• Yelm’s SRO raises their already-high bar with The Lion in Winter!

– Standing Room Only is proud to present… THE LION IN WINTER
WHEN: March 8-31, Friday & Saturday nights at 7:30pm, Sunday matinees at 3pm (includes post-show History Chats – March 10, 17, 24).
WHERE: The Triad Arts Theater, 102 Yelm Ave. E., Yelm WA 98597
TICKETS: $20 Regular price, $17 Military (and families) & Seniors, $10 Students.
Click here to pre-purchase tickets online and to read the plot summary.

• A Review In arriving at The Triad, I was pondering the enormity of Standing Room Only (SRO) to take on this script and how this would translate to the theater’s small stage. After-all, my only previous exposure to the play was the movie adaptation from 1968 starring Peter O’Toole and Katherine Hepburn. I left The Triad amazed at how professional SRO pulled-off such an ambitious project. The Cast and Director received my standing ovation, deservedly so.
• Well-known actors to Yelm audiences shined and delighted once again: Dave Champagne, Jesse Geray, Daniel Wyman, and Will Champagne. However, these fine thespians all stretched themselves to deliver greater performances than I’ve seen on this stage from them, revealing even more depth in their respective acting ranges. In doing so, the synergy they created, much from body motions, facial expressions, and intonations in their lines delivery, was very important to the success of this show. They made the insolence of their characters really felt by the audience. Will Champagne’s performance was stellar and is to be commended for holding his own with the others, especially in scenes with his father, Dave. They commanded The Triad’s stage taken to greater heights!
• Dawn Wadsworth and Travis Martinez returned to SRO’s stage for their second time and were joined by first-timer here, Victoria Ashley. They were paramount in their roles allowing them to seamlessly engage with our seasoned Yelm-stage actors. Dawn was especially amazing in an exceptionally demanding role. I hope to see more performances from these three fine actors in future SRO shows.
• The other stand-outs in this production were the outstanding direction of Angela Marinella and the fab work by Stage Manager Alex Brown and his team, as there were many intricate set changes which were carried-off with precision. The gorgeous costumes were also noted.
• I congratulate SRO and The Lion in Winter team. They hit a home-run “outta da ballpark” which I hope is supported by patrons from far and wide, as they will be dazzled by this production!
• As a side note, I appreciated Dave Champagne’s comment in the program about his mission to provide a lasting legacy to the 2 decades of hard work by SRO founder Nancy Tribush Hillman and the numerous theater volunteers all of those years. Bravo Dave – you’re a true “mensch”!

“Feds inch closer to approving Alaska mining project seen as a threat to Pacific Northwest”

“Over the past several decades, fishermen, business owners, Alaska Native organizations and environmental groups have protested a proposed open-pit copper and gold mine at the headwaters of Bristol Bay — a pristine salmon habitat.

“Now the federal government is inching toward approving the mining project.

“Nestled in southwest Alaska, Bristol Bay is home to the world’s largest wild salmon run. The watershed supports a teeming ecosystem of eagles, grizzlies and beluga whales. It’s also an economic engine for the Pacific Northwest. Each year, the fishery contributes thousands of seasonal fishing and processing jobs and millions of dollars in economic activity to Washington, Oregon, and California, according to the University of Alaska Institute of Social and Economic Research,” by Julianna Rennie in The Olympian.
Read more

From NRDC:

“President Trump and his Department of Energy are attempting to drastically weaken common-sense energy efficiency standards for light bulbs and appliances — cuts that will cost consumers billions while driving millions of tons of additional carbon pollution per year.

“The Trump administration is accepting public comments on these two disastrous anti-environment attacks.” Read more

Editor’s note: China stopped accepting for import America’s recycling items because of President Trump’s imposed tariff policies.

“Is this the end of recycling?”

