Disqus - Latest Comments for maryacolborn

Re: The virtues of being unreasonable on Keystone

maryacolborn — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 17:16:36 -0000

Wonderful article! As one of the 35-50,000 activists at the rally, I can say without question that we all are taking action beyond marching and attending rallies. We are buying locally, driving EV's, growing organic food, composting, recycling, building green and more. While these are small actions, they add up to a reduction in our personal and collective carbon emissions. Still, all of our efforts are in vain if we continue to extract carbon from the earth through fracking, tapping the tar sands, blowing up mountains for coal. So, we were there in D.C., wearing layers and layers of clothing to withstand the high winds and cold temps. We are in D.C. supporting the Gwich'in people in saving the Arctic. We are in D.C. supporting Voices of the Appalachian in stopping mountaintop removal coal mining. We are with the First Nations of Canada, who need our support to save their arboreal forests. We understand how powerful the carbon extractors are and how much money they have, but we also believe that our voices matter.

Re: Port Orchard branded by Debbie and Delilah - Port Orchard Independent

maryacolborn — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 02:33:28 -0000

I saw a bumper sticker recently for Amsterdam. It read: "I amsterdam," with the I am in black and the rest of Amsterdam in red. Very clever, don't you think.

Re: We are what we eat — unfortunately - Port Orchard Independent

maryacolborn — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 19:50:28 -0000

You are right, Mr. Petsch, but I think my readership gets tired of me talking about the importance of changing our food system. I have written about Michael Pollan, Joel Saladin, Alice Waters, Will Allen and the other gurus of the food movement, or revolution as Will Allen calls it and the changes they suggest. I wish the powers that be would consider making significant alterations to our farm subsidy programs so that we no longer subsidize corn to the extent that corn syrup ends up in practically everything, including catsup.

Your suggestions are sound. I thank you for making them.

Re: School district assessed $66K for primary election cost - Port Orchard Independent

maryacolborn — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 18:16:41 -0000

You are not fooling anyone with that comment, Kathryn. The taxpayers bear the burden regardless. Not more if the money comes from the school district and not less.

If you really cared about the legitimacy of Ms. Porter, why weren't you more upfront with Ms. Gilmore? You could easily have introduced yourself as a school board member with concerns over Ms. Porter's residency. But, you did not. You could have asked straightforward questions with the intent of gaining real answers. But, you did not.

You want it both ways, as always. You want to pretend to be a private citizen with all the rights therein, while using (and I believe, abusing) power as an elected official.

Come clean. Admit that you are the one who made the mistake. If you were so convinced that there was a problem, YOU could have dealt with it in a manner that was honorable and that did NOT and does not call into question anyone else's integrity.

If you find that slanderous in nature, I have pages of far more slanderous comments from you.

Re: Paint the town volunteers seek permission to change awning's color - Port Orchard Independent

maryacolborn — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 00:14:17 -0000

Legislator Jan Angel shared with me that she had been part of a committee back in 1984 or so that commissioned students from Central Washington University (I believe) to come up with a plan for the downtown. She said that the group met every other Saturday for over a year. They arrived at a plan that put two faces on the downtown buildings - a marina face and a Bay Street face. She said that the idea was "to have two front doors." A color scheme was chosen and paint was donated, but that's where the project stopped. The building owners weren't interested in making the changes.

I guess the theme, she said, for the downtown was "Art and Antiques." Today one of the business owners said that people keep asking if the theme is "Bail Bonds Row?"

Anyway, I think the efforts of caring people should always be commended. Whether it is your chosen color scheme or not.

Re: Coppola caricature reflects merchant's displeasure with 'Paint the Town' - Port Orchard Independent

maryacolborn — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 02:14:33 -0000

I was just thinking that I know exactly how you feel about the painting of the town. I felt the same way about the SK Community Park. When Chuck Jeu called in the fall of 2005 and asked me to carry on his vision for the park, I was in the middle of a lot of important work of my own. I put it on hold. The man was dying and wanted me to keep his dream alive, so I made the sacrifices to do so.

