FORKS — The new mayor of Forks, Tim Fletcher, told of ongoing work on tourism and timber issues, jobs, housing and quelling drug-related crimes at a State of the City address.
A packed crowd turned out for the talk at the Forks Chamber of Commerce meeting last Wednesday as the mayor with just 31 days under his belt provided a short introduction before city staff members updated the public on new aspects of their departments.
Fletcher said he will continue to work on tourism and timber issues and a way to stop job loss in the community through a sustainable harvest.
“It is my goal to bring jobs to the community and to also create more affordable housing,” Fletcher said.
He added that options for housing might include neighborhoods of tiny houses, which can be as small as 100 square feet.
“Since taking office I have been working with the project list. We have water tank rehab projects coming up,” he said.
He also has joined several boards and committees, including the Clallam Transit Board Financial Advisory committee and serving as the city representative on the Forks Chamber of Commerce board.
Fletcher said he has discussed with Forks Police Chief Mike Rowley about the police working with other agencies to pursue dealers and to urge the courts to hand out stiffer penalties.
Fletcher said he would also like to see help given to those that want to break a drug habit.
Rowley, who was hired as police chief in October, said he is a working police chief. He named Officer Don Ponton as the new sergeant and Ponton has been helping with administrative duties, Rowley said.
He read part of the department’s new mission statement: “We have adopted an uncompromising approach to the highest ethical standards, being honest, truthful, and worthy of your trust. We believe in the importance of treating others with respect, and conducting ourselves in a manner that inspires respect.”
Rowley said his goals are to continue training officers, adding a forensic interviewer and continuing to work with other agencies such as Olympic Peninsula Narcotics Enforcement Team (OPNET), State Patrol “and even Olympic Corrections Center, as we did a few weeks ago after the jail escape.”
“My goal is to make Forks a safer place to visit and work,” Rowley said.
“Narcotics are still a large part of our criminal activity,” he continued. “Lock your cars.”
He said he wants to continue to build trust. “The community is our customer,” he said.
Rowley said the jail will continue to be maximized with agreements from other entities to house their inmates.
“As far as our local jail population, we don’t want to see them back,” Rowley said. “We will continue to work with Forks Abuse and Peninsula College.
“We also need Neighborhood Watch programs. We need people to stand up and be a witness if needed.
“We can stop the cycle.”
Forks’ Clerk-Treasurer Audrey Grafstrom offered a slide presentation introducing office staff: Karen DePew, Nerissa Davis, Holly Clark and Ginger Simons — all Forks High School graduates.
Depew and Davis have been with the city a number of years and Clark and Simons were both hired in November 2013, she said.
The city’s two-year-old website now offers online payment of utility bills and other fees as well as being a resource for City Council agendas, minutes and other reports, Grafstrom said.
It also hosts information on the Forks Police Department; the jail roster is the most frequently visited tab on the site, she said.
“We plan to also, in the near future, offer a Facebook page,” Grafstrom said.
“We are always looking at ways to reduce expenses,” Grafstrom added.
When Interfor shut down the sawmill in Beaver and the planer mill in Forks in 2014, the city not only lost jobs, but also $25,000 in utility taxes annually, she said.
Public Works/Building Inspector Paul Hampton noted new staff members Steven Gaydeski and Mike Hirsch. Longtime employee Ivan Cowles retired last year and another longtime employee Tim Smith, might also retire soon, he said.
Hampton said his staff has been busy replacing leaky water meters and fixing other major leaks in the water system.
“We recently purchased a camera and smoke equipment to help identify problems in the lines,” Hampton said.
He noted that the city’s Waste Water Treatment Plant received an Outstanding Performance award in 2016 from the state Department of Ecology. This is the ninth consecutive year the plant has received the award.
Projects completed include the paving at Campbell Street, although Hampton said there is a slight issue with a drain at that location that needs addressing.
“So many potholes — we did get money to help repair those and a grant to work on Elderberry Avenue which is a project that will be combined with sidewalks on Spartan Avenue,” Hampton said.
City attorney/planner Rod Fleck said the city continues to work on timber issues.
“Our local Department of Natural Resources staff continues to work hard, and Olympia has work to do,” Fleck said in regard to a strategy for timber harvests.
He noted challenges that loom with the Olympic Experimental State Forest and an upcoming decision by the Board of Natural Resources on marbled murrelet conservation.
Fleck reminded those present that the city hosts Kevin Hoult, a certified business advisor with the Small Business Development Center, in the ICN Building on Spartan Avenue. Hoult is available several times a month to advise small business owners; his service is free.
Fleck said that the city’s comprehensive plan — which shapes zoning and subdivision regulations, capital improvement programming and budgeting, and other legal and regulatory actions — is finished and a vacation rental ordinance is in the works.
“If you want to do a project, come to the city first, we can help answer questions and save folks some time and trouble,” Fleck said.
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Christi Baron is the editor of the Forks Forum, which is part of the Olympic Peninsula News Group, composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. Reach her at cbaron@forksforum.com.
