412
of Barge Hall on the campus of
Central Washington University in
Ellensburg.
Overdose of rrteth
took motorist's life
The death of 43-year-old Grape-
view man last month in a one-ve-
hicle crash has been ruled an ac-
cident from drug overdose, Mason
County Coroner Wes Stockwell
has announced.
Edward L. Koller died Septem-
ber 16 at Mason General Hospi-
taps emergency room after being
involved in a non-reportable colli-
sion on State Route 3 south of A1-
lyn.
"Autopsy and toxicological re-
ports revealed that Koller's cause
of death was from acute metham-
phetamine intoxication also re-
ferred to as an overdose," Stock-
well reported.
The death has been ruled an
accident, according to Stockwell.
Initial autopsy findings were in-
conclusive and did not reveal any
injuries to Koller's body, Stockwell
said.
alby Waterwheel in Union
nsidered for inclusion on
,hington Heritage Register
ilaShington State Advisory
Historic Preservation.
of a property does not
deral or state restrictive
s or easements. However,
es assure protective re-
IIIIIllllllillilllmllllllllllllllliillJlillllllllllllilllll
the inside
as ........................... 36
ttnity Calendar ....... 17
rd ................. 43
ient, Dining ..... 34
:uOUrnal ................. 18
h; es ........................... 10
bt i , Letters ................. 4
" .................................. 21
HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
B,!!!!IIIIjIJLILILIIlll
at SHS okayed
By JEFF GREEN
It was come to Jesus time for
the spellbound Shelton School
Board on Tuesday evening.
The board experienced a conver-
sion from two weeks ago when a
majority voted in eflbct to exclude
two proposed new clubs at Shelton
High School, the Christian Stu-
dents United and Scrabble Club.
But the board this week saw
the light and voted to approve
both clubs, bringing a round of ap-
plause from several folks in the
audience.
What revelations prompted
the change? Superintendent Joan
Zook told board members Tues-
day that religion-based clubs have
both protections and restrictions.
Such clubs must meet associated
student body requirements, such
as having a constitution and vol-
unteer advisor, and cannot be sup-
ported by public funding.
ZOOK SAID she believes the
Christian Students United club has
met those obligations and recom-
mended the board approve it for the
current school year. The vote was
3-0 for approval, with board mem-
bers Marry Crow, Holly Sharpe
and Sue McCausland voting in fa-
vor. Board member Peter Boome,
who two weeks ago expressed his
concern about the separation of
church and state, abstained from
voting Tuesday. Julianna Miljour,
the board president, also abstained.
She chooses not to vote other than
to break any tie votes.
After the vote, Miljour asked for
comments from members of the
public who had signed up prior to
the meeting to speak on items on
the agenda.
Dick Swearingen said there
was no chance for public corn-
ments before the vote and chided
the board for a process that he
said was backwards. He also said
it isn't good to inject the religious
aspect into schools and that he's
very much opposed to the board's
decision.
Lois Walker also signed up to
speak, but opted not to, instead
giving each board member a copy
of her printed remarks. Among
other concerns, Walker wrote the
club will likely create another "in"
group and a larger group ostra-
cized as outsiders, students who
don't want to belong to the club.
"It certainly will not encourage
critical thinking but rather follow-
ing one or another version of reli-
gious teaching," she wrote.
WITH SO MANY different
church groups (43 congregations
listed in the Shelton phone book),
Walker noted, there are plenty of
places for students to pursue their
religious beliefs. She failed to see
how the club can add to the educa-
tional goals of the high school.
Boome said while he person-
ally disagrees with having such
clubs on campus, after looking at
case law, it's apparent such groups
have the right to exist. Federal
law requires schools to give them
equal access, and the district is
legally bound to make sure they
have equal access.
The law is pretty clear in this
case, he said, adding realistically
the board had no choice. "We have
an obligation to go along with the
law," added Sharpe.
As for the Scrabble Club, Zook
said it also met the necessary re-
quirements. Crow, Sharpe, Mc-
Causland and Boome voted to ap-
prove it, while MiIjour, as usual,
abstained.
Most mishaps? Bear
Creek-Dewatto Road
Which road in the county has
the highest number of collisions?
A segment of Bear Creek-De-
watto Road, according to statistics
compiled by Mason County Public
Works for the three years prior to
2OO5.