That fight with the County taking the park from the park district commissioners got ugly, very bloody and emotionally, physically and spiritually painful.

After it was over and the County had the park, people started coming in droves to the county planning meetings. They'd have all kinds of ideas for what they wanted to do at the park. I'd just look at them and think "Where were you when Chuck was dying of cancer and pleading with someone to care about this park?" "Where were you when little Margie Rees, who died of cancer two years later was investing her own money into activities at the park?" "Where were you when it needed to be maintained and Ron Flerx was giving up every weekend throughout the spring and summer to keep it mowed?" "Where were you when Charlotte Garrido was planting trees there?" "Where were you?"

I'd listen and read of all these plans for the park. People who wanted new playgrounds. People who wanted new ball fields and sports courts. I helped Leslie with the skateboard park idea, but that was presented as original, too. I'd hear people talk as if they somehow thought all their ideas were original, not recognizing that others had voiced those dreams for years and years and years without support.

So, I understand how you feel about interlopers swooping in. I completely understand. I don't have answers to how you heal and move on. I walked outside after reading triumphant blogs related to the county winning possession of the park on July 20, 2007, and slipped on grass and broke my leg. It took a long time to heal. I didn't speak to Tina Jeu for over two years, because she didn't recognize or appreciate (in my opinion) how much I had sacrificed to carry her husband's dreams forward. It didn't seem as if she had any gratitude for how much I gave with nothing in return. (Two weeks ago, she expressed that she did.)

Now, I realize that whether people appreciated the efforts of all those park crusaders, like myself, who had come before them, the torch was carried forward by us. Whether those people were there when we needed them to be or not, they care now. At times it felt like too little too late, but it does matter.

So, if this is any help, people do care now. They don't fully appreciate the torch people like Mallory have carried all these years. That is regrettable, but they do care now.

Re: Coppola caricature reflects merchant's displeasure with 'Paint the Town' - Port Orchard Independent

maryacolborn — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 01:07:47 -0000

I read through my comments again, just for the fun of it and I don't see anything insulting in any of them. I do think that there is/was a lot of anger over the issue of painting the town. I just stated the facts as I understood them to be, regarding colors. I also gave information to the community on how hard many people worked.

Just found out that Scott McClendon was incredibly generous with the supplies for Paint the Town. He's contribution was significant and impressive. Many people cared deeply, like Scott, about this project.

I am sorry that some people didn't feel included, or chose not to be part of something that was pretty wonderful and remains pretty wonderful. While the green wouldn't have been my choice (it will be fixed on Fred's building), the rest of the buildings look phenomenal. They are cleaner, fresher and brighter looking. Everyone has their own opinion when it comes to color. I love color. I love it as bright and beautiful as possible. I loved all the colors chosen for the town thus far, even the maritime blue and teal that everyone hated on the marquee. I like the green pillars. I like the burnt sienna and the browns. I like them better in Bremerton, but I like them. I like Delilah's bright yellow building. And, the dance gallery and the theater and Darryl's building. They are beautiful. I think that Kim & Casey Smith did an amazing job on the mural.

The VFW would have been beautiful red, white and blue. Sorry that the veterans there chose to fight instead of paint. they could have honored everyone who ever served by painting their building a color that identified it as a place for veterans. They could have had fun working with the young Marines who came out in force for Paint the Town. It could have been an amazing partnership.

A good paint job can have a transforming affect on a building and a community.

This one has. Let it be a positive transformation.

If you read anything negative in my comments, it comes from you, not from me. A good friend told me once that when you see something in another, it's something that you have projected out that is bouncing back to you. Whatever you criticize another for, you need to own. If anything I let myself take the brunt of your attacks, because you needed to vent your anger at someone.

Re: Coppola caricature reflects merchant's displeasure with 'Paint the Town' - Port Orchard Independent

maryacolborn — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 00:41:51 -0000

Actually, I removed it with the edit button right after I read through it. I had hoped that it effectively removed it. I didn't realize that people could copy and save something that quickly.

As far as being slanderous, what would you call the behavior of the VFW that Friday night that they would deem appropriate?

