More News From Rayonier
Rayonier has decided not to sell its Port Angeles property to Harbor-Works. Rayonier Vice President Michael Herman sent a letter to Harbor-Works saying that the company has "no further interest in pursuing a transaction with HW [Harbor-Works] at this time."
Harbor-Works is planning a last ditch effort to acquire the Rayonier property. Jeff Lincoln wants to meet with representatives from the Department of Ecology and the Governor's office to try getting financial support from the Department of Ecology. He said:
"The crux of the issue for us right now is: will the state support the Harbor-Works approach to a cleanup that starts the action within the next two years instead of some indeterminate time in the future?"
Harbor-Works board member Jim Hallett said:
"We need Ecology to say whether [they] will help the community or not. If they won't, we're done."
Harbor-Works is planning a last ditch effort to acquire the Rayonier property. Jeff Lincoln wants to meet with representatives from the Department of Ecology and the Governor's office to try getting financial support from the Department of Ecology. He said:
"The crux of the issue for us right now is: will the state support the Harbor-Works approach to a cleanup that starts the action within the next two years instead of some indeterminate time in the future?"
Harbor-Works board member Jim Hallett said:
"We need Ecology to say whether [they] will help the community or not. If they won't, we're done."
posted by Tom Harper at 11:23 AM
32 Comments:
After which the tribe will claim the land as theirs. Oh, the fix is in on this one!!!
Dear Olympia,
We still hate you. None of you are in touch with the decent, hard-working taxpayers. Instead you're too busy pushing your liberal agenda to take much needed funds from the rural communities and send all our money to Seattle. You think anyone in Seattle cares about hard work? No, they just take take take from us. Please leave us alone, stop pushing your agenda on us and stop taking all our money without ever giving anything back!
Love,
Port Angeles
PS: We need you to buy this old superfund mill site for us and pay for it to be cleaned up and developed. You need to support our community! For the community!!
PPS: You better not be taxing us to pay for it, you godless socialist hitler people you!
Harbor Works has such egg on their face. Created behind closed doors, and using our hard earned tax dollars. High paying jobs for Harbor Works "execs". This has stunk to high heaven from day one.
Glad Rayonier made this announcement, and I hope Ecology puts the final nail in the coffin.
The sooner this thing is disbanded, the better for the Citizens of Port Angeles!
Rayonier has decided not to sell its Port Angeles property to Harbor-Works. Rayonier Vice President Michael Herman sent a letter to Harbor-Works saying that the company has "no further interest in pursuing a transaction with HW [Harbor-Works] at this time."
Hahahahahaha
Unless Rayonier can sell it and wipe their hands completely free of any future expenses it's much cheaper for them to just hang on to it for another 40 years.
Do they still pay property taxes on it? I'm assuming they do but what in the hell do I know?
But better hope they keep paying them or the city could end up with that mess, and cleaning it up.
A Harbor-Works Haiku:
Born in secrecy
Dying in public
Jeff's reputation
Tarnished by rubes
I have a copy of the letter Rayonier sent to HarborWorks. Not surprisingly, the article in the PDN does NOT reflect what the letter says. It makes only passing mention about HarborWorks not having any "assets", whereas the PDN article makes it sound as if the whole issue is about the Dept. of Ecology contributing public funds for the clean up.
In fact, Rayonier takes exception to the statements, in that very letter, that they will not be responsible for the clean up of their site. (Page one, paragraphs 4 and 5).
Don't get me wrong. I'm no supporter of Rayonier in this. But having that letter in front of me, and seeing how the PDN is parroting the city/Harbor Works party line is just too sad. The problems are not in THEIR mis-management, but everybody/anybody else!!
This misrepresentation of the situation by the city, HarborWorks, and the PDN does not help to advance progress for the community. May be great for the "Rah-Rah!" some in the business community seems to think will keep a positive view of things in Port Angeles, but it is just fiction, and results in nothing.
We see this over and over. When will these folks learn?
I'm not holding my breath!
Tom,
The letter from Rayonier is circulating in the community. Get a copy, and read what was really said, not what was reconfigured by the Peninsula Daily News, and others.
