Timberland Bank President Mike Sand, right, presents a $10,000 check to community leader John Warring (middle) and Jim Daly, executive director of the Grays Harbor Community Foundation. The foundation has established an ad-hoc committee to administer funds received specifically for January 2015 storm relief efforts. The committee is developing guidelines and processes to expedite distribution of these funds to local agencies and nonprofits for local relief. “Grays Harbor is our home and we are humbled seeing local families and businesses affected by the storm. The Grays Harbor Community Foundation’s ad-hoc committee provides an excellent local resource for us to expedite these funds to help restore our friends and neighbors who have experienced flood damage,” Sand said. The committee is working to help government and relief agencies to understand the full extent of the disaster, and recommends that all who have had damage to their property, home, land, autos, etc. fill out a Damage Assessment Form with officials at the City of Hoquiam, the City of Aberdeen, or Grays Harbor County so that the disaster might qualify for FEMA relief. If citizens have specific emergency needs or questions regarding relief services available, they should call Coastal Community Action Program at: 360-533-5100 ext. 151, or a direct line is 500-4551 and toll free at 800-828-4883 or by e-mail: barbm@coastalcap.org.
Friday, 23 January 2015
State may allow wind-powered vehicles on beaches
Wind-based sports and passions have long inspired coastal enthusiasts with every sort of kite contraption from wind surfing to stunt kites often dancing across our local beaches.
Now, imagine a new wind-driven endeavour — one that enthusiasts believe could become a tourist attraction and potential new recreational draw, taking kite flying to a more grounded purpose.
The state Parks and Recreation Commission currently is considering whether wind-powered vehicles should be allowed on ocean beaches, and a meeting on proposed rule changes to allow their use will be in Ocean Shores next week.
“Based on requests from recreational users, we are considering modifying the rule that prohibits kite buggies, blo-karts, kite boards and other wheeled, wind-powered recreational vehicles to allow their use under certain circumstances,” the commission said in a recent news release.
Citizens may comment from 6-8 p.m. at the meeting Jan. 29 at the Ocean Shores Convention Center.
State Parks is asking for public comment on issues such as:
Where should wind-powered vehicle use be allowed and where should it be restricted?
What types of seasonal restrictions should apply to promote beach safety and protect important wildlife habitat?
How should the agency address issues such as maximum speed, vehicle visibility, and the potential for conflict with other beach recreation uses?
From 2010-2013, State Parks conducted demonstration events with wind-powered vehicle users, the news release said. “Based on these events, we determined that wind-powered recreation could potentially be allowed, provided we can ensure safety and protect important wildlife habitat,” the agency concluded.
The rule update will determine when and where this use is reasonable and appropriate, what limitations should be imposed, and what kind of monitoring may be needed.
“Wind powered vehicles are highly maneuverable and controllable vehicles powered by the wind,” said Evans Fletcher, a proponent who participated in some of the demonstrations already conducted. Flethcer first approached State Parks about 4-5 years ago asking to allow wind powered vehicles on Washington’s beaches.
“After a brief explanation of the vehicles in discussion, the commissioners directed Parks staff to move forward with a pilot program. After a few meetings, we were granted permission to fly in specific locations on Washington’s beaches, North Beach up by Moclips, Pacific Beach, South Beach area near Grayland and Klipsan Beach on the Long Beach Peninsula. Our dates had to be applied for in advance,” Fletcher said.
One form is like a three-wheeled tricycle with a kit attached to it. Another form is a blo-kart or land sailor. It is a similar vehicle but has a fixed sail like a sail boat. Another is a land board, a skateboard with larger wheels powered by a kite.
“During the two or three years of the pilot program we demonstrated our sport, visited with many beach goers, owners of property, businesses. All were very excited and interested. Currently wind-powered vehicle enthusiasts must travel to Oregon if we wish to sail. The beaches there are open. We are asking for the same opportunity that Oregon enthusiasts have,” Fletcher said.
“What we have proposed to Washington State Parks is similar to the rules governing vehicle traffic. We want to have the beaches open to wind powered vehicles, with seasonal (April-Sept.) closures in the highly congested areas, such as the areas within the city limits of Long Beach, and Ocean Shores. We would also like it to be possible for these cities to give special permission to fly during events like kite festivals.”
