THURSDAY
DEC. 10, 2015 Opinion ��������������Page 4 Community News ���Page 5
Forks Boys Basketball Action
Intermediate Students of the Month
Page 7
Page 10
Sports ���������������Page 7 Classifieds ���������� Page 14 Volume 84 No. 11
SERVING THE WEST END SINCE 1931
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Construction to begin on DNR headquarters in Forks Sustainably designed building will replace shop lost to fire
Construction is slated to begin next week on a replacement shop and warehouse on the Washington State Department of Natural Resources Olympic Region headquarters in Forks. The building will replace one destroyed in a fire on Jan. 2, 2013. The building is central to DNR’s operations in the Olympic Region as the hub for the agency’s recreation and wildfire prevention programs and as a shop for vehicle, technology and equipment maintenance and repair. These functions have been housed in converted meeting rooms, storage units and Conex trailers. “Our staff has come up with some creative ways to get our crucial work done without impacting day-to-day operations,” said Susan Trettevik, DNR’s Olympic Region manager. “Having a permanent building will allow us to turn that focus toward the landscapes and communities we serve.” Port Angeles firm Hoch Construction was awarded a $2.1 million contract to build the new shop. The new building is expected to open in August 2016. Designed by Lawhead Architects of Bellevue, the building is expected to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design or LEED standards, meaning it has been designed to conserve water and electricity. A fire, believed to have been started by faulty electrical wiring, destroyed the previous shop. Built in 1959, the structure housed several full-time employees, seasonal firefighting crews, a fleet of 90 light fleet vehicles and 30 pieces of heavy equipment, including fire engines. Washington legislators appropriated DNR the funding to rebuild the shop in 2014 and 2015. The state’s general fund will be reimbursed $1.1 million from DNR’s insurance.
The Forks Congregational Church, 280 S. Spartan Ave., will host a holiday concert to benefit the Forks Food Bank at 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12. Entertainment will include the Rainshadow Ringers hand bell choir, directed by Cheryl Winney, with special music by Janeen Kelm on the harp. Also sharing a selection of Christmas music will be the Forkestra. Admission is by donation of a non-perishable food item or cash donation to the Forks Food Bank. Everyone is welcome.
FORKS
LAPUSH
BEAVER
It is not only the holiday season but apparently also the scam season. On Monday, a Forks resident received a frantic call from a young man claiming to be the woman’s relative (grandson). Saying he had been in an accident and needed money fast, the scammer even put his “lawyer” on the phone to work out the details. The woman was told to go to Outfitters and use the Western Union Service to send the money. The scammers called back several times to make the arrangements and the last time the woman’s daughter, who was now in the loop about what was going on, answered the phone instead of her mother. In between the scammers’ phone calls the daughter had contacted relatives just to be certain everyone was OK. Needless to say the scammer got an earful and the Forks Police Department also was contacted. Scammers know that when a relative is injured, arrested or suf-
CLALLAM BAY
fers some other kind of setback and calls pleading for money to be transferred by wire, your instincts tell you to help. When the situation is urgent, criminals know you’re likely to spring into action. But don’t. Here’s why: Once you wire money, you will not get it back. What’s called “the grandparent scam,” and its many variations, is going strong. In fact, such schemes are growing more sophisticated. The dollar figures involved are increasing, too. A Sammamish couple lost nearly $90,000 over several days to a caller whom they believed was their grandson. The call might be random and the scammer will expertly fake his way through the call, picking up cues from you, including your grandchild’s name. If you get a call like this, be skeptical, ask questions, such as a pet’s name, or where they were born, ask for a phone number, if it is really an emergency they
SEKIU
NEAH BAY
PRSRT STD US Postage Paid Permit No. 6 Forks, WA
Holiday Concert
Scam Season
should be able to provide a phone number. If you have wired money and find out it is a scam, call the wire service to cancel the transaction. Once the money is picked up there is no way to get it back.
ECRWSS - BOXHOLDER
FORKS AT CENTER OF IMPORTANT REGION DNR’s Olympic Region includes the counties of Clallam, Jefferson and the northwest portion of Grays Harbor County. The region includes 371,000 acres of state forest, agriculture, urban and conservation lands, including the Olympic Experimental State Forest. In this forest DNR explores methods to meet the needs of wildlife through sustainable timber harvest practices. Staff also oversee forest practices and lead wildfire prevention and fighting efforts on state and private forest land throughout the region.
Santa Claus made the trip to Forks to join in on the JT’s Sweet Stuffs sponsored Twinkle Light Parade Saturday night down Forks Avenue. Photo by Lonnie Archibald More weekend photos pages 9 and 11.