Re: Coppola caricature reflects merchant's displeasure with 'Paint the Town' - Port Orchard Independent

maryacolborn — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 16:29:46 -0000

The police just called and the number was hijacked from its owner and sending out these videos to "random" recipients.

I apologize if those at Sugar Daddies took my message personally. However, I stand by my beliefs that the distractors have taken this argument over Paint the Town too far.

Once again, your buidings were not touched with paint. Your wishes were honored and respected. I stand by that.

Re: Coppola caricature reflects merchant's displeasure with 'Paint the Town' - Port Orchard Independent

maryacolborn — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 15:49:37 -0000

I am not suggesting that anyone here is responsible, but if anyone here is the person (or persons) responsible for the streaming pornographic videos that have been sent to my Blackberry phone throughout the morning, know that Verizon is already blocking the calls and I filed a harassment report with the police. They have the phone number and promised to deal with the situation.

I am sorry for those who feel that they weren't heard, for those whose egos were bruised and for those who didn't get their way and had to watch Paint the Town go on regardless of their efforts to stop it.

However, your wishes were respected. The buildings of those who are the biggest distractors were not painted. No one put a drop of paint to the buildings that house Sugar Daddy's Salon, or the VFW or Morningside Bakery.

Your wishes were honored and granted. So, can this stop? That's the question I asked of Tim Waibel and James Harris yesterday and the question I ask again.

Your request was honored.

Re: Coppola caricature reflects merchant's displeasure with 'Paint the Town' - Port Orchard Independent

maryacolborn — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 01:57:43 -0000

There was no name calling in any way, shape or form. When I called Tim and James, I told them that I was sorry they were angry. I asked if they would stop. That's all, nothing more.

I removed the entry that called into question VFW members' sobriety. I have not paid any attention to the VFW post in the 18 years I have lived in Port Orchard. I do not plan to change that, aside to recognize that the place is best avoided.

They are free to do whatever they wish in their building, painted or not. I do not care. At all. Period. End of story.

Re: Coppola caricature reflects merchant's displeasure with 'Paint the Town' - Port Orchard Independent

maryacolborn — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 18:40:25 -0000

I am sorry you took offense. What I thought I said was, "I am sorry you are so angry about this."

Re: Coppola caricature reflects merchant's displeasure with 'Paint the Town' - Port Orchard Independent

maryacolborn — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 18:13:16 -0000

No, I just called your salon to ask both of you, James Harris and Tim Waibel, to stop. Not to insult you or to offend you, just to ask you to stop this. That's all. Nothing more.

Re: Port Orchard transformed by volunteer paint effort - Port Orchard Independent

maryacolborn — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 12:30:10 -0000

Once again I reiterate, the VFW was given the option of having their building painted blue with white trim and red accents. Heather was given approval to move forward. The paint was purchased. However, the red wasn't the right red and so was remixed to correct. This process added an additional cost to the paint that was absorbed by Delilah. She paid $31,000 for materials and supplies for Paint the Town.

On Friday night word came from Commander Streete said that the proper approval hadn't been granted. Apparently, an approval was given by the wrong parties. That's ok. A mistake was made. Sometimes that happens in organizations. Commander Streete said that he must take the issue to his membership at a meeting. He asked that his building not be painted. His words were respected and it wasn't painted. End of story.

All of us do significant volunteer work within the community. That is not of issue here.

Re: Coppola caricature reflects merchant's displeasure with 'Paint the Town' - Port Orchard Independent

maryacolborn — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 12:20:11 -0000

Once again, I reiterate, the colors chosen were patriotic red, white and blue, the standard colors. I don't believe Heather or Delilah would have deviated from respecting the stand rwb of the flag. The VFW staff was given the final approval. There was concern that the red was wrong and so it was remixed at an additional cost to Delilah.

Approval was given by people who did not fully represent the membership. They made a mistake. Commander Streete wasn't aware that approval had been granted. Since he needs to follow protocol and bring the matter to a vote of his membership, he requested that his building not be painted, until he can do so. The paint purchase remains and the membership can choose to accept it, or not.

