by Brett Nunn | Jul 1, 2020 | General
As of Friday, June 26th, 2020, according to Executive Decree 20-03 from the Washington State Secretary of Health, “Every person in Washington State must wear a face covering that covers their noses when in any indoor or outdoor public setting.”
Initially it was just for Yakima County, which appears to be experiencing an increase in community spread. But, just like the stay at home orders of this past March, our thoughtful governor doesn’t want to leave anybody out of the fun no matter what the China Virus situation is where they live.
It should concern you that this is being done by one man, Governor Jay Inslee, whose self-declared emergency powers, as defined by state law, should have expired on the 31st of March, thirty days after declaration. I have seen no effective push back from our elected representatives, no debate in the halls of the House or Senate in Olympia, no emergency session called to extend or terminate these powers.
I read through executive decree 20-03 so you don’t have to. Here are some of the highlights: At least for now there are exceptions that allow removal of a face covering. I picked a handful that might help deliver some clarity to Jefferson County:
–We are not required to wear a mask while driving alone in a car.
–We are not required to wear a mask while engaged in indoor or outdoor exercise activities.
–We are not required to wear a mask while sleeping.
And just in case you were wondering, in a delicious irony, the governor’s order does not apply to persons who are incarcerated. So breaking the mask decree, and incurring the penalty of losing freedom, could be another possible option for those among us committed to the no mask ideology.
Asking nicely doesn’t please our dear leader anymore. Governor Inslee has made it clear that members of the public are required by law to comply with his order, and violators may be subject to criminal penalties. Businesses that don’t comply could face the loss of a license, fines, or injunctions.
If this sounds authoritarian, it is. But I will let you in on a secret. On Washington State’s Coronavirus.gov website, the second question on the most-frequently-asked list for Governor Jay Inslee’s order, reads as follows:
Q: I have a reason I cannot wear a facemask. Am I required to document or prove that?
And the answer from the same Washington State website:
A: This order does not require you to document or prove a reason for not wearing a face covering.
When is this all going to end? In pursuit of that answer, I have spent more time than I care to remember asking questions of bureaucrats and their minions over the last few months. I have learned that the bureaucracies overseeing our existence are organized in a top down manner. The top tells everyone in the bureaucracy what to do and everyone’s job is to do it. There is no room for creative solutions, no reward for out-of-the box thinking, no adjusting for reality on the ground.
As far as the top is concerned, the guidelines for operating in the center of a virus outbreak in Yakima should be exactly the same as for operating in the center of a non-virus outbreak in Port Townsend.
The top has decided that masking and social distancing are what needs to be done, and the bureaucracies are moving forward with this plan. Whether these methods are effective, or not, no longer matters.
As for when masking will end, I quote Sandy Gessner, Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum for the Port Townsend School District, from a recent online meeting with parents to explain the current plan for the upcoming school year. Please remember, more than likely this is not her policy. This is the policy she has been given by her superiors: “All students must wear a mask until there is a vaccine…or we have herd immunity.”
The future for our students is the future for us.
If you are wearing a facemask and it makes you feel better, then by all means don’t stop.
If you aren’t wearing a facemask, and the governor threatens you with criminal penalties, just say “I Can’t Breathe.”
by Craig Durgan | Jun 18, 2020 | General
Going back as far as the 1970s there has been talk of building a sewer for the Port Hadlock area. The designation of Port Hadlock as an Urban Growth Area in 2002 meant that a sewer was required. It has been some time coming to fruition, but a sewer in Port Hadlock is closer than ever to a reality. Its cost has been the major issue.
Several years ago a small group of property owners approached Jefferson County about the delay in building the sewer. Originally the county wanted to build the sewer to serve the commercial areas along Rhody Drive, Nesses Corner Road, Chimacum Road and Irondale Road. In addition they were going to build a gravity collection system and a fixed treatment plant. The cost for that was over $40 million. Getting grant money was the major issue. To reduce initial cost the group proposed to scale back the project. Essentially the proposal was to cut the cost in half by excluding Rhody Drive at the beginning and instead of a gravity system using a pressure collection system and modular treatment units. After a financial review it was determined that this could be done for just over $23 million.
Where Will The Money Come From?
