LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Remember the orcas

Editor, the Journal,

As summer is here again and we are enjoying amazing weather, I want to remind your subscribers about Matt Baide’s article dated Aug. 11, 2022, reporting on killer whales and their visit to Oakland Bay. It was so exciting for my neighbors and I to have witnessed these glorious creatures firsthand; I will never forget it. With that in mind, I need to ask my fellow Mason County neighbors to do all they can to reject Taylor Shellfish’s proposal for a 99-year lease to install a 50-acre commercial aquaculture site in the deep water of Oakland Bay that will, for all intents and purposes, put an end to these visits.

The bag and line system will prevent safe passage of these huge mammals and other sea life we see daily, and honestly, take for granted. In addition to the whales, cross-navigation of Oakland Bay will also be rendered impossible as the sheer magnitude of the proposed site will put a stop to it completely. There is nothing like this proposed 50-acre site in our waters that compares and could help anyone know what to anticipate with respect to the potential and long-lasting damage it could cause to Oakland Bays’ already fragile ecosystem.

Taylor Shellfish has just now requested and received from Mason County its second extension for a public hearing on this matter. The new hearing date is Aug. 9 at 1 p.m. Please plan on attending the hearing to be heard on this proposal. Otherwise, take a minute to share your views with the hearing examiner by email to [email protected].

Ginny Douglas, Shelton

Keep the trees

Editor, the Journal,

Trees, we need trees? So, now, we need to remove and replace a number of trees on Railroad Avenue due to bumpy sidewalks? Sidewalk whiners, please take a trip to Key West and see the multiple decades-old trees that almost make the Key West sidewalks three-dimensional sidewalk art. Key West probably has a much higher median income (petty lawsuits?) and a thousand times more tourists, but no one is complaining about the trees. They’re beautiful.

How about a concrete cutter and a root shaver? It’s interesting that the tree consultant who is advising the city will make max dollars if we follow his plan. Better we should spend the money repaving 4th and 5th streets that are replicas of the Baja 1000 off-road race.

How sad all this tree/sidewalk crisis is. We moved to Mason County 51 years ago when Shelton was just an average ho-hum town. Now we have beautiful trees on Railroad Avenue and many improvements to the look of businesses, government buildings and roads. The trees on Railroad Avenue look so beautiful in the spring and at Christmas, leave them alone. I’ve lived in town for 16 years, and I’m very proud to live here. Don’t mess it up!

William J. Busacca, DDS, Shelton

Praise for schools

Editor, the Journal,

Thank you for continuing to cover the positive aspects and accomplishments in our community. With last week’s CHOICE, Cedar and Shelton High School graduations, it’s a great time to remind ourselves why we are proud to say we are from Shelton and Mason County.

As a retired teacher and past Shelton School Board member, I am excited and hopeful for all the graduates and want to commend the school district, families and our community to have the foresight, planning and support to offer educational options for all high school students. Each of our high schools serves unique student needs and contributes to a strong, diversified community.

Shelton High School offers many opportunities through basic structured programs, specialized academies, the arts, sports and more to serve student interests, but is not structured to and does not serve the needs of all high school students in our Shelton School District. CHOICE serves a distinct population of young people and Cedar allows students to learn in a different environment and in a different structure than SHS. They all lead to richer learning experiences and our community benefits from the outcomes.

When I think back on the rocky beginnings of CHOICE to serve students who needed a more flexible program to meet their needs, not available at SHS, I am amazed to realize that over the years CHOICE has graduated over 2,000 students, most of whom would have been dropouts from SHS. CHOICE still struggles to find resources to meet the needs of its students, but I have never seen a more dedicated team to help make a difference in the lives of the CHOICE Cats and it shows every day in these young adult lives, every year at graduation, and has made a positive difference in our community in the past, present and for years to come.

Congratulation to all our graduates and to our supportive community for making Shelton a great place to live and learn.

Sally Brownfield, Shelton