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Residents urge action on encampments, needles and litter; commissioners pledge follow-up
Summary
Several residents and volunteers told the Mason County commissioners about hazardous conditions at local homeless encampments — including needles, stolen lumber and stream pollution — and asked for a proactive county response. Commissioners thanked volunteers and said staff and commissioners would meet to pursue options.
Multiple residents and members of a volunteer cleanup crew urged the Mason County Board of Commissioners to take a more proactive approach to homeless encampments, trash and discarded needles during the meeting’s public comment period.
Speakers described large accumulations of garbage, stolen and burned lumber, human waste near streams draining to Elkland Bay, and more than a thousand needles collected by volunteers. Commenters said the situation has grown to cover a roughly one-mile area near the boatyard and downstream into waterways.
Why it matters: Residents described public-health hazards and property damage they say threaten neighborhood safety, water quality and public use of shoreline areas. Volunteers seeking broader county support said the scale of work exceeds what they can manage by hand.
What residents said
- Bill Hyatt, a Mason County resident who said he works with Charlie’s Vision and the county cleanup crew, said he left Tacoma because of homeless problems there and that he did not want Mason County to “turn into garbage.” He described taking action through the cleanup crew and said property owners had been notified when possible.
- A cleanup volunteer described finding human excrement and “standing in 3 feet of garbage,” and said crews haul off bicycles and other debris but the sites are being rebuilt.
- Sandy Campbell, who identified herself as a long-time resident, described theft of lumber and ongoing vandalism and asked commissioners directly, “What are you going to do about it?”
County response and next steps
- Commissioners acknowledged the cleanup volunteers and reiterated limits on county authority inside Shelton city limits. A commissioner said the county is working on options that do not require stepping onto private property and warned about legal exposure if officials or county employees enter private property without authorization.
- Commissioners said they are coordinating with local officials and agencies. One commissioner announced a meeting with key participants to discuss cleanup actions scheduled for the next day at 3 p.m. and noted work at the state level to ensure funding also includes cleanup responsibilities tied to homeless outreach supplies.
Ending: Commissioners thanked volunteers for their work and said staff would pursue follow-up meetings and options for more proactive, coordinated responses; volunteers urged quicker, more robust county action to address needles, dumped vehicles, stolen lumber and stream pollution.