At Ocean Shores Kites, owner Andy Sias said he is in favor of the rule change and believes it could create a significant tourist boost for the area, especially if users are allowed to organize and sponsor events such as races. As a business, the local kite store already stocks some of the equipment even though Sias has to explain to prospective customers that using wind-powered vehicles is against current law.
“We have all-terrain boards, which are like overgrown skateboards with big balloon tires on them. The issue is that it hasn’t been legal here, so I can’t say we do a big volume in these items,” Sias said.
For the 22 years he’s been in business, Sias has watched the legal issues be debated, and he’ll be attending the State Parks meeting in support of changing the restrictions.
“I see this as bringing tourist dollars to town in the offseason when we need it, not only by those who do it but those who would come to spectate,” Sias said, noting that the most popular times would be in the seasons when the beaches are empty and the winds are strong.
The speed of the kite vehicles can be nearly double the wind speed, according to Sias, depending on the size of the kite. They use four-string kites harnessed to the three-wheeled vehicles steered with feet, and run 90 degrees to the wind for maximum speed.
“The big fear is the safety fear,” he acknowledged. “But the guys who do this have a lot of money invested in the goods. “
A full rig with kite could run as much as $2,000, including a “buggy” a harness.
“This will bring money into hotels, gas stations, grocery stores and everything else in town, and maybe some into the kite shop,” Sias said, figuring most of the users will likely have purchased their gear out of town.
“I really believe it will do a lot for the community I live in and have been a part of for 22 years,” he said.
View the current rule language, Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 352-37-190 “Excluded/limited recreation activities.”
This is the current law, which pertains to Washington Beaches. There is a permit system in place for one section of beach, which is marginal at best for buggying some years. This is also only available between mid April and Sept. 1. This was supposed to be reviewed a number of years ago but never did.
Excluded/limited recreation activities.
State Law: WAC 352-37-190
The following forms of public outdoor recreation activities or devices currently are prohibited on the ocean beaches unless specifically designated as a special recreation event.
(1) Vehicles not licensed and certificated pursuant to chapters 46.12 and 46.16 RCW.
(2) Wind/sand sailers.
(3) Parasails.
(4) Hovercraft.
(5) Powered parasail.
(6) Ultra-light aircraft.
(7) Powered hang gliders.
(8) Any violation of this section is an infraction under chapter 7.84 RCW.
For more information, contact Park Planner Randy Kiline, PO Box 42650 Olympia, WA 98504-2650, (360) 902-8632.
78-year-old Aberdeen man arraigned on child molestation and pornography charges
An Aberdeen man pleaded not guilty this week to child pornography and molestation charges in connection with accusations that he had been molesting a minor over the span of two years, from April of 2011 to November of 2013.
Willis Ray Whitney, 78, is charged with child molestation in the second degree and possessing depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct in the first and second degree.
The Aberdeen Police Department was contacted on Nov. 4, 2013, regarding a DVD that allegedly belonged to the defendant and showed a juvenile male, along with other minors, being sexually assaulted by Whitney. When the minor shown in the video was contacted by police, he told law enforcement Whitney had done “unspeakable things” to him, according to court documents.
The minor told police he would go to Whitney’s house to play Xbox and watch television, court documents state. The minor also told law enforcement that Whitney would give him large amounts of money, sometimes hundreds of dollars at a time, knowing the boy’s family was not financially stable.
Court documents state the minor was 12 or 13 years old when he was first touched inappropriately by Whitney. The minor did not tell anyone of the assault at the time and continued to go over to Whitney’s house, according to court documents.
Over the next two years, the minor told law enforcement the abuse got worse, with Whitney touching and kissing the boy and forcing him to touch Whitney’s genitals.
The minor also described to police looking at child pornography on Whitney’s computer. Based on the details given by the minor, the Aberdeen Police Department obtained a search warrant, seized Whitney’s computer and sent it to the Bellevue Police Department for a forensics investigation.
The warrant found photographs on Whitney’s computer that showed predominately young males, many appearing to be under the age of 18, engaging in sexually explicit conduct, according to court papers. A video found on Whitney’s computer showed a girl, expected to be approximately 4 or 5 years old, performing oral sex on an unknown adult male.
