Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Sorted by date Results 126 - 150 of 206
The Port of Allyn is considering surplussing a park it owns along North Bay, port Executive Director Lary Coppola told representatives of the state Recreation and Conservation Office at a Jan. 23 special meeting. RCO Compliance Specialist Myra Barker asked why the port wants to dispose of Kayak Park, a property a quarter of a mile south of the Port of Allyn offices that covers less than an acre. Barker said the goal of the state office is to keep such property open and available for outdoor...
Port of Grapeview commissioners voted in Mike Blaisdell as president, and Art Whitson as secretary and public records officer at their meeting Jan. 17. Brad Pomroy, with the Case Inlet Fisheries Task Force, said members met that morning for their first meeting of 2023. Pomroy noted that over the preceding three weeks, Coulter Creek is up and running, and is raising fry salmon for release this coming year. He added that the Department of Fish and Wildlife has been funding work at Coulter Creek....
Engaging the community is critical to the success of any update to the Port of Grapeview’s comprehensive scheme, said Brad Pomroy of the port’s Strategic Planning Advisory Committee. At a port workshop Jan. 22, port Commissioner Jean Farmer added that listening to constituents is essential because “what the people want may be different from what we want, and we work for them, so we need to make sure we’re doing what they’re asking of us.” When Commission Chair Mike Blaisdell asked when the po...
Sand Hill Elementary Principal Jason Swaser, Assistant Principal Rosanna Lampano and special education teachers Aurora Tollestrup and Rachel Caraway addressed the North Mason School District Board on Jan. 19 about their school’s inclusionary practices. “Our vision of inclusion at Sand Hill Elementary is that we are engaging and challenging every student, in every classroom, every day,” Lampano said. “How are we going to address that goal within our building? We identified three main areas of stu...
Whether you drive by the North Mason Regional Fire Authority station during the day or night, you'll notice some friendly words light up a new sign outside the station. The sign was not included with the price of the new fire station built on Northeast Old Belfair Highway, according to Assistant Fire Chief Scott Cooper. There was hope the North Mason Firefighter's Association could donate the station a sign. "What happened was that, because of COVID-19, they were unable to do any fundraising...
The Port of Allyn addressed the damage its dock sustained over the holidays and heard about the latest progress on the Sargent Oyster House at its Jan. 4 meeting. The king tides between Christmas and New Year’s severely damaged the Hood Canal Marina dock. Port of Allyn Executive Director Lary Coppola said port insurer Enduris had hired a consultant and marine surveyor to assess the damage. The consultant has already inspected the dock, and Coppola is waiting for a report to see how Enduris w...
Port of Allyn lobbyist Holli Cocci reviewed the port’s priorities and what she will be requesting from the Legislature during its “long” 105-day session that begins Jan. 9. She spoke to the commission Dec. 19. Cocci noted the port’s pier is a primary priority, so she ceded the floor to Port of Allyn Executive Director Lary Coppola, who said the pier’s pilings are deteriorating. Coppola said the piling beneath the alcove on the pier has rotted out, compelling the port to close that section o...
The Port of Grapeview completed a hectic agenda of new business Dec. 20 as port commissioners agreed to a memorandum of understanding with Mason County for rural county 0.09 sales tax funding in 2023. Port Commissioner Jean Farmer said the money has been available for applications “for a while,” but the Belfair sewer had precluded that money from being available to the port. Under the memo, the port will receive a $20,000 grant it can use to pay for maintenance of its facilities. The port must s...
The Dewatto River Campground has been closed since September, but it has not lain fallow. The Port of Dewatto Commission recently reviewed how the campground has been worked on while it’s been closed to campers. Port of Dewatto Commissioner David Haugen said he bought and installed two new gates, replacing the existing gates at the front of the campground, due to their continued damage and poor condition. Haugen brought the existing gates to the Port of Dewatto building, where the port might be...
The Belfair View Apartments are now leasing. According to a news release, the apartment complex consisting of one- and two-bedroom apartments will rent with rates from $1,695 to $2,095 a month. The units range from 665 to 915 square feet. The project broke ground in March 2021 and the estimated completion for all three building is slated for the end of 2023. The 228-unit complex includes a carport and non-covered onsite parking, a recreational building, and an outdoor pool with views of Hood...