Data indicate this spot had
logged 28 collisions and an acci-
dent rate of 2.09 collisions per mil-
lion vehicles miles of travel.
A second segment of the same
road also has one of the highest
collision rates in the county.
Runners-up in the county's col-
lision count include: McReavy
Road between State Route 106 and
Manzanita Drive; Highland Road
north of Little Egypt Road; Cole
Road between Lynch Road and
Shadowood Drive; Bear Creek-
Dewatto Road between the Kitsap
County line and Elfendahl Pass
Road; and Arcadia Road between
the Mill Creek Bridge and Lynch
Road.
Most of the collisions involved
a fixed object off the roadway, ac-
cording to information from the
county. Excessive speed and driv-
ing under the influence of alcohol
or drugs were the leading causes
of the crashes.
Officials said that in most cases
drivers' actions, rather than the
road conditions, are to blame for
collisions. About a third of all ve-
hicle collisions in Mason County
happen during hours of darkness,
the report added.
Staircase Road to close
Forest Service Road 24, which
leads to the Staircase area at the
north end of Lake Cushman, will
be closed to all public access (in-
cluding foot traffic) beginning No-
vember 1, Olympic National For-
est officials announced this week.
The gated closure, located just
beyond the Mount Rose subdivi-
sion, is in response to the 2006
Bear Gulch II fire, which burned
approximately 1,200 acres directly
above the road. The precaution is
necessary to prevent injury to the
public from rock and debris slides
expected throughout the winter
rainy season, a Forest Service
press release noted.
The road is the main access point
for the popular Staircase area of
the Olympic National Park. "The
winter time is a deceptively dan-
gerous time for the condition of the
road," said Dean Yoshina, district
ranger for the Hood Canal District
of the Olympic National Forest.
"Wind, precipitation and freezing
all add to the amount of material
that can come down."
Due to the steep topography,
that section of road typically ex-
periences debris and rock fall,
requiring routine cleanup and
maintenance. However, the 2006
fire increased the amount of debris
significantly - sometimes result-
ing in boulders the size of small
cars tumbling down the hillside.
A similar fire in 1979 also closed
the road for a time when debris de-
stroyed a section of it.
There are several cabins located
beyond the gate on the west side
of Lake Cushman. "Those owners,
willing to assume the risk, may
obtain access to their property
through the Lake Cushman Com-
pany," said Yoshina. He added that
the Forest Service does not intend
to do any road maintenance or
debris cleanup during the closure
period.
This winter, an assessment
team will continue to evaluate con-
ditions, monitor slope stability and
track debris accumulations. The
information will be used to deter-
mine if the road should be closed
again next winter.
The Forest Service plans to
reopen the road on April 1, 2008
when risk levels return to normal.
tl SHELT
IjMM__ASON CO °N"
UNTY JOURNAL
00GDVF K
121st Year -- Number 43 5 Sections m 48 Pages Published in Shelton, Washington 75 cents
Christian club
SHELTON'S STUDENT MEDIATORS pose in the wake of their
"summit meeting" last week with Capital. Seated, from left, are Jacob
II Hicks, Paige Barrett and Jacob Hanes. In back are Dee SiA.gmjond, Robyn
I Stewart, Kyle Burbridge and Adam Spurling. Not pictured. Alex Olson.
Capital'
,,0000limbers meet
The Enemy'
-- PATCH
e slings and arrows were
fo be left at the door.
ative though they were,
they clidn t figure to serve
tructive purpose with re-
. the business at hand:
ng to mend the longstand-
L, tl tbetween Shelton and Capi-
Schools. .
COnsidered it to be kind ol
i
an unhealthy rivalry," said Climb-
er principal Wanda Berndtson,
speaking on behalf of her Cougar
counterpart.
And so it was that the two ad-
ministrators did something about
it last week. They rounded up rep-
resentatives of the two warring
student bodies and brought them
together behind closed doors.
On hand were matching con-
tingents from each school. From
Shelton: football starters Kyle
Burbridge, Jacob Hanes, Adam
Spurling and Jacob Hicks, bas-
ketball starters Paige Barrett and
Alex Olson, cheerleader cocaptains
Dee Sigmond and Robyn Stewart,
AD and football offensive coordi-
nator Bill Hicks, counselor Susie
Honaker Wirzbicki and principal
Berndtson.
Two days later the Climbers'
representatives reassembled on
their own, expressly for the benefit
of the Journal.
