Hamilton could get new C-P sawmill - eventually

Anyone driving Highway 20 between Sedro-Woolley and Concrete has probably noticed the vast, empty Crown-Pacific log yard by the road in Hamilton. It has been at least two years since the yard was used for anything other than equipment storage and maintenance.

But the Hamilton “unit” of the Portland-based company has continued to produce timber, shipping the logs directly from the woods to mills outside the Skagit Valley instead of using the Hamilton site as a staging area for log transport.

Crown-Pacific has talked in the past of the possibility of building a softwood sawmill on the Hamilton site, a hopeful prospect for unemployed loggers in the upper Skagit Valley. Plans for a mill remain on the back burner at C-P, says the company’s Hamilton manager, Russ Paul. But at least they remain.

Paul says that there is a strong chance that a new mill will come to Hamilton once the economy improves and the capital markets are more encouraging for investment.

“It is still our intention to build it (the mill) when conditions are right,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Hamilton office continues with about 37 fulltime employees and the use of more than 100 contract loggers.

 

Land use changes favor value-added agriculture

Skagit Board of Commissioners enacted an ordinance to clear up controversy over allowed land uses on rural reserves and natural resource industrial lands.

“Existing code provisions did not adequately address the realities of agriculture today,” said Ken Dahlstedt, county commissioner. “To remain economically viable, farm owners and operators must be in a position to process, market and add value to their product.”

Controversy erupted last year when Cascade Farm Services opened a pickle processing facility. Neighbors complained about overwhelming dill and vinegar odors and sought to have rural land use regulations clarified.

At issue are agriculture accessory uses as defined in planning ordinances. Commissioners added language to allow agricultural processing facilities and tourist activities promoting local agriculture.

Washington State University extension officials were happy to see the ordinance.

“With the downturn, anything to diversify will help agriculture and Skagit County,” said Dyvon Havens, horticulture extension educator. “People don’t realize how much agriculture helps our quality of life in Skagit County.” She said people enjoy nearby wildlife in the county without understanding how the animals rely on farms.

While Havens was unaware of any specific projects in the works, she is aware of a number of farmers exploring unique ventures involving cutting and processing agricultural commodities.

Commissioners made the ordinance valid for six months. Skagit County Planning Commission will collect public comment, hold hearings and submit recommendations to the commissioners before deciding on permanent changes.

 

MV mayor wants change in county government

Mount Vernon Mayor Skye Richendrfer is pressing for a change in the structure of Skagit County government and may back an initiative to bring that about. He says the current, three-commissioner system is outdated and needs to be replaced with a county charter that would give residents the right to reshape the way they are governed.

A county charter would enable voters to decide if they want to expand the number of commissioners as Whatcom County did in 1979 when it had the same population numbers that Skagit County showed in the 2000 census. Whatcom ended up with a seven-member board of commissioners and an elected county executive, which is the form that Richendrfer personally favors.

Richendrfer feels that an expanded board of commissioners would better represent the balance of urban and rural interests in the county. He has said that Skagit County has become more urbanized over the years and that government needs to reflect that shift.

 

County spends Shell largesse

Shell Puget Sound Refinery has given Skagit County’s department of emergency management $60,000 for protective equipment for the hazardous materials response unit. Skagit County health department staff will get two new Toyota gas/electric hybrid cars for general transportation out of those funds.

“This is an opportunity to begin reconfiguring our fleet for the future,” said Dub Queen, public works equipment and revolving fund coordinator. “This pays the difference for us to upgrade from what we normally pay for an economy car.”

Funds come to the county as part of a supplemental environmental projects fund set up in an agreement between the refinery, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Northwest Air Pollution Authority. Equillon, the division of Shell which operates the refinery, agreed to invest in emission-reducing technology in the plant and to invest a total of $500,000 in EPA approved local pollution reduction projects.

Money from this agreement has also gone toward converting SKAT buses to operate on low-sulphur diesel fuel, marine research projects, and on two low-emissions vehicles for driver education programs in Anacortes.

 

Lane restrictions afoot

With drier weather comes traffic disruptions. Load limits are in effect for vehicles on the Burlington Northern overpass bridge on old state Route 99, north of Cook Rd., while crews repair the bridge.

Type 3, or trucks with 3 axles, are limited to 14 tons. Type 352, or trucks with 5 axles, must not exceed 20 tons and type 3-3, trucks with 6 axles, are limited to 27 tons.

Overweight trucks can take Interstate 5 to Bow Hill Rd. or Green Rd. via Kelleher Rd.