Whitney’s sexual contact with the minor male is the basis for the molestation charge, while the images found on his computer account for the child pornography charges.
A trial date has not yet been set.
Thursday, 22 January 2015
Second Grays Harbor resident contracts measles
A second Grays Harbor resident has contracted the measles virus. An Aberdeen teen was diagnosed earlier this month.
The case comes after both patients visited Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., which has since been determined to be the apparent source of an outbreak. Since the outbreak, nearly 60 California residents have contracted the virus, according to the California Department of Public Health.
Joan Brewster, public health director for Grays Harbor Public Health and Social Services, confirmed on Thursday that a Harbor resident had contracted the illness. The second case, Brewster said, was a “close contact” with the first.
“This was not that unexpected,” Brewster said, adding that the second patient had been unimmunized from the virus. “Measles is very contagious.”
The earlier case marked the first time in 25 years that a Grays Harbor resident had contracted the measles.
Two weeks after disaster, Beacon Hill residents bounce back
From 23rd Street in Hoquiam, Lon Howell looked through the windshield of his work vehicle to the top of Beacon Hill.
Perched at the summit sat two houses, side by side. Nearly two weeks ago, both houses had back yards, visible from the road. Now, the deck of one house dangled over a cliff and the other’s foundation sat exposed.
At about 7:15 on the morning of Jan. 5, after a day of record rainfall, Howell, the city’s only building official, walked across the street from his own home atop the hill to both houses and told the occupants to get out immediately.
“I condemned them right there on the spot,” Howell said from inside his work truck on Tuesday afternoon. “When I saw what had happened and saw the back yards on the edge like that, I thought, ‘They have to get out.’ There was no other choice.”
It’s been more than two weeks since landslides destroyed much of Beacon Hill Drive and made seven homes on top of the hill and below on Queets Avenue unlivable. Beacon Hill Drive itself was blocked, leaving residents at the top of the hill only a logging road on the backside to get on and off the hill. The main road was reopened Wednesday afternoon.
“Fortunately that road was there so people had access, but it’s still been a great inconvenience,” Hoquiam City Administrator Brian Shay said, adding that the city added cones and barricades to keep drivers safe on the poorly lit road.
Repairs to the road — which include soil removal as well as fixing the asphalt, sewer and water mains — are expected to cost the city about $800,000, Shay added.
An apartment complex at the top of the hill, Shay said, appeared to be on stable ground after an examination by the city’s geologists. The city recommended that the owner of the complex hire their own geologist to take a closer look, he added.
Even with repairs under way, Shay said the city is still concerned for the residents whose homes were condemned after the slide.
“Those are probably $200,000 homes and they are pretty much an entire loss,” he said. “So my heart goes out to those people.”
Driving through a restricted stretch of Queets Avenue, Howell pointed to other houses that met their fate on the morning of the 5th. At 2535 Queets, the landslide removed a house’s lower floor, leaving the second story sitting in its place. Up the street at 2313, the homeowners’ vehicles, Howell said, remain buried under the dirt.
Signs that Howell himself posted on houses along the north side of the street read “Do not enter; unsafe to occupy.”
In the four decades Howell has spent in Hoquiam, he said this is the worst natural disaster he’s seen. When he started working as the city’s building official seven years ago, he didn’t think he would ever have to condemn the homes of his neighbors.
“I didn’t have any expectations or idea of ever doing that,” Howell said.
But in the wake of the disaster, Howell commended city workers, crews with Rognlin’s Inc. — the contracting company tasked with cleaning up the mess on Beacon Hill Drive — and especially the residents of Hoquiam.
“Everybody worked together to tend to everyone’s needs,” he said. “It was really a blessing.”
Howell also did his part to help. After condemning the homes across the street, he opened his own doors and let one of the families live with him and his wife for a week. But he said he wasn’t in search of any recognition.
“I didn’t need to do that, I wanted to,” he said. “I wasn’t going to let them live in a tent.”
Mayor Jack Durney said residents’ use of social media drastically helped the recovery effort, and although Durney was amazed seeing neighbors helping neighbors, he said he wasn’t surprised.
