Forks City Council met Monday evening hybrid style with most in-person and several people via Zoom. The meeting got underway just after 7:30 p.m.
In the public comment time Lissy Andros, Forks Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, shared that the Visitor information center had seen over 9,000 visitors stop at the VIC in July. She added … that was the third-highest month they have ever seen.
There was a public hearing to obtain input regarding the proposed six-year Transportation Improvement Plan. The plan would cover 2022-2027 and is used by local, state, and federal governments to prioritize and fund transportation projects.
There were no public comments.
The adoption of Resolution No. 500 Six-Year Street Plan was approved by all council members.
There was a public hearing and long discussion regarding the vacating of an easement on property owned by Paul and Kerstin Hampton. To be continued.
The council also heard about a request by Forks Police Department Chief Mike Rowley to implement a commissary service. The service called Keefe Commissary Network LLC would allow those incarcerated at the Forks Jail to order commissary items and the operation of payments for those items; payments to inmate trust accounts; and when an inmate is released the transferring of those inmate funds to a debit card. Currently, jail staff has to shop for these extra items. This service would allow the inmate to do their own shopping and the items would be delivered to the jail in about a day.
Also, currently, when a person leaves jail they get a check for the balance of their trust fund. Many times cashing that check can be a problem for the former inmate.
The Jail would still provide inmate meals.
Rowley said the service would free up staff time and also help with staff not handling so much cash. After a few questions, and explanations the council approved the adoption of the new service.
In staff reports city Attorney/Planner Rod Fleck shared that work at the Forks Transit center to seal and stripe the parking lot had been completed. Clallam Transit and the city had shared the cost. Fleck also commented on conversations regarding our current housing shortage. An area of need not being addressed is for those making $15-$20 per hour. He said looking at ways to help fund developers to create small rental units was needed.
The meeting adjourned at 8:35.
Remembering a teacher ….
I was recently contacted by Anita Ferris for some contacts for some of our former Forks teachers. Next week the FHS class of 1971 is having a reunion. She wondered about Mr. Woodwick. I did not have him as a teacher but remembered him and had met him and his wife Gene when they attended several of our all-school reunions. I was a huge fan of Gene’s writing and we corresponded via email after we met. She died in 2017.
So I did a quick search for Mr. Woodwick and was sad to see he had also passed away in February of 2019.
So I posted his obituary, that I had found, on the Fallen Spartan Facebook page. It was great to see all the wonderful memories that Forks “kids” had of this former teacher.
Many had been the recipients of his dreaded “paddle” and still commented that he was “the best teacher they ever had!”
Here is his obituary ….
Larry Edward Woodwick, 84, former teacher and a resident of Ocean Shores, died at his home Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2019. He was born March 2, 1934, in Klamath Falls, Oregon, the son of Edward Lafloye and Grace L. (Jones) Woodwick. He was raised in Spokane and graduated from Rogers High School in 1952.
He served in the Navy and then attended Western Washington State College at Bellingham and Eastern Washington State College at Cheney. He would later receive his Masters of Education degree from the University of Washington.
He would marry Imagene L. “Gene” Merrifield in Anacortes, Washington, June 4, 1957. Gene preceded Larry in death May 4, 2017.
Larry would teach at Forks schools from 1960 through 1966, going to North Bend, Washington, in 1966, living at Snoqualmie until 1984 coming to Ocean Shores that year. But Larry continued to commute to North Bend until he retired in 1989. He would work for Microsoft, moving offices and equipment until he took a second retirement at age 72 in 2006.
He was an avid UW Husky fan. He volunteered to tutor at Ocean Shores, Queets and North River schools, often supplying books and school supplies to the kids at his own expense.
He was a member of the Immanuel Baptist Church, Hoquiam, Preston Baptist Church at Preston, Washington, and the Retired Teachers Association.
Larry was the recipient in 1983 of the KING5 Golden Apple Award for teacher of the year.
He is survived by two sons: Brian Woodwick, Issaquah, Washington, and Bruce (Barbara Christianson) Woodwick, Anacortes; two daughters: Lynelle (Claude) Freeman, Everett, and Molly Woodwick, Ocean Shores; a sister: Nadine Martin, Spokane; and also three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Besides his wife, Gene, Larry is preceded in death by a son, Sean Woodwick, in 2011.
Christi Baron
Editor