“For decades, we were sending the bulk of our recycling to China — tons and tons of it, sent over on ships to be made into goods such as shoes and bags and new plastic products. But last year, the country restricted imports of certain recyclables, including mixed paper — magazines, office paper, junk mail — and most plastics. Waste-management companies across the country are telling towns, cities, and counties that there is no longer a market for their recycling. These municipalities have two choices: pay much higher rates to get rid of recycling, or throw it all away.

“Most are choosing the latter,” quoting Alana Semuels, The Atlantic. Read more

“Top 11 Tips to Become an Expert at Recycling”

“Do you recycle? If you do, the tips in this article will help you do it better, and if you don’t, why not make it a point to start this year, armed with the essential do’s and don’ts?

“It’s worth remembering that mankind had a zero-waste lifestyle up until about 100 years ago. There were no plastic wraps around the foods and items you bought, and virtually every scrap — be it fabric, paper, wood or metal — was repeatedly reused and creatively repurposed into new products,” by Dr. Mercola. Read more

“More regional airports studied as Washington eyes population growth” Could Olympia attract commercial air service?

• Editor’s note: Olympia Regional Airport’s main runway length can only handle regional commercial air service at present.

“Everett’s Paine Field started a new era of scheduled commercial flights this week, but other airports around Puget Sound could follow suit in the wake of new study now underway.”

“What about a new scheduled jet service in Kitsap County, Tacoma, or Olympia? What about a cargo facility, or more room to build airplane parts for the region’s aerospace manufacturing base?

“The answer to those specific questions may be years away, but a study to figure out the basics of what’s needed is currently underway.

“It’s called the Regional Aviation Baseline Study and it’s being administered by the Puget Sound Regional Council (PRSC), with matching funds from the Federal Aviation Administration,” by Glenn Farley, KING-5 TV News, Seattle. Read more

• Editor’s note: Why is this country killing civilians in a non-declared war zone and why is Trump not going to allow the statistics on drone strikes and deaths, anathema in this democracy? This “Imperial President” provides no public transparency? This is sad!

“Donald Trump Ends U.S. Policy of Revealing Drone Strikes and Civilian Deaths in Places Where It’s Not at War”

“The Republican leader signed his own executive order to nullify the practice mandated in 2016 by former President Barack Obama, who greatly expanded the U.S. military’s drone warfare across Africa and the Middle East, as well as other parts of Asia. Trump’s predecessor argued the move would provide more transparency to a shadowy campaign often criticized for operating within legal gray zones as part of the larger war on terror launched in the wake of 9/11.

“Trump offered no reasoning for his decision, but has called on the Pentagon to cut down on the information it released to the media,” by Tom O’Connor, Newsweek. Read more

“How Trump has made both the trade and budget deficits worse”

“Trump. He took office vowing to eliminate the entire national debt in eight years, but it has only gotten worse, thanks to the skyrocketing budget deficit. In turn—and this is the unanticipated or unintended effect on something else—it has made the trade deficit worse as well. The Census Bureau said Wednesday [March 6, 2019] that the trade deficit for goods soared to an all-time high in 2018: a whopping $891 billion,” by Paul Brandus, Market Watch. Read more

“Federal budget deficit leaps 77 percent so far for fiscal 2019”

• Editor’s note: Trump’s economy is slowing ahead of 2020 as national debt mounts! Recall in 2016 he originally said he would eliminate the debt? He also promised to eliminate the budget deficits. This President does not have the mind or will to trim his budget!

• The U.S. budget gap climbed to $310.3 billion from October to January, up from $175.7 the previous year
• Spending on Social Security, defense and interest payments was higher
• Tax revenues were lower following the new tax cuts, with corporate payments down 23 percent.

Deficits are heading to $1 trillion

“The Congressional Budget Office is projecting that this year’s deficit will hit $897 billion, up 15.1 percent from the $779 billion deficit recorded last year. In the CBO’s projections for the next decade, it forecasts that the deficit will once again top $1 trillion annually beginning in 2022 and will never fall below $1 trillion over the rest of the forecast period,” by The Associated Press via CBS News. Read more

“As Debt Rises [surpassed $22 trillion], Interest Costs Could Top $1 Trillion”

“The fastest growing item in the budget over the next decade will be interest on the debt, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), by Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. Read more

“The U.S. national debt has topped $22 trillion for the first time in history, according to daily figures released by the Treasury Department on Tuesday [Feb. 12].