At this point an explanation of how a sewer is funded is in order. A while back Belfair was declared a UGA by Mason County, so they then needed to build a sewer system. Mason County funded the sewer but made some assumptions regarding the number of hook-ups that would happen. The hook-ups expected did not materialize due to the Great Recession. That system had severe funding issues. Recently, Clallam County built a sewer for the Carlsborg UGA. Clallam County was able to use the nearby Sequim treatment plant and only had to build the collection system. Clallam County had sufficient money available in their infrastructure fund to build the collection system. They will be reimbursed the cost through hook-ups to the system.
The reality is that Jefferson County does not have the funds to build a sewer for Port Hadlock outright. The County must obtain grant money and arrange to have only property owners, who benefit, to pay. Therefore, to ensure that the general taxpayers of Jefferson County do not have to pay for the Port Hadlock Sewer, Jefferson County is going to fund the sewer through hook-ups, property assessments, grants and 50% of the PIF money. A Local Improvement District (LID) will be formed to comprise the properties to be sewered. THe LID is primarily a funding mechanism. A LID is used to fund many improvements, such as sidewalks and other road improvements, water systems, sewer systems, and broadband improvements.
PIF stands for Public Infrastructure Funds. In Washington State the State refunds back to certain counties part of the sales tax collected in the county. These funds are dedicated to infrastructure Improvements. Jefferson County has dedicated 50% of that fund toward the Port Hadlock Sewer.
Many people get confused about who will pay for the Port Hadlock Sewer. As stated above, funding will come from grants, affected property owners and PIF money. The property owners in the LID are only the ones that benefit from the sewer. If you are not getting a sewer hook-up you will not be paying for the sewer. This includes properties in the Port Hadlock UGA but outside the boundaries of the LID.
Those properties that get hook-ups will pay for sewer through four different methods. First, to pay for the collection system each property is given a “Special Assessment.” This special assessment is an economic assessment of the increase in value gained by having the sewer vs. not. Jefferson County has determined that each property will pay for 50% of this increase in value. An option is made to pay this off over 20 years rather than all at once. Second, when a property is actually hooked-up to the sewer a hook-up fee is paid that funds the construction of the treatment plant itself. Third, since a pressurized system is going to be used, each property will pay for the tank and pump plus the pressure line to the road; this is called the side sewer. Fourth, each property will pay for the sewer operation through monthly charges based on water usage.
In April of 2020 the State granted $1.42M to Jefferson County to do a final design. The contract was awarded to Tetra Tech, a Seattle based engineering firm.
There has already been some survey work for the sewer final design that some of you may have noticed. Most of the work is done by engineers at a desk. Once the final design is done a much more exacting cost can be determined as to the true cost of the sewer. In addition the side sewer cost will now be known for each property.
At this point it will be determined if the property owners to be sewered wish to proceed. If they do, a LID will be formed. Should at least 40% (by area) of the property owners determine that they do not want a sewer they can petition the county to stop the LID process. If the petition is successful the LID and sewer can be put on hold for a year. After a year the county could then go through the LID process again.
The advantage of forming the LID is that it is a legally effective document. It states who can be assessed for the cost of the sewer. This prohibits the county from taxing all the county residents from being taxed to pay for the sewer under State law.
Why Do We Even Need A Sewer?
Some people ask the question “Why do we need a sewer? We have gotten by just fine without one up to now.” This is a very good question. The need for a sewer hinges on two issues, health and density. Using septic systems is a lower cost method of sewage disposal. The problem is when more density is desired. It then becomes necessary to build a sewer system.
Proper disposal of sewage is an important health issue. Proper sanitation including sewage disposal has eradicated many diseases that were previously common. Cholera, typhoid, dysentery are some of them. Nitrate contamination of drinking water causes “blue baby” syndrome. A clean environment and clean drinking water are two of the most significant hallmarks of a modern society.
A sewer is needed to enable affordable housing to be built. Affordable housing basically is a function of density. The most affordable type of construction is the apartment building. This high density is where the importance of a sewage system comes in. Other high density uses are schools, restaurants and large employers.
No new apartment buildings have been built for some time outside of Port Townsend. That is because we lack a sewer. The same goes for restaurants, grocery stores and large employers.
To improve our economy and housing a sewer system is a requirement. Once the sewer system is built we will be able to have more housing, jobs and a better tax base.
The initial Port Hadlock Sewer System will use property that has already been purchased by Jefferson County. The treatment system will be built south of Nesses Corner Road and north of Lopeman Road. The infiltration ponds will be built just south of Lopeman Road.