“People would just come and stop and get out of a truck and just start helping,” Durney said. “It was an inspirational thing to observe.”
Moving forward, Durney added that city officials plan to see what they can do to better prepare for disasters in the future.
“We had our 100-year flood maybe, but we could have another hurricane-like event or something of that nature,” he said. “Once it’s over, it’s not over. We need to be prepared … so that people know what the options are a bit sooner.”
FEMA assistance unlikely but still possible
Flood-stricken residents waiting patiently for federal assistance may find it wanting.
As it stands, the state has not documented enough damage to qualify for federal assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), said Mark Stewart, a spokesman for state Emergency Management, a division of the Washington Military Department.
Stewart is encouraging residents to fill out damage assessment forms, keeping in tune with county and local officials who have encouraged the same since the evening of the Jan. 5 flood.
Two programs could be available for the Harbor. The first, The Public Assistance Program, would help fund repairs to public entities and infrastructure, like city buildings and water lines. The other, the Individual and Human Services Program, would assist homeowners and residents.
To qualify for the Public Assistance Program through FEMA, two financial thresholds must be met. At the local level, each county must incur damage amounting to at least $3.56 per person countywide. Additionally, the damage must total $1.41 per person statewide, or approximately $9.5 million, Stewart said.
“While it looks like Grays Harbor, Pacific and Wahkiakum counties can make their thresholds, it’ll still be short on the state part,” Stewart said on Tuesday.
Another program, the Individual and Human Services Program would help individuals who were uninsured or under-insured. That program has no specified threshold, but it is selective, meaning some communities incurring more damage from disasters than the Harbor have applied but not received assistance.
“We’re not seeing the amount of damage that will allow us to seek Individual and Human Services Program assistance,” Stewart said. “We have fewer than 50 homes in that category right now. We’re hoping we can make the threshold, but we can’t guarantee anything.”
To put the situation into context, the Carlton Complex fire in Okanogan County last summer destroyed some 300 homes and did not meet the threshold, Stewart said.
Homes qualifying for that program will have claimed uninsured damages amounting to at least 40 percent of the home’s total value, Stewart said. If that program is put into motion, an inspection by FEMA representatives would take place and checks would be issued to cover some expenses for building materials, appliances, furniture, clothing and other necessities lost to the flood.
Additionally, if that program was put into effect, it wouldn’t act as a cure-all. The maximum amount residents could receive from the Individual and Human Services Program is $32,900. The average amount received nationwide is between $2,000 and $5,000.
“Sometimes folks think, ‘I’ve got FEMA to cover me,’ but it’s not what they think it is,” Stewart said.
The state’s Emergency Management division has been offering technical assistance to local governments to ensure damage assessments are readily available and easily accessible. The number of people who fill out damage assessment forms directly correlates to any federal assistance eligibility.
“Homeowners, if they were impacted and have not reported yet — they need to do that,” Stewart said.
Damage assessment teams have visited and received reports from Grays Harbor, Lewis, Pacific, Skagit, Snohomish, Thurston and Wahkiakum counties, gathering information that will be sent to FEMA in applying for federal assistance. If all thresholds were met for FEMA assistance, the state would then need to make a formal request to President Barack Obama through FEMA.
Without FEMA, the Small Business Administration Disaster Loan Program, a federal program, could become available to residents — homeowners, business owners and renters alike — offering low-interest loans for repairs, rather than grants. Because that program offers loans, those who are approved will have to undergo a credit check.
The state must first seek assistance through the program before individuals can apply.
Stewart reminds residents that any residual cleanup should be completed immediately. At this point, more than two weeks after the flood, the water will have encouraged mold growth, which can be detrimental to personal health and can cause further damage to property.
“If anyone’s been delaying cleanup, they need to do that,” Stewart said.
Various state agencies have stepped forward to help residents of Grays Harbor after the flooding. The Small Business Administration has been coordinating with Emergency Management and FEMA to identify potential eligibility for relief funds to small businesses.
Technical assistance has been initiated to Grays Harbor by the state to assist in conducting a public infrastructure damage assessment and a joint, preliminary damage assessment with the Small Business Administration, Grays Harbor and an Emergency Management representative. Verification of reported losses has been scheduled for Wednesday.