“The debt has ballooned by more than $2 trillion in the two years since President Trump took office in January 2017, when the debt stood at $19.9 trillion. It surpassed $21 trillion for the first time in history in March 2018. Under the Obama administration, the national debt grew from $10.6 trillion to $19.9 trillion, an increase that drew sharps criticism from Republicans,” by Kathryn Watson, CBS News.

• Yelm’s SRO raises their already-high bar with The Lion in Winter!

– Standing Room Only is proud to present… THE LION IN WINTER
WHEN: March 8-31, Friday & Saturday nights at 7:30pm, Sunday matinees at 3pm (includes post-show History Chats – March 10, 17, 24).
WHERE: The Triad Arts Theater, 102 Yelm Ave. E., Yelm WA 98597
TICKETS: $20 Regular price, $17 Military (and families) & Seniors, $10 Students.
Click here to pre-purchase tickets online.

• A Review In arriving at The Triad, I was pondering the enormity of Standing Room Only (SRO) to take on this script and how this would translate to the theater’s small stage. After-all, my only previous exposure to the play was the movie adaptation from 1968 starring Peter O’Toole and Katherine Hepburn. I left The Triad amazed at how professional SRO pulled-off such an ambitious project. The Cast and Director received my standing ovation, deservedly so.
• Well-known actors to Yelm audiences shined and delighted once again: Dave Champagne, Jesse Geray, Daniel Wyman, and Will Champagne. However, these fine thespians all stretched themselves to deliver greater performances than I’ve seen on this stage from them, revealing even more depth in their respective acting ranges. In doing so, the synergy they created, much from body motions, facial expressions, and intonations in their lines delivery, was very important to the success of this show. They made the insolence of their characters really felt by the audience. Will Champagne’s performance was stellar and is to be commended for holding his own with the others, especially in scenes with his father, Dave. They commanded The Triad’s stage taken to greater heights!
• Dawn Wadsworth and Travis Martinez returned to SRO’s stage for their second time and were joined by first-timer here, Victoria Ashley. They were paramount in their roles allowing them to seamlessly engage with our seasoned Yelm-stage actors. Dawn was especially amazing in an exceptionally demanding role. I hope to see more performances from these three fine actors in future SRO shows.
• The other stand-outs in this production were the outstanding direction of Angela Marinella and the fab work by Stage Manager Alex Brown and his team, as there were many intricate set changes which were carried-off with precision. The gorgeous costumes were also noted.
• I congratulate SRO and The Lion in Winter team. They hit a home-run “outta da ballpark” which I hope is supported by patrons from far and wide, as they will be dazzled by this production!
• As a side note, I appreciated Dave Champagne’s comment in the program about his mission to provide a lasting legacy to the 2 decades of hard work by SRO founder Nancy Tribush Hillman and the numerous theater volunteers all of those years. Bravo Dave – you’re a true “mensch”!

– The Lion in Winter (the play) “The Lion in Winter”
Written by James Goldman
Directed by Angela Marinella

“Set in Castle Chinon, in France, in the year 1183, “The Lion in Winter” is a brilliantly written play of intrigue, suspense and strategic <one-ups-man-ship> “one-upsmanship” between the members of a royal family over Christmas weekend.

“Based on the historically factual family of King Henry II, the play imagines the conversations, alliances, threats and bargains that occur as Henry’s three sons position themselves to succeed their father to become the next King of England.  The dialogue is sharp and taut, the drama is intense with sudden unexpected bursts of comedy, and the characters are delightfully devious.  

“It is the ORIGINAL ‘Game of Thrones’.