His word was respected and the building was not painted. It remains the color that it was painted two or so years ago. No one was aware that interior work was planned for that weekend. There was little disruption on that street. The painting contractor for that quadrant had an emergency and did not come on Sunday. So, the work could have progressed as planned.

However, this a non-story, not deserving of the energy you are putting into personal insults and attacks. I am glad that you like Charlie Bermant's reporting. He will be pleased.

There is no further story here.

Re: Coppola caricature reflects merchant's displeasure with 'Paint the Town' - Port Orchard Independent

maryacolborn — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 12:08:23 -0000

No moss doesn't contain lead. Paul Warner spent several hours spray washing the moss from the wall that runs along the East side of the street. It looks significantly better without the moss. There is still work to be done along that curb.

I know of no moss that was painted over. However, there were young teens helping with the project. It is possible that they painted over moss. And, if the moss was over lead based paint, then it could not be removed without the potential of disturbing the lead paint. I believe that at least one of the business owners expressed the environmental concern for lead being released.

Re: Coppola caricature reflects merchant's displeasure with 'Paint the Town' - Port Orchard Independent

maryacolborn — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 12:01:40 -0000

You are right. It would have been preferable to have more lead time and more prep time. The painter who is working on the antique shop on the corner across from Myhre's is taking a long time to prep. The building will be lovely. Heather has a strong background in home renovation and she knows this, as well. She would rather have had the lead time. As it stood, she, nor the committee had it.

There jsut wasn't time for that quality of prep. Not, if you wanted to make a change by Cedar Cove Days. That is not to say that you personally could not undertake a separate initiative and organize your own Paint the Town event. Or, even your own paint one or two building event.

Personally, I would have liked to see the painting contractors paid for their efforts. I would have liked to see more time taken. However, if closing the street for one day generated that type of anger, can you imagine trying to close it longer. Or, the anger or concern that would have been generated if someone felt that the lead paint was disturbed and lead was released to the Sound.

It was the best compromise available.

The same with the light green Slip 45 building. It would have been nice to replace all those rotted boards under the tin. However, that would have cost $10,000 to $20,000 in repair work for tin removal, board replacement and then tin replacement. Since no one has that time of money to donate to the project, the tin was painted and it looks bumpy and uneven.

Re: Coppola caricature reflects merchant's displeasure with 'Paint the Town' - Port Orchard Independent

maryacolborn — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 03:43:09 -0000

The owner of several of the buildings donated a considerable amount of money for refreshments for volunteers. $300 of this money was earmarked by Delilah for pastries that could have been supplied by Morningside Bakery. They could also have supplied (for a price, of course) morning coffee. As it went, the coffee was supplied by Starbucks instead, which is sad, considering everyone wanted to "Buy Local."

Re: Coppola caricature reflects merchant's displeasure with 'Paint the Town' - Port Orchard Independent

maryacolborn — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 03:40:12 -0000

The paint on the movie theater is called Harvest Gold, not mustard. It is a different color from the existing trim on the VFW building. The color was chosen to blend well with the colors on the adjacent buildings.

Re: Coppola caricature reflects merchant's displeasure with 'Paint the Town' - Port Orchard Independent

maryacolborn — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 03:37:36 -0000

No county workers that I know of participated in Paint the Town. There were landscapers near City Hall, but they were with a separate project.

Delilah is a strong leader, but certainly not shallow. If you had issues or concerns with the color palette, there was ample opportunity given to offer input. Notices were everything that gave you Heather's direct phone number and contact info.

Re: Coppola caricature reflects merchant's displeasure with 'Paint the Town' - Port Orchard Independent

maryacolborn — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 03:33:09 -0000

Delilah adopted four children who are now adults. She adopted a nine year old boy when he was a baby and last year adopted two girls from a Ghanan refugee camp. That doesn't add up to 20 adopted children. My math says its closer to seven. She has three biological children, which brings the total to ten.

Re: Coppola caricature reflects merchant's displeasure with 'Paint the Town' - Port Orchard Independent

maryacolborn — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 03:28:27 -0000

It's not six buildings. The count is really 15 or 18 if you add the three Mentor houses on the hill.