As I was told many years ago: "Never let your opposition frame the issues for discussion". Look for the objective truth.
Even the articles in todays' paper hint at the misrepresentations these folks have engaged in. " No tax payers' monies will be used..."
Millions of valuable tax dollars later, with nothing to show for it all, and they still are "wiggling" the words, publicly!
Oh my God...y'all are SO clueless....
To Anonymous @ 12:01.
Clue us all in then please?
To members of the Harbor-Works Board: As your last pieces of official business, fire the Executive Director and stop payment on any checks to your "Communications Consultant". Then please resign. Immediately.
LOL!
I am looking over the July 22, 2010 letter from Jeff Lincoln (HarborWorks) that is their response to the July 21 Rayonier letter.
Does the public know that HarborWorks actually proposed that Rayonier PAY HarborWorks to take their lands???
That HarborWorks was only interested in the "upland areas", and was not interested in participating in, nor assisting in the cleanup of the rest of the property??
That HarborWorks was proposing that they not accept any of the other liabilities associated with the clean up??
So, they wanted to separate the "choice" parts of the property from the rest of the site and its' problems, leaving Rayonier with all the left-overs to deal with.
Hmm, ya wonder why Rayonier would not just JUMP for such a deal?
As opposed to continuing with the ongoing clean up they are already committed to, holding onto THEIR property, and developing it at some time in the future. Remembering that Rayonier already has it's own in-house property development company.
Yeah, I thought so.
Immediatly.
If not sooner.
Thanks.
The online survey at the PDN shows that a good majority would like to see Harbor Works disbanded. But I don’t suppose they (the powers that be) are interested in honoring what the majority would like.
We're not part of that government, they think they can do what they like with your money with no input from you.
http://peninsuladailynews.com/article/20100726/NEWS/100729989/read-letter-from-rayonier-breaking-off-negotiations-with-harbor-works
you can read the whole letter there.
Thanks for your haiku, Max.
Why do you still hide behind an alias. Everyone knows it's you.
As the letters from Rayonier to HW and HW to Rayonier are being circulated the truth of this fiasco is coming to light.
Between the HW forums and the citizen's groups forums, much of this infomation we are now reading about was made public.
For example, at one event, Jeff Lincoln said that Rayonier would pay HW for the site. I thought it was pretty significant because that implies an assumed liability - or as it is called at Ecology - potentially liable partner.
At the same forum Lincoln presented the thourands of dollars worth of consulting results that said the site would not be profitable for most uses.
The PDN never reported this or other important revelations that came out of the forums. The citizen's group has tried mightily to get the information out to the public but the source of information for most people is the PDN. They failed miserably in communicating the important information that would allow citizens to make informed decisions.
"Thanks for your haiku, Max. Why do you still hide behind an alias. Everyone knows it's you."
I don't.
Don't really care either.
The Port of Port Angeles is still holding the $7.5 million in Graving Yard Settlement money. One of the Port's goals is to acquire portions of the Rayonier property for industrial development.
Could Port officials be busy right now plotting to rescue HW by contributing some or all of the $7.5 million to keep HW afloat? Interesting that the Port canceled its regular public Commission meeting for today (7/26). Undoubtedly just a convenient coincidence.
I spoke to Max about this site. He says he doesn't own a computer, doesn't use a computor and has never seen anything on this site.
I spoke to Max about this site. He says he doesn't own a computer, doesn't use a computor and has never seen anything on this site.
Doesn't own a computer and isn't on the internut?
Hahahahaha
"... at one event, Jeff Lincoln said that Rayonier would pay HW for the site."
Hey! Where do I sign up for this kind of deal? The property owner of (according to the city) one of the largest undeveloped waterfront parcels in the region will pay ME to take their 75 acres??? Way cool!
And/or.. where do I get a hold of the drugs these HarborWorks guys are on? Talk about "mind altering" !