(Please turn to page 22.)
of tainted soil to close First
and Franklin streets, a second just
a few blocks west at Fourth and
Franklin. The First and Franklin site
has more contamination, perhaps as
much as 10 times more, than the
other site, said Shelton Engineer
Mike Michael.
Beginning Monday, November 12,
First Street will be closed at Franklin
Street for an estimated two weeks for
the cleanup operation, which includes
soil extraction, infrastructure repairs
and soft replacement. Closure of the
intersection means traffic will have
to be rerouted. First Street is one of
the main north-south arterial streets
downtown.
There formerly were two gas
stations on comers at First and
Franklin. Michael thinks the
probable cause of the contamina-
(Please turn to page 12)
GREEN
.ry of a contaminated soil
town Shelton may snarl
Bag an already busy First
Upwards of two weeks or
ldhtl.n city commissioners
,uon, Monday. "a b
![, Were discovered recently
I[york on the downtown Basin
Project. One site is at First
Ption's landmark waterwheel
00nerates historic nomination
view of a property should a federal
or state action have a potential ad-
verse effect on the property's his-
toric values.
The structure was fixed up and
planted in a new location along-
side State Route 106 by the efforts
of the Dalby Waterwheel Reloca-
tion Committee. Financial support
for this came from 23 members of
the "Bucket Brigade," people who
contributed a total of $34,000 by
sponsoring the buckets lashed to
the wheel.
More than 125 people attend-
ing a dedication ceremony in April
of last year watched as the wheel
started turning in its new confines.
Among them were approximately
30 members of the Dalby family
who traveled to Union from places
as distant as England and British
Columbia.
The council will consider the
status of the waterwheel at a meet-
ing scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. on
Friday, November 2, in Room 412
of Barge Hall on the campus of
Central Washington University in
Ellensburg.
Overdose of rrteth
took motorist's life
The death of 43-year-old Grape-
view man last month in a one-ve-
hicle crash has been ruled an ac-
cident from drug overdose, Mason
County Coroner Wes Stockwell
has announced.
Edward L. Koller died Septem-
ber 16 at Mason General Hospi-
taps emergency room after being
involved in a non-reportable colli-
sion on State Route 3 south of A1-
lyn.
"Autopsy and toxicological re-
ports revealed that Koller's cause
of death was from acute metham-
phetamine intoxication also re-
ferred to as an overdose," Stock-
well reported.
The death has been ruled an
accident, according to Stockwell.
Initial autopsy findings were in-
conclusive and did not reveal any
injuries to Koller's body, Stockwell
said.
alby Waterwheel in Union
nsidered for inclusion on
,hington Heritage Register
ilaShington State Advisory
Historic Preservation.
of a property does not
deral or state restrictive
s or easements. However,
es assure protective re-
IIIIIllllllillilllmllllllllllllllliillJlillllllllllllilllll
the inside
as ........................... 36
ttnity Calendar ....... 17
rd ................. 43
ient, Dining ..... 34
:uOUrnal ................. 18
h; es ........................... 10
bt i , Letters ................. 4
" .................................. 21
HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
B,!!!!IIIIjIJLILILIIlll
at SHS okayed
By JEFF GREEN
It was come to Jesus time for
the spellbound Shelton School
Board on Tuesday evening.
The board experienced a conver-
sion from two weeks ago when a
majority voted in eflbct to exclude
two proposed new clubs at Shelton
High School, the Christian Stu-
dents United and Scrabble Club.
But the board this week saw
the light and voted to approve
both clubs, bringing a round of ap-
plause from several folks in the
audience.
What revelations prompted
the change? Superintendent Joan
Zook told board members Tues-
day that religion-based clubs have
both protections and restrictions.
Such clubs must meet associated
student body requirements, such
as having a constitution and vol-
unteer advisor, and cannot be sup-
ported by public funding.
ZOOK SAID she believes the
Christian Students United club has
met those obligations and recom-
mended the board approve it for the
current school year. The vote was
3-0 for approval, with board mem-
bers Marry Crow, Holly Sharpe
and Sue McCausland voting in fa-
vor. Board member Peter Boome,
who two weeks ago expressed his
concern about the separation of
church and state, abstained from
voting Tuesday. Julianna Miljour,
the board president, also abstained.
She chooses not to vote other than
to break any tie votes.
After the vote, Miljour asked for
comments from members of the
public who had signed up prior to
the meeting to speak on items on
the agenda.