Sport fishers see rosy year

Run forecasts for rivers in Washington, Oregon and Idaho should encourage salmon and steelhead fishers. While the Northwest Sports fishing Industry Association released anticipated numbers that are, in some cases, below runs from last year, they claim runs will range from good to outstanding.

The association has no specific evidence yet indicating how strong fish runs in the Puget Sound area will be, but they expect no major changes from last year’s runs, which were strong in some areas.

This year also features the return of pink salmon, which come back to their natal rivers every two years, and the second straight strong shad run.

 

Nordic expands tug offerings

Nordic Tugs recently bonded the deck to the hull of a new line of 52-foot offshore cruisers. The new boat represents Nordic Tugs’ first foray into a larger cruiser market.

According to Jim Cress, president of Nordic Tugs, they introduced the new line in response to growth in demand for boats capable of longer journeys and operations in offshore waters.

The boat will debut at the Lake Union Boats Afloat Show in Seattle in May.

 

Unemployment down again in January

Washington’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate went down four-tenths of a percent in January, coming in at 6.6 percent.

“The fall in the seasonally adjusted January unemployment rate reflects fewer than normal post holiday layoffs due to slack seasonal retail hiring in November and December,” said Sylvia P. Mundy, employment security commissioner. She warned it’s too early to separate regular seasonal employment volatility from real signs of a cyclical turnaround.

In Skagit County, January unemployment came in at 7.8 percent, up one-tenth of a percent from December, but down from 8.4 percent in January 2002.

 

New options for sensitive data destruction

ALLDATA recently set up shop in Anacortes as a data destruction and shredding company. They shred documents, recycle paper and destroy other data formats, like CDs, videotapes and floppy disks.

 

Debt Recovery assists with credit week

Some facts: Today, the typical U.S. household carries an average credit-card balance of $7,500. People between the ages of 35 and 54 have credit-card balances 5 percent higher than all other Americans. According to the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, bankruptcy filings in the three-month period ending June 30, 2002, were 400,686 – the highest single quarter in history.

The above statistics are but a few of the reasons why the American Collector’s Association sponsors National Credit Education Week, Apr. 14-19. The event is a public service campaign to encourage young people to build solid credit, save for the future, and attain a sense of accomplishment by building a healthy financial track record.

Debt Recovery Specialists, a Mount Vernon-based collection agency, will provide speakers to area high schools for discussions on building responsible credit habits and making credit work to a consumer’s advantage.

 

Morris proposes permitting bill of rights

Jeff Morris (D-Anacortes) recently introduced a proposal for a permitting bill of rights. Under Morris’ plan, citizens and businesses would be entitled to know the specific date a permit decision is expected, know exactly how much information will be needed before the permit authority will accept the application, know up front how much the application will cost, have civil remedies for costs and time lost “through transgressions or violations or abuse of authority.”

“Everyone I have ever talked to about their frustration in getting a permit named three things: not knowing how long it would take, how much information was needed and how much it was going to cost,” Morris said.

 

Town of Concrete cracks as discord rocks City Hall

The sleepy little foothill town of Concrete (population 780) is normally starved for entertainment in the winter time. Wet, cold winters tend to drive people indoors. Cable TV is about the best thing going, along with the gossip one picks up at The Hub, the town’s only saloon.

But lately City Council meetings have drawn bigger audiences than the annual Grange picnic. The big attraction is Concrete’s very own Mayor Robin Feetham. The crowds have been building at the twice-monthly council meetings over the last several weeks, the way people crowd to the site of an impending disaster.

Feetham had already drawn criticism for his somewhat imperious manner in the way he conducted meetings. The town’s long-time clerk, Mickey Zitkovich, recently resigned, complaining of verbal abuse and disrespect from the mayor, who denied her allegations.

Feetham has been under attack on several fronts. A next-door neighbor accused him of abuse of power when Feetham allegedly deployed the town’s police force and its city engineer to stop the neighbor’s work on a retaining wall that the mayor claimed was in violation of the “critical areas” ordinance.

The neighbor, Larry Bergsma and his wife, Elizabeth, have launched a recall campaign against the mayor. After several weeks of listening to Larry Bergsma’s complaints about Feetham, the council finally ordered the city engineer to lift the stop work order on the Bergsma’s property.

The recall petition was filed on Feb. 28 with the Skagit County Auditor. A Skagit County Superior Court judge must rule on whether the charges are sufficient to warrant a recall election. If the judge approves, the sponsors of the recall petition will have 180 days to collect 40 signatures of registered voters to get the measure on the ballot.