The state Department of Transportation has worked with Emergency Management on a request from the county for deployment of variable message signs to advertise recovery centers. Any damage to state transportation infrastructure would require separate assistance not available to local communities or individuals.
The state Department of Ecology gave the county $30,000 in assistance to help in creating the flood debris removal voucher system that was approved by county commissioners last week and implemented throughout the weekend at the LeMay Enterprises Transfer Station in Aberdeen. The state Department of Commerce and Hoquiam City Administrator Brian Shay have been looking at Community Development Block Grants and other local government funds to replace permanently damaged sewer lines.
Anyone who needs flood assistance of any kind or questions about emergency relief should contact the Coastal Community Action Program at (360) 533-5100 ext. 151 or email barbm@coastalcap.org.
Renters and homeowners can report damages to Grays Harbor County Emergency Management at this link: http://ift.tt/1xZGupA
Commissioner “stands corrected” as ORCAA fees are not yet suspended
Contrary to a press release from County Commissioner Wes Cormier, the Olympic Regional Clean Air Agency will continue collecting fees for any and all demolition or removal of structures or building materials, be it flood related or otherwise.
“While ORCAA empathizes with residents hit with financial burdens, the agency can not legally waive fees,” ORCAA public information officer Dan Nelson said in a press release on Thursday. “Any fee change legally requires thorough public processes that can’t be curtailed. Despite some reports, the ORCAA Board of Directors did not vote to waive fees — they voted to explore the possibility of creating a method by which fees could be legally waived in future emergency situations.”
Last week, Cormier had sent a press release saying the ORCAA board approved a proposal to waive fees for flood victims, however, that wasn’t the case.
“I assumed a verbal motion was good enough, but it wasn’t,” Cormier said on Thursday. “I should have made sure it was clear that ORCAA staff were not going to be charging fees before I sent out the press release.”
Cormier said he was contacted earlier in the week by a builder who was charged a demolition fee by ORCAA, the initial indication that he hadn’t put out accurate information.
During the ORCAA board meeting on Jan. 14, Cormier, a committee member, had suggested a policy to waive fees for disaster victims during staff reports. Later in the meeting, Port Angeles Mayor Dan Di Guilio, also a committee member, moved to put forward policy changes waiving fees for disaster victims. That motion unanimously was approved, and Cormier took it to mean the fees were waived and then issued the press release. ORCAA issued a correction the next week.
“There was some disagreement of if a verbal motion was good enough,” Cormier said on Thursday. “After listening to the audio of the meeting, I stand corrected. The proposal was to approve that language be brought forth to waive fees. It is my understanding that ORCAA will still charge for permits until language for the proposal is passed.”
Specific language will be brought forward during the next ORCAA meeting at 10 a.m. on Feb. 11 at 2940 Limited Lane, Suite B, in Olympia, Cormier said.
“It was a communication error and it will be rectified next month,” he said.
And while the specific language will help bring about change, it doesn’t mean residents will see fee waivers any time in the near future, however, ORCAA was still reviewing its policy on fee waivers as of Thursday.
“We’ll need to talk to our attorney about getting a fee waiver in place, because that’s not a fee change,” ORCAA Executive Director Fran McNair said Thursday. “We’re doing our homework right now.”
In addition to exploring the possibility of fee waivers, ORCAA currently is undergoing a process to remove fees from agency regulation, allowing fees to be altered by the board as necessary without having to revise regulation. As it stands, that process will see a public hearing in March, and the earliest a fee could be changed directly by the board would be sometime in April. The entire process takes 90-100 days.
In general, cost impacts of a demolition permit from ORCAA would be minimal, McNair said. The residential permit fee is $35, while other structures require a $60 fee. Those are in addition to costs charged by Asbestos surveys provided through private contractors and demolition contracts.
“There are a variety of costs outside of our permits,” McNair said. “Our permits are pretty inexpensive.”
ORCAA is a local government agency charged with regulatory and enforcement authority for air-quality issues in Clallam, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, Mason, Pacific and Thurston counties. ORCAA is one of seven regional air pollution control agencies in the state.