The Port of Allyn’s Dec. 5 public hearing, to address adjusting its water system’s residential and commercial connection fees, ended with commissioners unanimously adopting a three-tiered commercial connection fee scale, without adopting the proposed increase to residential connection fees. Port Executive Director Lary Coppola said the port’s rates adjust annually on a scale adopted in 2019, running through the end of 2024, which needs to be reviewed and re-evaluated before the beginning of 20...
One month after the works of her wife and "muse" made a second appearance at Belfair Self-Storage, multimedia artist Alice Durrie has followed suit, with her artwork returning to manager Barbara Treick's art wall in December. Durrie's pursuit of Asian art techniques has continued - her fascination with bonsai miniature tree cultivation has evolved into a new form of self-expression. "I live alongside the Tahuya River, which provides an ever-changing beach canvas of sand, gravel and rock,"...
Port of Grapeview Commissioner Art Whitson closed out the fall by informing port officials of the list of maintenance projects and procedures he’s been compiling. Whitson said he’s inventoried port assets whose sustainability needed to be addressed, including landscaping, the port bathroom building, the boat ramp and dock systems, the oil/water separator, inspection and maintenance of port signs and buoys, and parking lot surfaces on the ramp side of the port, which is primarily asphalt and conc...
The Port of Dewatto’s 2023 budget discussion began with port volunteer Kris Tompkins going over what the port accomplished in 2022, from replacing four fire rings to repairing the campground’s electrical system. The concrete parking area next to the port building was cleaned, new striping was painted, as were picnic tables and doors. The port also implemented the campground’s online reservation and payment system. Tompkins said she and Port Manager Jeana Crosby budgeted $4,000 for new blind...
Port of Allyn commissioners’ discussion of its 2023 draft budget on Nov. 7 concluded with commissioners scheduling a public hearing later this month to finalize and approve the budget.Port Executive Director Lary Coppola said the budget’s only staff increases were for cost of living, at the same 8.7% rate as Social Security’s increase. The lack of revenue figures from Mason County as of Nov. 7 would mean refining those figures before the port’s budget is to be voted on on Nov. 21. “We used last...
The state Department of Fish and Wildlife is seeking public comment on the proposed purchase of up to 64 acres on Lynch Cove south of Theler Wetlands to promote fish and wildlife conservation and public access. The department's Lynch Cove project could include four separate worksites in the Union River Unit of the South Puget Sound Wildlife Area. Five different landowners own the acreage near the intersection of state Routes 3 and 106. Conserving the property would help estuarine habitat that...
The state is proposing renaming a lake and a slough north of Tahuya, changing names derogatory to Black people to new monikers celebrating two former slaves who lived in the area. The Washington State Committee on Geographic Names last week approved nine proposals to rename features bearing a derogatory term that refers to Indigenous women. The proposals from tribes came in the wake of the U.S. Department of Interior's orders last year to rename geographic features throughout the country. The...
Art Whitson, District 1 commissioner for the Port of Grapeview, was appointed Oct. 25 by Mason County commissioners to fill an open slot on the Mason County Clean Water Advisory Committee. The committee’s purpose is to implement laws designed to protect and improve water quality. Whitson’s responsibilities include establishing programs and projects to reduce nonpoint source pollution that threatens surface water quality in Mason County. He’s one of the committee’s nine stakeholder members...
The Port of Allyn Commission had a public hearing during its special meeting Oct. 24 about its proposed plans to not significantly revise its district boundaries this year. “I’m good with not moving things around, because water is going to find its own level,” Port Commissioner John Sheridan said. “It’s not significant enough.” Area resident Ken Van Buskirk noted the Port of Shelton has at-large commissioners, adding that Mason County officials had told him the Port of Allyn could create at-large districts of its own. A petition of 10% of its...
Before scheduling a public hearing for their next regular meeting Nov. 15, Port of Grapeview commissioners and the port manager last week reviewed proposed budget cuts they’d addressed at an earlier meeting. Port Manager Amanda Montgomery said the November meeting will also involve the passage of five resolutions related to the port’s budget. Port Commissioner Jean Farmer said the budget workshop was useful to familiarize the port commission’s two relatively new members with how port budge...
Port of Allyn’s Board of commissioners will have a special public meeting at their administrative office Oct. 24 to discuss commissioner district boundaries and a couple of other items that Port of Allyn Operations Manager LeAnn Dennis added to the meeting agenda. One of those items is routine — approving a $500 voucher for payment to the Economic Development Council of Jefferson County for its annual dues. “I think we’re also adding a discussion about electricity fees to the special meeting...
