Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Dedicated to the citizens of Mason County, Washington since 1886
Sorted by date Results 101 - 125 of 191
Port of Allyn Commissioner Ted Jackson was appointed to the Rural Broadband Task Force on March 6. Jackson was invited by Dan Teuteberg to take part in the task force’s work in Mason County on behalf of the United Way and the Port of Allyn. Teuteberg is an associate professor and 4-H youth development regional specialist, and is the director of Washington State University Extension programs in Mason and Grays Harbor counties. Teuteberg told Jackson that WSU Extension is joining with the W...
A Belfair man was arrested and charged with malicious mischief and criminal trespass after an incident at a Kitsap PUD property Feb. 18 near Bremerton. Gene Ray Brown, 44, has an omnibus hearing scheduled March 21 and a trial scheduled April 17. According to the incident report, Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office’s Justin Coronado was sent to a possible stolen vehicle on Puget Sound Energy property near Solid Lane in Bremerton. He met the person who called in the vehicle and said he was out at the...
The Port of Dewatto bid farewell to winter by reiterating that its campground cleanup is still scheduled for Saturday, March 25. Campground coordinator Joe Newman reported several inquiries from prospective participants this year. Port Manager Jeana Crosby estimated 25 to 30 volunteers will take part this year, which led Port Commissioner Ted Edwards to request that logs be removed from the water. Edwards said he believes the logs are a safety hazard, which he’d had removed years ago. Port C...
North Mason School District's CORE+ Maritime program recently received a $40,000 grant that will help pay for the program's supplies and equipment as it expands from woodworking into metalworking and body shop operations, using lumber, epoxy composites and molded fiberglass. The grant was provided through the Legislature's allocation for the CORE+ Maritime programs. Gavin Forseth teaches woodworking and CORE+ Maritime, and is the district's Career and Technical Education Department leader. Lexi...
The HUB Center for Seniors revival of what had traditionally been a semiannual runway show has settled on the theme for its Patio Party in May: Fashions inspired by the late 1960's through the 1970s. Barbara Treick, manager of Belfair Self-Storage and creator of its art wall, received emails of interest last year from people who wanted to participate, and then received their fashion designs by Feb. 28. Treick said the event would feature two runway shows, one before lunch and the other...
Port of Grapeview Commissioner Mike Blaisdell shared his findings on having the port use social media, one of several online matters commissioners addressed at their Feb. 21 meeting. A recent port workshop included a suggestion that the port create a Facebook page, but no action was taken on it. Blaisdell has since discovered the port must adopt policies on how it would administer and manage such social media accounts. Due to open public meeting laws that cover government entities such as...
Rae Van Fossen is relatively new to Mason County and acrylic painting, but she's been building toward developing as an artist while settling into home. Her work is on display at Belfair Self-Storage as artist of the month for March. A California native, Van Fossen moved to Washington in 2013 and then hopscotched through Renton, Lakewood and Elma before the currents of the housing market brought her to Shelton in 2021. Van Fossen credited a handful of paint-and-sit sessions, in which she was...
Forest McCullough of Northwest Land & Tree told the Port of Hoodsport Commission on Feb. 8 that tree and debris removal at the port’s parklands was almost done, despite “Mother Nature giving us headaches.” As soon as a stretch of dry weather arrives, McCullough predicted the parking lot would be “all cleaned up, fixed up,” and ready to receive treatments such as beauty bark. He assured Port Commissioner Lori Kincannon they were “still on target” for the parking lot grading to be finished and rea...
After the Port of Dewatto received $50 for a birthday party building rental in December, the port took stock of its campground’s cleanliness after the winter holidays. Port commissioners David Haugen and Ted Edwards went to the campground to check on its sites and river’s edge, and aside from some beer bottles, Haugen found the campground to be clean of trash, although enough debris remains to be picked up during the campground’s cleanup day March 25. Port Commission Chair Ray Mow sugge...
Dock damage, pier replacement, potential surplussing of property and some unexpected new developments on long-standing projects kept Port of Allyn commissioners busy during the Feb. 8 board meeting. After the port’s Hood Canal Marina dock was damaged between Christmas and New Year’s, port insurer Enduris hired a consultant and marine surveyor, with whom Port Executive Director Lary Coppola met while inspecting the dock. Of the port’s two bids to repair the dock, Coppola expected the port to sele...
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,"...