Seriously, though, now that HarborWorks has shown itself to be a bunch of liars (" No taxpayer money will be used in the clean up.."), and the principle party (Rayonier) has said they will not negotiate with them, AND the PDN poll shows overwhelmingly that the public thinks they should be disbanded.. how will the Port Angeles taxpayers be re-paid for the $1.5 million the city and Port of PA wasted on their crap?
"I spoke to Max about this site. He says he doesn't own a computer, doesn't use a computor and has never seen anything on this site."
One of the two of you is lying.
"Harbor-Works supporters think process helped the community"
Really?
Spending $1.5 million to do studies on a privately owned piece of property, which revealed what we already knew all too well: that there is a glut of vacant residential, retail and commercial properties in the Port Angeles area. Great.
It is still a privately owned piece of property. Maybe some property owners in the area would like the government studying and making public statements about what should be going on with their property, but I'd venture to say, most would not.
Yet, we hear so little about this aspect from our leaders. Why?
In many communities, politics are driven by real estate and its' development. You see that here in Port Angeles, with the current candidates for Director of Community Development; most are real estate people.
In general campaign blatherings, these folks will go on about "property rights". But when the glimmer of making money from the development, construction, and sales of future lots/units shines in their eyes, these principles seem to fade so quickly.
As that song says: " Money.. money changes everything".
If Rayonier were smart.....they'd stop doing business with any of these fools.
The greed is rampant.
I'll BET the city is S.O.L. when it comes to the money they flushed into HarborWorks.
Money doesn't mean sh*t to the city, they just raise taxes and fees. Its not like they care that it's our money they're tossing away.
I would guess, most of the $1.5 million the City and Port loaned Harborworks is still in the Port and Cities, bank account.
June 22, 2010, the City Mayor, Port Pres. and HW Pres. write the Governor that the City and the Port "are prepared to make additional significant contributions..." This was never presented to the City Council
"Money doesn't mean sh*t to the city, they just raise taxes and fees. Its not like they care that it's our money they're tossing away."
Oh, let us remember where this money is really coming from. Sadly.
Remember the Chi-Whit-Zen debacle? A few years back, when most of the same "civic boosters" who convinced the State to "invest" in Port Angeles with that Graving Dock project, resulted in the desecration of over 300 intact human burials before the project was stopped?
Well, as a result of all those "civic boosters'" wailings about economic opportunity lost, the State threw $15 million to Port Angeles. $7.5 million to the City, and $7.5 million to the Port of Port Angeles.
They still have most of that money, which is also the source of the $1.5 million they "loaned" to HarborWorks.
So, being the grateful people they are for the States' contributions to the local community's future, these same people are now asking the state (Dept of Ecology) to give them another $4 million to offer Rayonier, to try to convince Rayonier to deal with these wonderful, truthful, forthright folks!
Enough is enough.
It sounds to me like HW is doing something like stalking an ex-girlfriend. HW won't accept that she (Rayonier) really means, "No, we're through. Please get out of my life."
Permits?
We don't need no fucking permits. Shoots up the town and rides into the hills with the money, booze and hookers.
Hahahahaha
Yeah, well, the booze and the hookers should take care of the money.
On August 5, HW, the Port and the City (Mayor and Manager?) will try to convince Ecology to give HW the money. Ecology can't, and won't. Nevertheless, these entities keep trying. Public locked out of this meeting.
The City Manager and Mayor are pushing to keep funding HW. Some or all the rest of the Council knew nothing of this.
Go to the City Council meeting at 6 PM on Tuesday, August 3 and tell the Council, "No more public funds s to buy or clean the site, whether you, City or HW. Dissolve HW now. Tear up its Bylaws.
If you cannot show up, email all the Council Members:
bcollins@cityofpa.us, bnelson@cityofpa.us, ckidd@cityofpa.us, ddiguilio@cityofpa.us, dperry@cityofpa.us, mmania@cityofpa.us, pdownie@cityofpa.us
As much as I want to support emails and communications to the city council members about this (or anything), I don't believe any of them are listening anymore. All campaigned for our votes saying they would represent us, but once in office, they all just listen to what "staff" says, not us.
Sorry, but this is what I see, year after year. These folks are no different than the last bunch. I'd love to see them prove me wrong.
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