Because a pressurized collection system is to be utilized the road work can be minimized. A gravity system would have created a substantial amount of road work. A pressure system will use much smaller lines some of which can be installed by boring under the road rather than digging it up.
Building the sewer will benefit all of Jefferson County due to the increase in jobs and affordable housing and a more viable economy and tax base.
Craig Durgan
by Jim Scarantino | Jun 15, 2020 | General
“Best commissioner in years.” “A breath of fresh air.” “Someone who is actually trying to help.”
I’ve been hearing from quite a few people in Jefferson County that County Commissioner Greg Brotherton is being extremely helpful and responsive to those struggling to preserve livelihoods and jobs during Governor Inslee’s COVID lock down. I’ve reported on how he has stood out from the dilatory and obtuse Board of Health in attempting to apply common sense solutions to reopening Jefferson County’s economy. Patrick Sullivan over at the Jefferson County Washington Facebook page, the most widely followed news source in the county, has also been reporting on Commissioner Brotherton’s similar efforts to get people back to work.
In just the past day I have again heard of Mr. Brotherton working closely with business people seeking help on understanding the perplexing, vague guidelines issued by the Governor for specific business operations. They have also shared with me that he has been, at least in their experience, the only commissioner to return their calls or emails and spend time trying to help them.
I’ve even heard from people who questioned his candidacy that Greg Brotherton has been impressing them. The one recurring reservation is that, being such a nice guy, he isn’t much of fighter. Some of them want him to be far more aggressive and contentious. Of course, many things that need to have happened, and happened with more alacrity and urgency, have not come to pass. But from watching (too many) BOH and BOCC meeting videos, I think it is clear Mr. Brotherton is doing what he can in the forums where he must work, with the people with whom he must work.
There is so much to be done. Jefferson County’s unemployment rate for last month exceeded 17%, making it the sixth worst county economy in the state of Washington. That is a grim statistic that translates to hopelessness, despair, substance abuse, domestic violence, child abuse, crime, and negative health outcomes that burden our medical care providers and first responders. Every business, no matter how small, that can return to vitality is a critical player in healing our community. Every minute a public official spends with a business finding a path for them to reopen is a major contribution in the right direction.
Readers of this site will recall a series of investigative and highly critical articles we ran when Mr. Brotherton was running for his current position. Those articles focused on an issue I have no reservations about having raised and raised aggressively. At the time he was running for office, Mr. Brotherton was in the business of selling marijuana and promoting its use. That would have been an irreconcilable conflict of interest for someone who, if elected, would sit on the Board of Health and oversee policies directing the county’s marijuana education and prevention programs.
Mr. Brotherton shed himself of that conflict of interest some time ago by selling his business. The concern behind those articles and investigations no longer exists.
For now, based on what we are seeing and hearing, he is doing a pretty good job, all things considered. I’d just like to put that on the record.
————————————-
[article restored to original 2020 version on 9/14/24 at author’s request]
by Jim Scarantino | Jun 10, 2020 | General
It is easy to lay down on a street for a few minutes, to rage and swear at police, to accuse them of all sorts of despicable actions and evil attitudes and toss off demands for sweeping systemic reform.
It is especially easy with the police protecting you from getting run over.
It is a whole lot harder to be the radically changed police you want to see.
“Be the change you want to see in the world.” That advice is widely attributed to Mahatma Gandhi, but those are not exactly his words. What he said was:
“We but mirror the world. All the tendencies present in the outer world are to be found in the world of our body. If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. This is the divine mystery supreme. A wonderful thing it is and the source of our happiness. We need not wait to see what others do.”
Michael Jackson put it this way: “I’m starting with man in the mirror…If you want the world to be a better place, take a look at yourself then change your ways.”
How many of those kids who want better cops can find in themselves the commitment, strength, courage and dedication to be one of those better cops?
I can’t directly ask any of those high schoolers if they would consider a career in law enforcement to demonstrate in their working life the changes they want to see. It would be inappropriate for me to message or call them to ask this question. I would have to go through each of their parents before I could speak with them. Instead, I will put that question to the young people and their parents at the end of this article.
To make it more palatable in the current environment, let’s call police officers “public safety officers.” That still covers what police do but adds a somewhat politically correct cachet to their job duties.
So how many of those vocal people condemning police, demanding change, demanding accountability, training, disarmament are willing to be those same peace officers, and practice what they preach?