“‘The Lion in Winter’ has been made into two movies – one of them winning several academy awards in 1968 (starring Peter O’Toole, Katherine Hepburn, Anthony Hopkins and Timothy Dalton).

“But before the cinematic successes of the movies, it was a play by James Goldman, and considered to be one of the best-written plays of the 20th century.”

Click here to purchase your tickets.

• Editor’s note: Former Yelm activist Ed Wiltsie (deceased March 16, 2010) has been recently recognized posthumously for his research and work. Ed brought his expertise in soils, ground water run-off, and ground water recharge to the Yelm City Council in the mid 2000s, along with Bill Hashim and me, on a whole host of issues, from a 5,000 home development, to a then-proposed Wal-Mart Super-store, and their potential affects on our town. Mayor Harding and the city council responded with defiance and deaf ears. Click here to read my March 17, 2010 tribute to Ed. This from the Nisqually Valley News.
• His daughter Amie Maxwell posted this on Facebook this week: “My dad Ed Wiltsie has been chosen by The American Society For Civil Engineers The Hall Of Fame Award for his paper written, while working in Saudi Arabia for Aramco, about the State of the Art Pile Driving Techniques for piles driven in offshore locations to anchor the foundations for the platforms. I am so proud and excited, following us the bio my mom wrote for him.”

Edward Allan Wiltsie – Biographical Sketch (published here with permission)

“Edward Allan Wiltsie was born in Schenectady New York and by the age of two moved with his mother to Eatontown, New Jersey reuniting with his maternal family. He grew up in Eatontown and completed High School at Christian Brothers Academy. In 1972, Ed earned a BSCE from at Newark College of Engineering in Newark, New Jersey and two years later a MS in Soils Mechanics from the same institute. It was also in 1974 that he was licensed as a Professional Engineering.

“Ed worked in consulting engineering in Southern New Jersey for three years. Ed then joined Olko Engineering for two years and later Mussar, Rutledge, Johnson and DeSimone, both in New York City, working on international engineering projects. It was from Meussar, Rutledge that Ed was sent as a consultant to Aramco in Saudi Arabia. This was the doorway that opened the opportunity for Ed to work for Aramco and his family to live at the Aramco facilities in Dhahran Saudi Arabia for 5.5 years the first time and 1.5 years several years later.

“Ed loved all types of Civil Engineering but, his deepest love was for off shore and shore protection engineering. No matter what company he worked for, he always attracted and developed work in this field. Therefore, when he joined Aramco, he was given the sole responsibility for engineering the installation of the foundations for the off shore platforms. This meant overseeing many pile driving barges in the Arabia Gulf at the same time and making sure all piles were driven with as few problems as possible. This was a major challenge and a fabulous opportunity and Ed embraced it and became the resident expert for Aramco. While with Aramco, Ed also developed the first mentoring program for young Saudi Engineers. Because of who Ed was and the diligence of his commitment, Ed was respected by his peers for his engineering work and was loved and held in high regard by the young Saudi Engineers. It was during the first five years in Saudi, Ed met and worked with Bob Stevens and Tom Turton on the engineering challenges of and solutions for pile driving in the Arabian Gulf. Because of their work together these three men developed their State of The Art Pile Driving Technique for Saudi Arabia. This was unprecedented work and the paper, that is earning these three men a place in the Hall of Fame of Civil Engineering, was written from this experience and wisdom. When Ed returned to the states, he worked for two years for Exxon in Houston, Texas making his mark on this big corporate giant. While at Exxon, Ed was called into the Chairman’s Office and was given a bonus for saving Exxon millions on the Australia Project. And, although Exxon didn’t want to lose Ed, Ed felt a different call. Ed left Exxon and he and his family moved to Washington State where he became a partner in the consulting engineering firm Jerome W. Morrissette Associates in Olympia Washington for last 20 years of his life. It was during this time that Ed and his family traveled globally for fun and he and Amber traveled in the states and overseas for his lectures.

