December 20, 2012 Shelton Mason County Journal | ![]() |
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Salmon
Continued from page A-1
Funding for the state grants
comes from the federal Pacific
Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund
and the sale of state bonds.
In addition, almost $1 million
came from the Puget Sound Ac-
quisition and Restoration Fund,
which is dedicated to projects in
Puget Sound that support Gov.
Christine Gregoire's initiative
to restore the health of Puget
Sdund.
A state Department of Fish
and Wildlife study in 2006 re-
ported that the economic effects
of commercial and recreational
fishing in the state supported
an estimated 16,374 jobs and
$540 million in personal in-
come.
The Great Peninsula Con-
servancy will use its money
to conduct a site evaluation
and develop a final project de-
sign to restore the shoreline at
Beard's Cove, on Hood Canal
near Belfair. The site is part of
the Union River Estuary, and is
jointly owned by the conservan-
cy and the Beard's Cove Com-
munity Organization. The site
is part of the 800-acre Lynch
Cove ConservatiOn Area.
The project calls for the re-
moval of the community orga-
nization's recreation buildings,
infrastructure and fill from a
former tidal area. It will restore
about 4 to 7 acres of estuarine
habitat, up to 1,150 feet of
shoreline and 790 feet of tidal
channels. Four acres of inva-
sive native vegetation also will
be removed.
These measures will aid the
recovery of Hood Canal summer
chum and Puget Sound Chinook
salmon, and enhance the health
of the Union River Estuary and
the Hood Canal, according to
the state.
On the Skokomish River,
cars will be removed from about
1,600 feet ofstreambank, which
will help restore the natural
movement of the river in its
channel. The Mason Conserva-
tion District will also use the
$129,710 grant to plant trees
along the river, which will
shade and cool the water. The
tree branches that drop into
the river will create habitat for
chum salmon, which are listed
as threatened with extinction
under the federal Endangered
Species Act.
South Puget Sound Salmon
Enhancement Group will use
its $232,942 to restore migrat-
ing fish access to Like's Creek.
Fish access is blocked by two
sets of full barrier culverts in
the lower section of the creek.
The first culvert, under the
Simpson railroad, is about
200 feet from the confluence
of Like's and Goldsborough
creeks. The other blocking cul-
vert is about 150 feet upstream,
under the county road Carman
Road North.
Because the two culverts are
near the mouth of the creek, the
protect will open spawning and
rearing habitat within Like's
Creek that has not been acces-
sible to any migratory fish for
several decades, i
The project opens up as much
as a mile of the creek to fish
habitat.
Settlement
Continued from page A-1
protected from a potential law-
suit, he said.
The settlement has been ap-
proved by the U.S. Department
Administrator Dave O'Leary said
the city disagrees with the com-
pany's claims, but is making the
settlement to avoid a potential
costly lawsuit.
"It was best to write it off," he
said.
The city doesn't have a problem
of Agriculture (USDA), Michael with the job performed by Stellar
said. Construction was funded J, O'Leary said.
exclusively through a grant/loan "The quality of the work is awe-
package from USDA Rural Devel- some," he said.
opment, he said. Michael and O'Leary both
At the Dec. 10 Shelton City point out that Stellar J's bid for
Commission meeting, Michael the project was about $1 million
told the commissioners it is in less than the next lowest bid.
the city's best interest to make
the settlement. Concessions were
made by the city and the compa-
ny, he said.
The city's offer expires at the
end of the year.
A phone message left with
Even with the settlement,
"We're still doing better than if we
had taken the second-place bid,"
O'Leary said.
In a statement to the Journal,
Michael wrote, "The city and the
USDA are pleased with the reso-
Steller J president Bob Kinghorn
was not returned.
In an interview with the Shel-
ton-Mason County Journal, City
Fund
Continued from page A-1
Journal photo by Gordon Weeks
lution, and confident that choos- The City of Shelton has offered to pay 8433,700 to settle
ing settlement over litigation was a claim by a construction company that it was not
the best outcome for the taxpay- compensated for some of its work on the Shelton
er."
Wastewater Treatment plant.
Last year, the program
gave out 905 baskets, worth
$30,813. Because of high-
from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sat- 227 W. Cote St. during busi-
urday at the old Shelton Ar- ness hours.
mory on Franklin Street. Those who donated to the
Contract
Continued from page A-1
Prosecutor Mike Dorcy or
Chief Deputy Prosecuting At-
torney Tim Whitehead, who
represented the county in the
PERC appeal, were available
to give the commission guid-
ance during the meeting. Jet-
treys and Sheldon voted to
table the matter until Jan. 2
to give time for clarification
from the prosecutor's office.
Ring Erickson, who sat in
her last county commission
meeting Tuesday and will
not have the opportunity to
readdress the issue Jan. 2,
said she was concerned that
voting to not approve the con-
tract could put the county out
of compliance with the Thur-
ston County Superior Court
and PERC orders.
"I didn't see that the court
order required that we signed
the contract," Jeffreys said.
Thurston County Superior
Court Judge Lisa L. Sutton
gave her oral opinion on the
matter July 11. ..~ll
"I am finding that there is Ii
substantial,evidence to sup- "'l
port PERC s findings here,"
she said. The order simply
requires the employer (Ma-
son County) to stand by the
terms and conditions of em-
ployment that were negoti-
ated with the union already."
While the commission did
not agree to approve the con-
tract Tuesday, it did approve
budget transfers to pay the
second half of the settlement.
The entire settlement,
about $2 million, is being
split between two payments,
LeMay said. The first pay-
ment, amount'mg to $881,000
took place Nov. 30.
On Tuesday, the commis-
sign approved $1,173,000 in
budget transfers to cover the
second payment, due Dec. 31.
Of that payment, $925,000
was transferred from the cur-
rent expense fund, $203,000
from the Public Health Fund,
and $45,000 from the Com-
bined Utility Administration
Shelton-Mason County Journal -Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012 - Page A-7
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