The politicians with the bullhorns, grabbing attention and angling for more power for themselves, bossing others around–they’re not going to help drunks from choking on their own vomit, or risk life and limb to restrain an enraged husband who has been beating the life out of his wife, or pull broken bodies from a car wreck, or disarm a man cranked on Lord-knows-what brandishing a machete in a homeless camp.
Those politicians who engage in social justice performance art by draping themselves in Kinte cloth and kneeling for a few minutes, they are not going to step out of the safety of their car in pitch blackness on an empty road to approach a vehicle fitting the description of a car that just pulled away from a drive-by shooting.
They will never respond to an armed robbery in progress and realize they will be a target for bullets as soon as they arrive at the scene.
Or be the officer responding to a call of a strong arm robbery at a minority-owned business, and roll up on Michael Brown because he matches the description of one of the robbers, then have a split second to react when he reaches inside the patrol car to grab a gun.
Or endure getting hit with bricks and bottles to protect Black owned businesses from a mob with crowbars and Molotov cocktails.
Or respond to a call of a man trying to pass counterfeit money and find it is George Floyd.
But those impassioned young people calling for justice and an end to violence can be the man or woman in uniform who saves the Black lives they want to matter, while still upholding the law.
Forget the pandering politicians. They are just cashing in on tragedy. The kind of change being demanded would likely put them out of a job. Real change is always left to individuals willing to go out on the streets, to patrol isolated roads alone, to avoid being pricked by used syringes while pulling a hungry, battered child from a locked closet. It is people who care less about themselves than they do others who are willing to put themselves between an attacker and his victims. And they do this all for a hell of a lot less pay and publicity than the people chairing the next televised hearing about the hottest issue of the day.
Parents marched with their children at the protest that blocked Sims Way. They were proud of the spirit and organizational skills of their sons and daughters. They were proud they had raised young people who would boldly speak out for a better world.
How many of those parents are encouraging their children to enter the field of law enforcement–make that peace keeping, excuse me–to live the ideals they want others to honor?
I know those parents and some of the young people who participated in the June 5 demonstration are reading this. I have seen them in our comments or on other Facebook pages talking about what we write here. If any of them are willing to live to be the examples of the reformed, racially sensitive, non-violent peace officers they want, please say so below or on our Facebook page. If you won’t step up here, maybe because of peer pressure right now against even saying good things about police, keep your resolve strong and contact our local law enforcement. Get to know them, visit them at work, and see if you can ride along sometime to see what it takes to be a peace officer in the real world. I hope you will be inspired, because the people you will be riding with are. It’s why they do their jobs.
[Hat tip to author Joseph Ranseth for associating the faux-Gandhi quote with Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror”]
by Brett Nunn | Jun 8, 2020 | General
Jefferson County has gone all in on community masking. On June 5 Dr. Thomas Locke, Jefferson County Public Health Officer, issued a directive requiring that masks be worn in all indoor spaces. Just wander around town and look in the windows and on the doors of local businesses. From what I see, Dr. Thomas Locke is at risk of being promoted to the unenviable position of High Inquisitor of Public Health. Business owners in our county have been involuntarily recruited as enforcement goons. If life imitates art, next to arrive will be the inquisitorial squads.
Just in case you weren’t paying attention, (don’t worry I am), on that same day the World Health Organization issued their updated Advice On The Use Of Masks in the context of Covid 19. Deep in the weeds of the document I found this information, which has not changed since the last update on April 6th.
At present there is no direct evidence (from studies on Covid 19 and in healthy people in the community) on the effectiveness of universal masking of healthy people in the community to prevent infection with respiratory viruses, including Covid 19.
Still undecided? Maybe a recent letter originating from infectious disease experts at the University of Washington and signed by some twelve hundred doctors, medical experts, and whoever happened to be sitting at their computer when the signature request arrived, will help settle the mask debate. Or, If you are suffering from riot video binging induced insomnia, it might help you get back to sleep. Either way, here are the core messages delivered to us by academics at University of Washington:
A) The anti-masking and stay at home order protests of a month ago, where thousands were disobeying masking and social distance decrees, must be condemned by health experts because these actions “not only oppose public health interventions, but are also rooted in white nationalism and run contrary to respect for black lives.”
