Meetings to Consider Attending - Week of May 24

Next week there are several meetings that you may want to consider attending.

1. Tomorrow afternoon (May 24, 2 pm) the City of Shelton Mayor and Commissioners will hold their regular weekly business meeting.

See my blog posting on last week's meeting. At the meeting this week someone might want to ask about the cost of the city providing water to ADAGE out at John's Prairie.

Recall last week that Commissioner Pawnell responded to the question: "Will this negatively impact the city's water table? No the city has plenty of water available." As we have followed the money we now understand that the City of Shelton is applying for a LOAN from the Dept. Health Drinking Water Revolving Fund to bring the Shelton Springs water source back on-line and add it to the City's water supply. The project will include design, permitting and construction of a disinfection facility for the Springs as well as improvement to the transmission main.

So in order to have "plenty of water available" the City of Shelton is currently applying for over $2.37 MILLION ($2,373,500). This would be a 30-year LOAN at 1% interest! This is yet another cost for the taxpayers in new infrastructure support required to meet ADAGE needs.

2. Tomorrow evening (May 24, 7 - 9 pm) at the Shelton Civic Center Dr Greg Helms, a research scientist will provide information on the environmental risks associated with allowing ADAGE to operate in Mason County. I will share with attendees what I have learned to my simple questions: why is ADAGE good for Mason County and what are the costs and risks?

3. If you live on Harstine Island on Tuesday evening (May 25, 7 - 9 pm) at Harstine Island Community Hall, Dr Helms will again share scientific information and Craig Watson will provide what he's learned about the financial and economic aspects of the project.

4. If you aren't going to the presentation on Harstine Island, then by all means, come out to the Board of County Commissioners meeting (May 25, 6 pm) to see for yourself how absolutely out of touch our commissioners are as they vote to increase the salaries for Lynda and Tim.

If you read the proposed consent agenda item up for their vote, you might be mislead. It's got a real positive spin. "Approval of the resolution suspending the 3% increase, as previously established by Resolution 85-01, for the 3rd District County Commissioner (Ross) in 2011. This results in all three Commissioners being paid the same salary in 2011 at $76,083 annually." What they aren't saying in this agenda item is that Tim and Lynda will get a salary increase. You'll want to see first hand as your commissioners tell you that they must raise their salaries - it's a Constitutional requirement. Even as the Sheriff's Deputies who provide for our public safety have not had a contract or a pay raise in more than three years.

Shame has no limits with our county legislative authority.

5. KMAS is hosting a public meeting with ADAGE on May 27, 6 - 8 pm at the Mason County Public Works Building. I've been told that attendees will provide their questions on 3 by 5 cards and then KMAS will ask them of the ADAGE representatives.

Hope to see you around the county this week as we continue to "follow the money"!

ADAGE: City Responses to Questions

At the city's commission meeting last night Laura Lewis and Kathryn Price asked the Mayor and Commissioners direct questions. Here's how it went.

Regarding conflicts of interest and any personal gain or interest they might have in ADAGE or any of it's affiliates, each answered no.


To the question of where the city will get the water to supply ADAGE and others located off John's Prairie, the answer from Commissioner Dawn Pawnell was that it would come from city water sources.

Will this negatively impact the city's water table? No the city has plenty of water available.

All of this was captured on the record.

Break in the Action

Even bloggers need a break sometimes. I've been on the East Coast for the last few days away from the internet. But I'll be back April 28 and ready to get back in the game.

I do hope that any of you who attend the Port of Shelton or county meetings will share with me what happens today, April 27. The Port meets at 2 pm at 21 Sanderson Way. The county has a couple of public meetings: the Board of Health at 300 pm and then the Board of County Commissioners meet at 6 pm.

Then tomorrow Wednesday there's the joint meeting of the port, city, county and PUD 3 at 10 am in the PUD3 auditorium.

Please, do let me know how these meetings go. I do want to know whether there is any discussion by any citizen or elected official of ADAGE at any of these meetings.

ADAGE: Public Input in a Public Setting

In yesterday's blog posting I brought up many questions about the proposed construction of the ADAGE facility.

Today I ask where are the county, city, port and PUD3 elected officials on taking public input in a public setting?

Other than the meeting on January 29 (see my blog posting Jan 31 "Knock Three Times") there hasn't been an opportunity for the public in public to ask questions. Let's face it at that meeting Ross Gallagher allowed only three questions and absolutely no public comment. That really did not count.