Re: Coppola caricature reflects merchant's displeasure with 'Paint the Town' - Port Orchard Independent

maryacolborn — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 03:22:44 -0000

Like I wrote, Heather had taken care of getting an approval for the paint colors prior to Friday evening. Red, white and blue paint was purchased for that building. The blue was a patriotic blue and the white was a pure white - the same one used on the other buildings for trim. The red was deemed to be the wrong color red by VFW personnel, who asked that it be remixed. My understanding is that it was remixed at an additional cost, since the other red was already mixed and paid for

Heather and Delilah were surprised to discover that there were issues with painting the building. They thought they had gone through the proper channels and had gotten the proper approvals. They have signed papers to prove they followed proper protocol. They were then threatened with a lawsuit if paint touched the building. The words of Commander Streete were respected and the building was not painted.

As it stands, this is a non-issue. The VFW chose not to have their building painted red, white and blue. Since the crews pulled a twelve hour day, they won't be returning. So, the VFW can remain the color that it is. End of story.

Re: Coppola caricature reflects merchant's displeasure with 'Paint the Town' - Port Orchard Independent

maryacolborn — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 03:11:23 -0000

Delilah is in Hawaii with her younger children. That is why she wasn't painting today. Erin and Kara were enjoying the process of painting their building. You are wrong with your building count, too, there were 15 buildings involved in the process, not six. Let's count starting with your business - 1 - movie theater; 2 - antique mall (barely started, but paint is purchased); 3 - Fred's building (which includes three businesses); 4 - the white building with its black highlights; 5 - Darryl's Moondogs Too - paint used was chosen by building owner Ron and painted by professionals Darryl hired; 6 - Rudy's building; 7 - Erin and Kara's Dance Gallery; 8 - All About Floors; 9 - Hall & Sons (which my brother painted in 90 plus degree weather - not yet done either, but started). Now, across the street and heading back to your Sugar Daddies 10 - Delilah's bright yellow building; 11 - Slip 45 (not my favorite color, but it's alright. It is cleaner); 12 - Myhre's with a lovely dark gray with a lighter gray underneath; 13 - the other antique mall, which is being painted by the husband of the business owner (I believe), who is doing an amazing job with prep and painting. It will be beautiful; 14 - the Ale House with their new cedar shingles that Todd doesn't want painted and so will be stained instead. 15 - the plain yellow, empty building. It's a fairly plain, ugly little building that could use a different color or texture to it, maybe....

16, 17, 18 - the three houses on the hill owned by Joe Mentor (I believe, not sure)

Not everything was done. Some of the work could not be prepped properly due to lead content in existing paint, or previous paint. But, all in all a lot of work was completed.

In fact, the business manager for the Corner Deli appeared on Monday and expressed that he was out of town and missed the chance to participate. He asked if his building could be painted, as well. That will bring the total to 19. 20 if you add the trim that will be painted on the Vic Vlist building.

No doubt 20 buildings in two days was pretty ambitious.

Re: Coppola caricature reflects merchant's displeasure with 'Paint the Town' - Port Orchard Independent

maryacolborn — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 02:55:07 -0000

Most of what you are saying is not true. For instance, only a few merchants had issues with painting the town. No one was force fed an authoritarian decision. People were given choices of colors. Many building owners opted for their own color scheme. No building owner was forced to paint his or her building. Only a few people turned "nasty and ugly." Their buildings have not been painted. They remain as they were. And, they can continue to remain as they are.

Heather spent 60 hour weeks coordinating, organizing and touching base with volunteers, building and business owners. She did all that work for free. If there was a miscommunication, efforts should have been made to rectify that, not just on her side, but on the side of the person with the grievance or problem.

Tourists walked up and down the street on Sunday to watch the painting process. Open businesses saw significant traffic. The Rudds would have made that $1,500 that they insist they make every Sunday. As of yesterday, they still hadn't returned the $300 given by Delilah for pastries for the volunteers. That information came directly from Delilah, who checked with her bank/credit card carrier.