B) The Black Lives Matter protests of recent days, where thousands were also disobeying masking and social distance decrees, should not be condemned by health experts as a danger to public welfare because “White supremacy is a lethal public health issue” and the demonstrations are “Vital to the national public health”
I am not making this stuff up. Here’s the link if you want to read this word hash for yourself, https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/jun/3/public-health-experts-support-george-floyd-protest/
In a desperate attempt to clear the fog of confusion and hypocrisy that has descended upon us, I went to the website of the American Council on Science and Health whose mission is to promote science and debunk junk. They can usually be relied upon for solid, fact-base, opinions.
In an article dated April 1st, 2020 and titled, Corona Virus, Is It Time to Consider Face Masks for Civilians, Dr. Chuck Dinerstein, M.D., M.B.A. reviews what is known and what he has learned from people whose opinion he trusts and makes this final tepid conclusion; “There is little downside to wearing a mask when you venture out of your home, and the real possibility of an upside benefit.”
I could say the same thing about wearing my underwear on the outside of my pants. Let’s hope the Health Department doesn’t get any ideas about this.
In all seriousness, it should be increasingly clear, that we are being lied to by those who wish to consolidate their power and undermine our freedoms. This cannot continue.
If you are wearing a mask and it makes you feel better, than by all means don’t stop.
If you aren’t wearing a mask and somebody objects, just say you are protesting injustice.
by Jim Scarantino | Jun 2, 2020 | General
Once again the experts were wrong. We were warned that those reckless and irresponsible people on the steps of the Capitol in mid-April protesting the statewide lockdown would cause a spike in COVID cases. Unmasked cries of “Give me liberty or give me death!” would guarantee both for foolish freedom lovers.
The first organized protests against Governor Inslee’s order started sporadically across Washington within three weeks of his Stay at Home edict. They culminated in the first large rally on April 19 attended by thousands of protestors. Port Townsend Free Press contributor Tod Brundage was there and wrote about that event: Face Toward the Enemy: Protesting Governor Inslee’s Stay At Home Order.
More than six weeks have passed. The COVID virus manifests itself within 10 to 14 days of exposure. Tod Brundage is doing just fine and there have been no reports of any attendees at the Capitol rally getting sick.
Olympia is in Thurston County, which has not experienced an explosion of COVID cases and was green-lighted to move into Phase 2 due to its low infection rate. The Thurston County Department of Health reports that 9,233 people have been tested with only 2% coming back positive. Only one person has died in that county of a COVID-related illness.
On May 19, the Reopen Jeffco: Rally for Civil Rights and Justice event was held in Port Townsend, attended by just under 100 people at its peak. Only one protester wore a mask. The gestational period for the virus has passed. No one who attended the rally got sick or has been diagnosed with the virus. (A child, with no symptoms of fever, wracking cough, etc. was on June 1, reported to have tested positive during routine screening at the hospital. That child’s family did not participate in the rally, and is it not yet known how the child was exposed.)
For about a month now, a weekly Freedom Rally has been held in Port Angeles, growing larger every week. None of the protestors have gotten sick or been diagnosed with the virus.
An anti-lock down rally of hundreds of people was held in Lynden in Whatcom County a month ago. That county has seen no spike in COVID cases.
There have been rolling protests across the state, with large rallies in Spokane Yakima, Richland and Snohomish County, to smaller demonstrations in Tacoma, Sequim, Monroe, Leavenworth, Wenatchee and elsewhere. Not one public authority has linked any new COVID diagnosis to a demonstration. (The new Yakima cases have been identified as arising in nursing homes and agricultural industry settings).
As the late Fred Ward would say, “Whaw hoppened?”
Public health authorities seem to have been avoiding an answer to that question. Those that condemned the protests in advance have been silent since. Thousands more people are tested every week. The new positive diagnoses are reported to be among mostly the nursing home population, followed by agricultural industry workers, health care workers and those in contact with people in those groups. Not one press conference or news release from the Governor of Department of Health identifies any rally as the cause of new infections.
It is not this writer’s place to speculate as to why the dire predictions failed, only to observe that, once again, the experts and doomsayers were wrong. We deserve an explanation from officials who attempted to use fear to suppress peaceable assemblies. In that answer may lie truths about the limits of the COVID threat we need to know, and which can better inform our decision makers.
As for the riots and looting we’ve seen this past week, the jury is still out whether they will be the super-spreder events Governor Inslee thought would result from the peaceful protests targeting him. When the City of Seattle announced it was organizing a street protest of the killing of George Floyd, we note he issued no statements condemning that effort for creating an unreasonable risk of spreading the COVID virus.
