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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2014
Vol. CXXIII, No. 207
OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE CITY OF TACOMA Devoted to the Courts, Real Estate, Finance, Industrial Activities, and Publication of Legal Notices
Published Published Since Since 1890 1890
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LEGAL NOTICES BANKRUPTCIES LIENS ORDERS FEDERAL COURT AUDITORS OFFICE NEW BUSINESSES editor@tacomadailyindex.com
City of Tacoma 4 candidates seek 2 positions on 2 citizen panels Four candidates have applied to fill two positions on two City of Tacoma citizen panels. First, two candidates have applied to fill one position on the City of Tacoma Board of Ethics. The board consists of five Tacoma residents who volunteer to receive, investigate, and make recommendations for disposition of complaints of Code of Ethics violations by the Tacoma City Manager, the Director of Tacoma Public Utilities, a member of the Tacoma Public Utility Board (Utility Board), or a City of Tacoma elected official. The City of Tacoma Board of Ethics may also render advisory opinions in response to a request by one of the aforementioned officials, and render and publish formal opinions on any matter within the scope of the City of Tacoma Board of Ethics' authority which it may deem appropriate. Board members serve three-year terms, are appointed by Tacoma City Council's Government Performance and Finance Committee, and are confirmed by Tacoma City Council. More information about the City of Tacoma Board of Ethics is available online at cityoftacoma.org. In September, the City of Tacoma issued a call for applicants to fill a term to begin on Jan 1, 2015, and expire on Dec. 31, 2016. The application deadline expired on Fri., Oct. 10. Suzanne Skaar and Kristen Smith submitted applications. Tacoma City Council's Government Performance and Finance Committee is scheduled to interview the candidates during a public meeting on Weds., Oct. 29, at 4:30 p.m., at the Tacoma Municipal Building, 747 Market St., Room 248, in downtown Tacoma. A copy of the agenda is available online at cityoftacoma.org. Following the interviews, the committee is expected to make an appointment recommendation to Tacoma City Council, which is tentatively scheduled to confirm the appointment on Tues., Nov. 18. Finally, two candidates have applied to fill one position on the City of Tacoma Audit Advisory Board. CONTINUED The board consists of ON PAGE 3 each member of Tacoma
Owner pleads guilty to abandoning sunken vessel in Tacoma Posted online Thurs., Oct. 23 Photos Courtesy Washington State Department of Ecology The owner of a derelict ship that sank in Tacoma's Hylebos Waterway last year has pleaded guilty to charges of abandoning the ship and polluting state waters, according to Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson. Stephen Mason, owner of the 167-foot derelict vessel the Helena Star, accepted responsibility Thursday and was sentenced to 20 days of confinement (which may be served on electronic home monitoring) and two years' probation, and is ordered to repay the state $300,000 towards the total cost of $1.25 million to remove the sunken vessel, according to Ferguson. As part of the agreement, Mason will cooperate with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources' efforts to secure the remaining restitution from other Helena Star investors. "Derelict vessels cause substantial environmental damage and cost taxpayers millions of dollars," said Ferguson. "If you break our state laws and pollute our environment, we will hold you accountable." The Helena Star was built in the mid-1940s, arrived in Seattle in 1978 after it was seized during an at-sea marijuana bust, and was moved to Tacoma three years ago after it was purchased by California investors, according to Washington State Department of Ecology officials. The investors hired Mason to scrap the vessel on his property adjacent to the Hylebos Waterway. Mason did not finish the job, instead leaving the vessel dormant on his property as it continued to deteriorate, according to Ferguson. This ship ultimately sank near the southern end of the Hylebos Waterway in Tacoma in January 2013, releasing hundreds of gallons of fuel and oil into the water.
The Helena Star was towed out of Tacoma in July and arrived at the Ballard Locks in Seattle en route to a scrap facility on Lake Union. The ship was chained to the Golden West in Tacoma's Hylebos Waterway when it began to sink in January 2013. The ship's owner has pleaded builty to abandoning the ship and polluting state waters, according to Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson. The Washington State Attorney General's Office filed criminal charges against Mason in January 2014. The charges included one count of causing a vessel to become abandoned or derelict and one count of discharge of polluting matters into state waters. The maximum penalty for abandoning the vessel is 90 days in jail and up to $1,000 in fines plus restitution and assessments. The maximum penalty for polluting the waters with the leaking fuel and oil is 364 days in jail and a $10,000 fine as well as restitution and assessments. The Helena Star was towed out of the Hylebos Waterway in July and dry docked in Seattle for scrapping. The dollars recovered for the scrap steel — though not nearly enough to pay for the salvage and clean up process — will go back to the state Derelict Vessel Removal Program. The restitution will replenish state funds used to remove and clean up the sunken Helena Star. The Washington State Department of Natural Resources Derelict Vessel Removal Program will receive $250,000, while the other $50,000 will reimburse the Washington State Department of Ecology's Coastal Protection Fund, which is used to clean up oil spills. Washington state officials CONTINUED note the Hylebos Waterway ON PAGE 3 was listed as a Superfund site