Dick Swearingen said there
was no chance for public corn-
ments before the vote and chided
the board for a process that he
said was backwards. He also said
it isn't good to inject the religious
aspect into schools and that he's
very much opposed to the board's
decision.
Lois Walker also signed up to
speak, but opted not to, instead
giving each board member a copy
of her printed remarks. Among
other concerns, Walker wrote the
club will likely create another "in"
group and a larger group ostra-
cized as outsiders, students who
don't want to belong to the club.
"It certainly will not encourage
critical thinking but rather follow-
ing one or another version of reli-
gious teaching," she wrote.
WITH SO MANY different
church groups (43 congregations
listed in the Shelton phone book),
Walker noted, there are plenty of
places for students to pursue their
religious beliefs. She failed to see
how the club can add to the educa-
tional goals of the high school.
Boome said while he person-
ally disagrees with having such
clubs on campus, after looking at
case law, it's apparent such groups
have the right to exist. Federal
law requires schools to give them
equal access, and the district is
legally bound to make sure they
have equal access.
The law is pretty clear in this
case, he said, adding realistically
the board had no choice. "We have
an obligation to go along with the
law," added Sharpe.
As for the Scrabble Club, Zook
said it also met the necessary re-
quirements. Crow, Sharpe, Mc-
Causland and Boome voted to ap-
prove it, while MiIjour, as usual,
abstained.
Most mishaps? Bear
Creek-Dewatto Road
Which road in the county has
the highest number of collisions?
A segment of Bear Creek-De-
watto Road, according to statistics
compiled by Mason County Public
Works for the three years prior to
2OO5.
Data indicate this spot had
logged 28 collisions and an acci-
dent rate of 2.09 collisions per mil-
lion vehicles miles of travel.
A second segment of the same
road also has one of the highest
collision rates in the county.
Runners-up in the county's col-
lision count include: McReavy
Road between State Route 106 and
Manzanita Drive; Highland Road
north of Little Egypt Road; Cole
Road between Lynch Road and
Shadowood Drive; Bear Creek-
Dewatto Road between the Kitsap
County line and Elfendahl Pass
Road; and Arcadia Road between
the Mill Creek Bridge and Lynch
Road.
Most of the collisions involved
a fixed object off the roadway, ac-
cording to information from the
county. Excessive speed and driv-
ing under the influence of alcohol
or drugs were the leading causes
of the crashes.
Officials said that in most cases
drivers' actions, rather than the
road conditions, are to blame for
collisions. About a third of all ve-
hicle collisions in Mason County
happen during hours of darkness,
the report added.
Staircase Road to close
Forest Service Road 24, which
leads to the Staircase area at the
north end of Lake Cushman, will
be closed to all public access (in-
cluding foot traffic) beginning No-
vember 1, Olympic National For-
est officials announced this week.
The gated closure, located just
beyond the Mount Rose subdivi-
sion, is in response to the 2006
Bear Gulch II fire, which burned
approximately 1,200 acres directly
above the road. The precaution is
necessary to prevent injury to the
public from rock and debris slides
expected throughout the winter
rainy season, a Forest Service
press release noted.
The road is the main access point
for the popular Staircase area of
the Olympic National Park. "The
winter time is a deceptively dan-
gerous time for the condition of the
road," said Dean Yoshina, district
ranger for the Hood Canal District
of the Olympic National Forest.
"Wind, precipitation and freezing
all add to the amount of material
that can come down."
Due to the steep topography,
that section of road typically ex-
periences debris and rock fall,
requiring routine cleanup and
maintenance. However, the 2006
fire increased the amount of debris
significantly - sometimes result-
ing in boulders the size of small
cars tumbling down the hillside.
A similar fire in 1979 also closed
the road for a time when debris de-
stroyed a section of it.
There are several cabins located
beyond the gate on the west side
of Lake Cushman. "Those owners,
willing to assume the risk, may
obtain access to their property
through the Lake Cushman Com-
pany," said Yoshina. He added that
the Forest Service does not intend
to do any road maintenance or
debris cleanup during the closure
period.
This winter, an assessment
team will continue to evaluate con-
ditions, monitor slope stability and
track debris accumulations. The
information will be used to deter-
mine if the road should be closed
again next winter.
The Forest Service plans to
reopen the road on April 1, 2008
when risk levels return to normal.