Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
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The North Mason Regional Fire Authority is having a busy summer, and it doesn't include just fighting fires. Old Station 21 has a new tenant as Mason County agreed to a lease agreement that went into effect Aug. 1. "They're having a discussion as to ultimately what will be in that building from a county perspective," NMRFA chief Beau Bakken told the Herald. "About a year ago, I said this date was going to come upon us quickly and here we are. It sounds like the county is to vacate the building...
During the North Mason School Board’s Aug. 17 meeting, summer school principal Laura Pugh and teacher Rachel Mayo were joined by Hawkins Middle School students Tora Kawai-Seguin, Zevin King and Rukan Bruemmer as they presented a film the students made during summer school. Pugh reported the summer school program had ended the previous week, with literacy support for students in grades four through eight, and “credit recovery” for students in grades 10 through 12. Over three weeks, break...
The Port of Grapeview’s Aug. 15 meeting saw commissioners consider renovations and spending, and as the port’s 100th anniversary approaches, celebrations. Port commissioners Jean Farmer and Mike Blaisdell agreed the anniversary in November isn’t the best time to mark the centennial because they prefer an outdoor open house that could take advantage of pleasant weather and draw “big names” to the festivities. Farmer and commissioner Art Whitson agreed such an occasion should also use the marin...
The Port of Dewatto canceled its scheduled Aug. 9 commissioners meeting because a personal emergency arose that would have left the board without a quorum, according to Port Manager Jeana Crosby. The port did have a special meeting Aug. 11, both remotely and in-person at the port office building in Tahuya, to sign vouchers that would allow the port to pay its bills and salaries. However, according to Crosby, the rest of the business that had been scheduled for the port’s August meeting will l...
On Monday morning, volunteers for the North Mason Coalition of Churches and Community were assembling boxes with nonperishable foods such as bread, cereal, beans, potatoes, carrots, onions and eggs at the Lodge next to Christ Lutheran Church between Belfair and Tahuya. The next day, they added perishable items such as milk and chicken to be picked up by families in need as part of the nonprofit group's Food for Kids Vacation Break Nutrition Boxes program. The summer boxes end Aug. 29, with...
The Port of Allyn’s Aug. 7 meeting saw its executive director and commissioners address replacing its pier, updating the port’s comprehensive plan and what to do with the sea lions. Port of Allyn Executive Director Lary Coppola said the port had $515,000 in its capital budget for a pier replacement project. “Our options are to replace the entire pier with a completely new structure, to sleeve the existing pilings — which effectively gets the creosote out of the water, as well as stops the det...
A common perception of summer school is deskbound students trapped in a classroom hunched over a book while their classmates frolic outside. But that's not the reality inside Hawkins Middle School in Belfair, where summer school students are writing, animating and voicing characters as they create computer-animated shorts. Everyone is invited to view the results at the district's first Summer School Film Festival at 5 tonight at Hawkins Middle School. To make a reservation, contact Laura Pugh at...
The Port of Grapeview reviewed updates for the port’s maintenance plan and comprehensive scheme of harbor improvement at its July 18 meeting. Port Commissioner Art Whitson said he contacted the maintenance department at Mason County Public Works for catch-basin maintenance in June, but hadn’t heard back on when they’d be able to do it. He said he’d follow up. Whitson said he needs to develop a tailored maintenance plan for each item of equipment or infrastructure under the port’s purview,...
Superintendent Dana Rosenbach talked about North Mason’s summer school program, the upcoming renaming ceremony for the east addition of the community gym, and the wrap-up of the Theler property transition, at the school board’s most recent meeting. “We’re very excited for the students who are registered,” Rosenbach said of the summer school at the July 20 meeting. “Our rising fourth-through-seventh-graders will be engaging in their developing video work. On the last day, we’ll get to see what t...
Mason County Climate Justice, the Legacy Forest Defense Coalition and the state Department of Natural Resources will meet at 1:30 p.m. Monday in Mason County Superior Court. According to Jennifer Calkins, a lawyer who represents the local environmental activist groups, MCCJ filed a notice to withdraw its motion to dismiss and filed a second motion for a preliminary injunction with the intervenor corporation Tacoma-based Stella-Jones Corp., which came in with the highest bid for the 94 acres...
As of Wednesday, the Port of Dewatto has not filled the vacancy on its three-member board of commissioners, left open by the April 8 death of Ray Mow. The port is still running ads in the Shelton-Mason County Journal to solicit applicants for the port’s District 2 Commissioner position. Acting Port Commission Chair Dave Haugen has asked Kris Tompkins, the port’s volunteer who lives in the Haven Lake area, to provide any updates she on anyone who might be interested in filling the position. Tom...