And those questions, that Lynda Ring Erickson shipped off for the ADAGE public affairs apparatus to answer, don't count either.

The ADAGE open house meetings on April 7 don't count as official public meetings either. We need a meeting where questions and answers can be heard by all so that we can begin to have a common understanding.

Meanwhile our local elected officials have been courting this company for months but cannot tell us what the public process will be as they decide whether to approve the construction of this facility.

I for one am incredulous that our elected officials aren't holding public meetings to allow folks to ask their questions or express their concerns whether for or against this project.

Commissioner Briefings - April 5

Here's a quick summary of the briefings. All three commissioners attended but no media. One other private citizen and I attended.

o First topic of discussion was the upcoming ADAGE meetings on Wednesday and that an opposition group (Concerned Citizens of Mason County) would be holding their meeting at 2PM in the Civic Center. This was a real concern because staff thought that Congressman Dicks planned to be at the Civic Center at 2PM.

Picture this - Norm Dicks walks into a room of "real people" who are concerned about the environmental impact of a multinational firm on the residents of a county currently with a health report card that's nearly the worst of all the counties in the state. Can't let that happen. Let's get Norm's schedule fixed so that he doesn't risk running into "real people".

o On April 15, at 1130 am the City of Shelton will hold a state of the port, city and county at Alderbrook. This might be an interesting one to attend.

o The county commissioners unsuccessfully advertised for a revenue generator for the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee. Now they may have to be more aggressive in their quest to find someone.

I have an idea. Why don't they just drop one of the revenue spenders? That way they can stay in compliance with the RCW which requires the spenders and generators to be equal. And to ensure greater diversity they could have more than just one at large member. There I go applying logic again.

o Department of Ecology postponed their meeting tomorrow (April 6) with the commissioners to discuss the John's Prairie Water Basin. They need more time to study the Squaxin Island appeal submitted to the Governor.

Ross said he delivered the county's letter to DOE and they didn't like it. Then he said that we must move on a moratorium. As you know sometimes it's a little difficult to understand what Ross really means. When pressed what he meant with the pronoun "we", Ross closed down and let Lynda and Tim run with the ball.

Here's my take away. Tim wants to do nothing and let the governor or DOE tell us what to do. Lynda wants to find out what the city has in mind so far as providing water within the Urban Growth Area. She offered that with the city's water line going in this summer then there will be relief to the John's Prairie water shortage. The city water will go to ADAGE and the MCRA sports fields. That should lessen the shortfall.

Port of Shelton Commissioner Jay Hupp was at this portion of the briefings. He said the Port is having "difficult conversations" with Department of Ecology over the issue of water. (Recall the Port's water agreement expired on Jan 1, 2010.) The Port is using 42 acre feet of water per year but have approval of only 1.25 acre feet. He went on to say that he has an unanswered capacity question with the City of Shelton. The capacity of water the City can bring to Port property via the PUD 3 funded water line "hasn't been nailed down" per Jay.

Also Jay indicated that ADAGE has a 90 acre lease of Port property. And that's when the point about capacity came into the discussion. (Is there or isn't there enough water capacity for ADAGE?) The City is working on their Comprehensive Water Plan according to Jay.

o May 4 there will be a public hearing on revisions to the Noise Control ordinance. Something going on here so far as an impending race track. Watch for more on this one.

o Public Works announced today that they will be paving a portion of their yard. Just having gravel in the public works yard is a safety hazard according to the County Road Engineer, Bob Thuring. No indication as to how much this will cost.

Here is another example of why Mason County Roads has such a high percent of admin costs compared to other counties. Hmmmm..... I'm thinking Road Levy Shift for 2011.

o The Stormwater Management Advisory Task Force as proposed for approval on the Consent Agenda (April 6) will have a whopping 28 members. Five of these proposed members do not live in Mason County. This committee "will assist in crafting financial options to fund stormwater improvement activities".

I have trouble with people from Olympia and Chehalis "crafting financial options to fund" anything that a Mason County taxpayer then has to pay for through the taxation system. These non Mason County members certainly could serve as advisors to the larger group but shouldn't be the ones who "crafting financial options". Besides that when was a group of 28 ever effective in getting anything accomplished in an efficient manner?

o Belfair Waste Water Facility has "significant change orders pending" per Tom Moore. No surprise there.

That's what I caught today.