“Ed had many hobbies such as: backpacking, ice hockey, swimming, gardening, motor cycling, biking, music and much more. He was always filled with energy and was constantly on the move. Ed was a very spiritual man and spent many hours in meditation and thought.

“Ed was married to Amber Rafferty Wiltsie for 43 years and they not only were together all through 4 years of engineering school but spent 43 years of life together personally and professionally. Edward passed 2010 and is survived by his family members. Ed and Amber have two married daughters Amie and her husband Brook Wiltsie-Foster and three children Nalani (22), Zeus (18) and Caiomhe (6); Arianne and her husband Michael Wiltsie-Hiebert and two sons Dominic(4) and Brayden (1); and a married son Edward Martin Wiltsie and Elizabeth Wiltsie.”

– Editor’s note:
While City of Yelm officials provided very ambitious dates for this project last year by announcing construction beginning in 2019 and being completed within 2 years, the Washington State Dept. of Transportation (WSDOT) official timeline is published below showing construction beginning in early 2022 and completed in late 2023. Therefore, if Mayor Foster keeps to his previously stated intent to not run again in 2021, the ribbon-cutting on this roadway will not occur while he is mayor.

Update from WSDOT:

“WSDOT is in the process of a federally required environmental assessment phase that will continue into mid 2020.”

Timeline:

• Environmental reevaluation – Winter 2019 – Summer 2020
• Project advertised for competitive bidding  – Summer 2021
• Construction – Early 2022
• Project completion – Late 2023

The End Result:
“In this project, crews will build the 3 remaining miles of SR 510 between Cullens Road and 170th Street Southeast. The new connection, like the previously built Phase 1, is proposed to be a two-lane highway with bicycle and pedestrian facilities.”
Read more

Check out the updates at yelmloop.com!

Story highlights

• February 5, 2019 Study Session discussion on mayor’s 640 acres contract
• Possible owners’ default will cost Yelm over $1 million in + interest
• Foster said acquiring 640 acres for $1 million would be a good deal
• Yet the city would also be responsible for an LID
• What would city do with 640 acres, why is there no planning now?
• Mayor Foster guided council to defer planning until late in 2019
• Is Yelm about to repeat the 2009-2010 economic downturn adversely affecting budgets?
• Councilor Stillwell expressed concern on city’s “petal to the metal” spending.
• Why has this not been publicly discussed – the public remains uninformed?
• Storm clouds loom on the horizon that could affect city budget!

Editor’s note: On February 19, 2019, I suggested to the Planning Commission that they be updated on the contract that Mayor Foster signed without council approval to acquire a Deed in Lieu of Foreclosure, covered here last summer. The land owners have until December 2019 to pay multiple years in back-taxes and fees, or default, leaving the city with the 640 acres of land, interest and over $1 million in expenses, plus the LID. The lack of action by the land-owners and recent news items casts doubt on the land owners paying off their debt to the city: On the most recently released real estate statistics for Thurston County, the increase in available properties has now moved into a buyers market, meaning there are more sellers than buyers. In addition, reported last week were stories that national personal credit card debt has skyrocketed and savings have dropped. These are indicative there are storm clouds on the horizon and the city should be prepared for the land’s owners to default. For the city to have a potential of $1 million plus interest in additional expenses and take on the LID responsibility if the land owners default, to not plan and be prepared to handle this massive budget load and disposition of the land is fool-hardy at best!

Posts

The entire manner in which Mr. Foster has handled this 640 deal is the very sign of an exceptionally poor manager. A proper leader would not wait until the end of the year when the contract expires to craft any contingencies! The mayor should be directing the Planning Commission and Community Development now to create committees to craft options for consideration, yet the mayor is protecting the land owners instead of his first responsibility to serve the public interests he took an oath to protect. The city has had no contact with the land owners on their intentions and Foster’s reason for not doing so is unwise. City Administrator Grayum should contact the owners immediately for an update and report to the council, mayor and public!