Port of Allyn officials have reached a consensus on dealing with sea lions. During a special meeting of the port commissioners July 10, Port Executive Director Lary Coppola reviewed how the port had been invaded by sea lions on its dock. Coppola met with representatives from port insurer Enduris, which sent a team out to inspect the damage. "We are getting bids on the repair work now, and hopefully work will get underway shortly," Coppola said July 10. "We've been told there may be a supply...
When the Allyn Community Association was started in 1986, it was inaugurated with the first Allyn Days celebration, which grew to include the Salmon Bake and Geoduck Festival as it evolved into a summer tradition. “It was a community party, and the salmon was grilled over alderwood, then smoked and served,” said current community member Jason Ilarraza. “From there, it evolved into all of this.” When Ilarraza became involved with Allyn Days, he was a vendor coordinator for the event, before...
After a planning workshop and a regular meeting, Port of Grapeview commissioners want to ensure they get their update of the port’s comprehensive scheme of harbor improvements correct. The planning workshop was June 13, and while no final decisions were made, several changes, updates and amendments were proposed to the draft version of the comp plans. The commissioners’ regular meeting June 20 saw Commissioner Mike Blaisdell open the review of the previous week’s planning workshop by noting Comm...
The art wall exhibition space at Belfair Self-Storage has everything it needs to provide broader exposure to the work of local artists — except for the artists. Over the past couple of years, Belfair Self-Storage manager Barbara Treick has recruited area artists into a stable of sorts for the art wall, which she founded and continues to maintain. Between stretches of new or returning artists being showcased each month, Treick has occasionally displayed her own art. With no artists scheduled f...
North Mason School District Superintendent Dana Rosenbach summed up the 2022-23 school year by declaring the district had ended the year "strategically, financially and systemically sound," while "keeping true to our mission, to educate, empower, inspire and prepare all our students to graduate, confident in their abilities to meet life's challenges and opportunities." Rosenbach deemed it "a tremendous year of growth" for North Mason, with high enrollment, which appears on track to continue, as...
The annual Safety Days event took place June 5 and 6 at Sand Hill Elementary School and June 8 and 9 at Belfair Elementary, teaching kids safety skills that will serve them now and in the future. North Mason Regional Fire Authority Chief Beau Bakken has been conducting Safety Days for 26 years, and he said it is always his favorite week of the year. "Of the 365 days that I'm on duty per year, these are the best four I have throughout the entire year," Bakken told the Herald. "In most...
When the Class of 2023 graduated from North Mason High School on June 9, its numbers included 32 multilingual-learner students, so this year’s graduation ceremony included a new accommodation for MLL students’ families. Amanda Marley-Clarke, communications specialist for North Mason School District, explained how this year’s high school graduation made the first use of district interpreters to provide simultaneous translation services, through 35 headsets, directly to the multilingual families i...
Port of Allyn Executive Director Lary Coppola reported progress on a few fronts at the June 5 port meeting, including the pier replacement project being allotted $515,000 in the port’s capital budget. Coppola summed up the port’s options as either replacing the pier with a new structure or sleeving the existing pilings, which would effectively remove creosote from the water in addition to halting the deterioration of the pilings. “However, we will have to drive new pilings for the ones that...
In the wake of commissioner Ray Mow’s death April 8, fellow Port of Dewatto Commissioner David Haugen has been appointed to replace him as chair of the port’s board of commissioners, but Mow’s seat on the commission remains vacant. Port of Dewatto Manager Jeana Crosby reported to the remaining two commissioners that, as of May 10, she had not received any calls or mail requesting interviews or applications for Mow’s vacant seat. She’d submitted an invitation to apply for that seat within days of...
Alexis Newton is the featured artist for June at Belfair Self-Storage's art wall. Raised in Port Orchard, Newton was born in and spent "a huge part" of her childhood in Shelton, where most of her extended family has lived. "My parents have lived on Mason Lake for the last couple of decades," Newton said. "It's essentially where I 'return home' nowadays." Newton, whose website at www.DrawingAli.com shows a sample of her portfolio, describes graphite pencils as "my true love and passion, when it c...
The return of the HUB Center for Seniors’ semiannual fundraising runway show May 13 drew 75 attendees, 19 models and raised $1,700 for the HUB. A significant portion of money came from a sponsorship by the Haven In Allyn Assisted Living, courtesy of founders and co-owners Debra and Ron Jamerson. The event included Belfair Self-Storage manager Barbara Treick’s BABS (Barbara’s Accessories and Bags Store), Birdi Nagy’s Birdi Designs, Jess Tomato’s Silver Crucible and Grace Wagner, who teaches j...
The Port of Grapeview has decided a review and update of the port’s comprehensive scheme is warranted. During the port’s May 16 meeting, Commissioner Mike Blaisdell included his draft of an update to the port’s goals and objectives for the commissioners’ review. Commissioner Jean Farmer, attending the May 16 meeting via Zoom, suggested board commissioners schedule a special workshop to review the draft update, “all three of us, in person, reading page by page together.” Farmer had already loo...
