| More stores for Sequim 4/12/05 Sequim, WA - Get ready for more retail development in Sequim, with everything from a sandwich shop to a video game store coming to a new mini-mall on the west side of the city. The Sequim Gazette is reporting this week that the new Riverbend Center is a go, with several key tenants signing leases to be in the development. The mall would go on property immediately west of Wal-Mart off West Washington and was approved by the city council last year. The Gazette is reporting that, in addition to a new West Sound Bank branch… the Riverbend Center will include a Quizno’s sandwich shop, a Payless Shoe Source store, E.B. Games, which specializes in video games, and a Hairmasters Salon. The developers are also moving forward with plans to construct up to 130,000 square feet of independent living space for seniors just west of the retail center. In Other News... Clallam jobless rate improves Clallam County’s jobless rate had a stellar year in 2004, with totals hitting their lowest marks in more than 30-years.But already it looks like the county’s job picture may even be rosier in 2005. The latest numbers released by the State Employment Security Department show Clallam County posting a jobless rate of just 5.7% in March. That’s down from 6.5% the month before and is considerably lower than last March, despite the shutdown of the Port Angeles dry dock construction. There were just over 1900 people looking filing claims for unemployment insurance last month. Jefferson County is also seeing a similar employment outlook, with a March jobless rate of just over 5%,which is also better than last year. Public surveyed on Bridge closure dates Do you think Department of Transportation should close the Hood Canal bridge in August or wait until September? Should the closure be scheduled on the weekend, or in the middle of the week to impact fewer motorists? Those questions are at the heart of the debate as the Department of Transportation tries to schedule a planned construction closure of the bridge later this summer. DOT’s contractor needs to close the bridge twice this year, so workers can install the new approach spans which are used to connect the bridge to shore. That means we won’t have the bridge for 2 to 3 days, on two separate dates. DOT has been leaning toward scheduling those closures in August. But that has raised concerns from local business leaders, especially since one of those closures might happen in the first part of August. That would be right when thousands of people are headed to Port Angeles for the 2005 Paddle Journey, which will bring families from all over the region to join the Lower Elwha Klallams at the annual gathering in PA. With up to 8000 people coming for the week long celebration, that could present a major travel headache, on top of the already busy tourist traffic we have in August. DOT has agreed to gauge public opinion at two public meetings next month. In addition, a survey has now been posted at the www.hoodcanalbridge.com web site. Or if you don’t have access to the Internet, the Peninsula Daily News will be publishing hard copies of the survey that you can complete and mail in the Friday editions of the PDN.
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