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Laid out in lavender
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Guide to purple flower’s coup in Sequim INSIDE
PENINSULA DAILY NEWS July 6, 6, 2016 | 75¢
Port Angeles-Sequim-West End
Officials approve deal on lawsuit
Responders out in force as fires flare
$518K measure born from 2014 litigation BY ROB OLLIKAINEN PENINSULA DAILY NEWS
PORT ANGELES — A two-thirds majority of Clallam County commissioners has approved a $518,000 budget emergency to settle a 2014 lawsuit. The pending settlement would also provide an acre of waterfront land for the expansion of the county parks system in Clallam Bay. Commissioners Bill Peach and Mark Ozias voted Tuesday to approve the debatable budget emergency, saying the settlement, while unfortu- Peach nate, is the county’s best option to resolve a 2014 Public Records Act lawsuit and protect taxpayers from further liability. “Because our liability, or our potential liability, is so great, I believe that this is the right thing to do,” Ozias said at the end of a two-hour public hearing. Peach, whose district includes Clallam Bay, said the settlement with Scott and Elizabeth Lange was his idea. “This is a tough situation with a timeline we have to deal with, and adverse consequences if we didn’t perform within this specific timeline,” said Peach, who was in Olympia for a state Board of Natural Resources meeting and participated by phone. “I think that we should proceed with the proposed action.”
Votes against settlement Commissioner Mike Chapman voted no, saying there was adequate time to draft legal documents to explain the settlement in greater detail while meeting a negotiated deadline that expires Wednesday, July 13. “At least wait until the public knows exactly what we’re signing on for,” Chapman urged his fellow board members. TURN
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JAY CLINE/CLALLAM COUNTY FIRE DISTRICT NO. 2
A beach log fire sends up a plume of smoke Tuesday morning near Place Road west of Port Angeles.
But fireworks complaints remain quiet in PA, PT BY JESSE MAJOR PENINSULA DAILY NEWS
Even as North Olympic Peninsula law enforcement officials saw a lull in fireworks-related complaints, Clallam firefighters responded to multiple fires Monday and Tuesday in which fireworks are thought to be to blame. Residents of the 2000 block of Place Road, west of Port Angeles, awoke Tuesday to a large driftwood fire likely caused by fireworks. They then worked together to keep the fire from spreading by using buckets and a garden hose, said Clallam County Fire District No. 2 Chief Sam Phillips. The fire was first reported about 6:55
a.m. Tuesday with flames up to 5 feet tall. Winds from the Strait of Juan de Fuca fueled the fire, but the residents were able to prevent it from spreading while waiting for firefighters. Phillips said he is thankful that citizens formed a fire brigade and prevented the fire from spreading. Residents Ricardo Fleischfreffer and Doug Klapfstein were instrumental in the initial attack of the fire, said fire officials. The fire came on the heels of a long Monday night for the firefighters, who were extinguishing several beach fires along the lower Elwha River off Charles Road. Firefighters responded at about
10:37 p.m. Monday to a report of a brush fire near 400 Charles Road on the Lower Elwha Klallam reservation. The brush fire on the beach was spreading quickly under high wind conditions, said Assistant Chief Mike DeRousie. He estimated the fire to be about 50 feet by 40 feet. The brush fire was the main concern, but firefighters also had to extinguish four campfires along the beach that were abandoned. “People need to put out their fires on the beach when they are done enjoying them, especially in high winds,” he said. “I can’t believe people would walk away from them.” TURN
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Tribal leader details intricate connections Allen also encourages self-reliance BY CHARLIE BERMANT PENINSULA DAILY NEWS
PORT TOWNSEND — The interaction between tribal, federal and state governments is a delicate process, and tribal leaders also need to focus on self-reliance, the chairman of the Jamestown S’Klallam tribe said Tuesday. “We deal with issues that represent everything, from local to national,” said Chairman Ron Allen to a Port Townsend Rotary Club audience of about 50 people in Fort Worden Commons. “We need to know which governments we need to approach in order to pass legislation and maintain
good relationships with each one.” Allen, 68, has served as tribal chairman since 1977. Allen said most people outside of the tribe “don’t understand how complex our world is, with many intersecting relationships. ” Allen said the tribe has recategorized itself, identifying as citizens rather than members. “We are not an association, we are not an organization; we are actually a government,” Allen said. “We are responsible for our citizens and all the people around them.” The Jamestown S’Klallam tribe has about 600 citizens, “with
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Jamestown S’Klallam Tribal Chair Ron Allen addresses the
TRIBE/A7 Port Townsend Rotary Club on Tuesday.
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half of them in Jefferson and Clallam counties and the rest all over the place,” Allen said. He said the tribe’s governmental functions include executive operations, social and community services, education, health care, job opportunities and drug rehabilitation programs. These programs are started for the benefit of tribal citizens but grow into diversified businesses that make the tribe more selfreliant, Allen said. He said the tribe has connections to dozens of local, state and federal agencies, including Congress, the state Legislature, gaming authorities, the Department of Natural Resources and courts.
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