Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
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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...
While commissioners for the Port of Grapeview repeatedly noted they’ve made no final decisions regarding next year’s budgets for the port, the three commissioners acknowledged several areas of overall agreement at their Oct. 6 budget workshop. “As we’ve gone over the operations budget, we’ve seen how difficult it’s going to be for this port just to maintain the facilities that it has, which are very minimal,” Jean Farmer said, before she and fellow port commissioners turned to the preliminary c...
The Port of Allyn has a busy month ahead. Port of Allyn Executive Director Lary Coppola warned at the port’s Oct. 3 meeting that while revenues are performing as expected “for this time of year, and in this economy,” the port’s expenses have exceeded its budget “in several instances,” notably what they’ve paid in legal fees, “so money is tight and cash flow somewhat problematic.” The same meeting saw port commissioners approve a loan, with interest, from the port’s water fund to its general fund...
The Olympic Sunset View apartments will soon have people coming and going, as they are set to begin renting to tenants in November. Harbor Custom Development Chief Operating Officer Jeff Habersetzer said it was a challenging construction site. "It's on a bit of a hillside and after a very wet winter, we came through the other side in pretty good shape," Habersetzer told the Journal. "The project is really rounding into form now and it's going to turn out to be a big success for us." The...
During the North Mason School Board’s Sept. 15 meeting, high school counselor Rebecca Roberts spoke about the work being done for the Comprehensive School Counseling Plan before Board Director Laura Boad moved to approve the plan as presented. According to Roberts, the American School Counseling Association has a model they’ve published for more than a decade outlining the best practices in counseling. “School counseling has shifted, in the last decade or two, from being very individualized (to)...
The North Mason Chamber of Commerce celebrated the best of business and people in 2021 at its annual gala Sept. 17 at Alderbrook Resort in Union. Five awards were handed out at the gala, including citizen of the year going to Dr. Don LePere of Kiwanis Club of North Mason. LePere has been a member of North Mason Kiwanis Club since 1985 and has been the secretary for 34 years. In the business of the year category, Peninsula Community Federal Credit Union won. The credit union offered PPP loans to...
Port of Allyn’s commissioners adopted long-overdue updates to the port’s marina rules, but deferred any action on redistricting until they could consult with Mason County officials. Port of Allyn Executive Director Lary Coppola reminded port commissioners they’d already deferred action on updating the port’s marina rules during their previous month’s meeting, so the issue was placed on the agenda again this month. Coppola pointed out that when the marina rules were adopted by the port in 2015,...
Hoodstock cofounders Kelli Kohout and Shannon Crabb-Stanton are thrilled to take stock of the fifth year of the program they kicked off, which returned to Hood Canal in Union on Aug. 20. They agreed this year’s event exceeded their expectations. Kohout and Crabb-Stanton said support from concert-goers and event sponsors helped make 2022 the “biggest year yet” for Hoodstock. Among this summer’s crop of community partners, the Alderbrook Resort and Spa distinguished themselves, Kohout said, b...
The Port of Grapeview is set to convene a special meeting Sept. 13 to address its redistricting, which is required every 10 years for federal, state and many local government agencies. The purpose of redistricting the port is to balance the populations in each of its three districts to ensure equitable representation. Port Commissioner Mike Blaisdell, who’s leading the current redistricting effort, pointed out that since the 2010 census, the port district’s population has increased by 302 residents. Blaisdell cited “tremendous support” from Ma...
Port of Grapeview commissioners made Mason County’s latest free Wi-Fi hot spot official before following up on diver-safety matters during their Aug. 16 meeting. Art Whitson, District 1 commissioner, said this summer’s Grapeview Water Festival and Art Show saw its vendors exceed online capacity, leading to “a lot of internet drop-outs and frustrated folks,” before they were shifted over to Wi-Fi access on port property. “We already had everything ready to go,” said Jean Farmer, District 3...
The Aug. 18 meeting of the North Mason School Board saw Superintendent Dana Rosenbach congratulate Director of Transportation Maurine Simons and her crew for being recognized by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction for their annual inspections over the past two years. She also shared details about OSPI’s 2022-23 education requirements and Inclusionary Practices Project. State school chief Chris Reykdal and State Patrol Chief John Batiste cosigned a July 22 letter lauding the N...
The Dewatto yard sale, barbecue and potluck scheduled for Saturday has been canceled because not enough people signed up to participate. During their Aug. 10 meeting, Port of Dewatto commissioners acknowledged the lack of interest in the event, with “only a couple of people” wanting to take part, in spite of the efforts of Port of Dewatto neighbors Rich and Kathy Kroll to stage the gathering. When Kathy Kroll asked port Manager Jeana Crosby what it would take to stage such an event, Crosby tol...
Last year's Allyn Days was reduced to a single day due to COVID-19, but this year will see the full three-day weekend lineup run from Friday through Sunday. Allyn Community Association President Jason Ilarraza said he's thrilled all three Allyn Days will be presented this year, though he acknowledged the event is still recruiting volunteers to conduct some of the event activities. If you're willing to pitch in, call Ronnie Colburn at 360-275-5002. "Our sponsors have been absolutely fantastic,"...
The North Mason School Board heard from Director of Information Technology Clint Forsythe on June 16 about this year’s technology uses and upcoming plans for technology for the district. Forsythe said while the district has gained more computers, it’s created more challenges and complications, especially with the number of aging computers still in use. He said the district has achieved a 1:1 ratio of computers to students across its schools, even though several of them are more than three yea...
The Port of Allyn and Mason County resident Bradley Carey agreed to settle lawsuits June 9 concerning alleged violations of Washington’s Public Records Act, Open Public Meetings Act and related claims, according to port Operations Manager LeAnn Dennis, who released copies of the settlement agreement to the public June 23. According to the settlement, Carey had asserted claims related to the state acts and other statutory claims against the port and individuals. Carey served lawsuits to Port o...