Bottom line:
If at the end of this year the city is left holding the deed + LID responsibility + interest, that will add a MAJOR burden of over $1 million in expenses to to the city’s balance sheet, plus 2018’s $1 million purchase/renovation of the new city hall building, and required deferred maintenance/upgrades expenses for Public Works. While the land-owners could pay multiple years of backlogged taxes and fees and avoid default, that does not eliminate the need to craft contingency plans if they do not! The city’s future has been mortgaged and is in the cross-hairs if officials do no planning until near the contract December 29, 2019 expiration date.

• To do nothing until late Autumn is irresponsible
• To not have this as a public discussion is also irresponsible
• This city has great minds that should be working on this issue

Click here for my letter to the Yelm Planning Commission.

P. S. Some have suggested the city sub-divide the land and sell to developers if the city ends up possessing the deed outright. Yet even IF the city obtains enough water rights to support housing developments on the 640 acres, the council has already been told the Public Works Dept. needs $11-$17 million to upgrade their water/sewer systems just to today’s standards, an amount the city does not have to invest. Therefore, Public Works does not have the capability, under their current conditions, to add anymore massive home developments to their systems!

• Editor’s note: Last summer (2018), I was approached by then-candidate Andrew Saturn running for Public Utility District (PUD) commissioner. I was intrigued about his candidacy after reading public documents he presented on how the public’s interests were not being protected. Click here for this blog’s coverage, Oct. 15, 2018.
• I have volunteered in many election cycles bringing candidates to Yelm to introduce themselves and their platforms to our community so the voting public can learn directly and cast an educated vote. Such was the case when I invited Mr. Saturn to Yelm last October for a candidates forum I hosted at The Triad Theater in Yelm, along with then-candidates Tye Menser (county Commissioner) and Victor Minjares (county Prosecutor). The forum and Q & A session were live-streamed to Yelm residents.
• Mr. Saturn’s campaign focused on issues bringing locally-controlled electricity, public fiber broadband internet, higher worker pay and improved benefits, and expanding transparency. The electrical and communication monopolies here waged a vigorous effort to attack/discredit Mr. Saturn’s candidacy on multiple fronts, yet I could not refute the public documentation he presented. I felt the public had a right to hear his views, even though I received many comments against doing so. I did not back down regardless that my stand was unpopular for some.
• UPDATE: The WA. Public Disclosure Commission (PUD), the very agency tasked with transparency on the impeccability of state election campaigns, recently found that PUD General Manager John Weidenfeller “may” have violated state law when he sent rebutting statements to the three sitting PUD commissioners and subsequently “leaked” to the press with the clear intent of unfairly undermining Saturn’s campaign. The implication was this leak allegedly originated from the very office of the PUD General Manager who is supposed to know better than to engage in such actions.

• DOCUMENTS: 
  Click here for the PDC document to the PUD.
• Click here for Mr. Saturn’s PDC Formal Complaint concerning misrepresented coverage of his campaign by The Olympian.

Bottom line: The PDC gave Mr. Weidenfeller a formal written warning where they wrote:

“Staff does not believe that rebutting statements made by Mr. Saturn in political advertisements and public forums as a candidate seeking election to the PUD, and providing that information to one of the incumbent Commissioners running against Mr. Saturn,is a permitted activity in accordance with PDC statues, rules and interpretations.”

“Pursuant to WAC 390-37-060(1)(b), PDC staff issued a formal written warning to John Weidenfeller concerning the importance of complying with RCW 42.17A.555 and the prohibition of using PUD facilities to support or oppose a candidate or ballot proposition, in accordance with WAC 390-05-271 and 273.”

In closing: What caught my observation in this entire matter from the start was the huge amount of opposition from the incumbent and her supporters, area politicians, and the two very large monopoly’s attacking Mr. Saturn yet never directly addressing his unique views and desire to bring about change to a PUD entrenched and entrenched to hold fast to the past.