Mar 03, 1998

Lasher Holzapfel

The Seattle law firm of Lasher Holzapfel Sperry & Ebberson has elected Kevin Hanchett managing principal. Robert J. Henry, formerly a partner with Cable, Lagenbach and recently of counsel at the Lasher firm, has been named a principal. Henry focuses his practice on commercial litigation in state and federal courts. Paul Tonella, who has been with the firm since 1989, has also been named a principal. Tonella focuses his practice on corporate and tax law, estate planning and probate. Richard A. Acarregui, formerly a partner with Casey and Pruzan, has joined the firm as of counsel. Acarregui focuses his practice on real estate, construction, corporate and general business law. Molly Farr has been hired as an associate in the firm's litigation department. Farr will focus on commercial litigation. Brian H. Bauer has joined the firm as the systems administrator. Bauer will manage the network resources and implement the new document management program and web site.

Hagen, Kurth, Perman

Through its membership in Accounting Firms Associated, Inc., Hagen, Kurth, Perman & Co., P.S., a Seattle-based C.P.A. and business consulting firm, recently admitted seven new firms to its international network. The newest members are Aldrich Kilbride & Tatone of Salem, Ore.; Barnard, Vogler & Co. of Reno, Nev.; Cole & Reed of Oklahoma City, Ok.; McLean, Koehler, Sparks & Hammond of Baltimore; Parker, Wittus & Co. of Detroit; Siegfried, Crandall, Vos & Lewis of Kalamazoo, Mich.; and Tullius Taylor Sartain & Sartain of Tulsa, Ok. The association provides its members with practice management support, continuing education, marketing services and sharing of expertise and resources.

Frontier Financial

Frontier Financial Corp., the Everett-based parent company of Frontier Bank, has made application to permit trading of Frontier stock on the Nasdaq national market. It is expected that public trading will commence in approximately 60 days. Frontier is the largest locally-owned, independent, commercial bank headquartered in Western Washington.

Immunex

Joseph M. Mahady has been elected to the board of directors of Immunex Corp. in Seattle. Robert A. Essner has resigned from the board. Mahady is president of Wyeth-Ayerst North America, a division of American Home Products Corp.

Foushee

Two new team members have joined the staff at Foushee & Associates. John Carskaddon is the new controller and John Bostick is a project engineer for the company's Shell Department. Carskaddon has 15 years of experience in the construction industry and holds an accounting degree from California State University at Fullerton. Bostick is a recent graduate of the University of Washington and spent six years in the Marines.

Western Tile & Marble

Several new faces have appeared at Western Tile & Marble Contractors Inc. in Bellevue. Doug McKay is a commercial estimator, Natalie Wiitra is a project manager for residential/small commercial applications, Michael Hobart is a project manager in the residential division and Virginia Kolano is the new marketing director.

WinEstimator

WinEstimator, a developer of accounting and estimating software for the construction industry, recently announced Phil Larson has been named vice president of the Estimating Department and Mark Jordheim has been promoted to leader of the Special Projects Group. Larson will be responsible for the refinement and enhancement of the company's estimating products. Jordheim will explore new software product market expansion opportunities.

Garry Struthers Assoc.

Garry Struthers Associates Inc. has been named "Contractor of the Year" by the Seattle District Army Corps of Engineers. The company was commended for its performance on a five-year, $20 million environmental restoration contract at sites throughout Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska and Montana. The engineering and construction company was also nominated by the Corps for Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year. Struthers won that award earlier last month from SBA Region X of the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Olson Energy

Olson Energy Service of Seattle was recently presented with the Trane Pace Setter award. Trane's Pace Setter program awards dealers for overall company growth, equipment purchases, increases in purchases over the previous year, and participation in sales programs, training and dealer meetings.

'Use-based' water quality standards

OLYMPIA -- The state Department of Ecology is on the verge of adopting new "use-based" water quality standards for rivers, lakes and marine waters across Washington. The new standards would result in varying protection levels based upon water bodies' "beneficial uses." For example, streams used by salmon and bull trout would require more stringent protection levels, while irrigation channels and stormwater treatment lagoons could have less stringent protection levels. "We need to think about what realistically should be required of these human-made waterworks," said Mark Hicks, Ecology's water quality standards coordinator. Ecology also is planning to gradually eliminate its allowance for "mixing zones" for highly-toxic chemicals that persist in the environment by bioaccumulating to higher and higher levels in fish and shellfish. Such chemicals include mercury, PCBs, cadmium, dioxins, furans, benzopyrine and pesticides like aldrin, Hicks said. Fifteen years from now, businesses that discharge such chemicals would need to meet water-quality criteria for those chemicals at the point of discharge without the benefit of dilution, Hicks said. "Within five years, they must have a plan in place to show how they're going to accomplish that," he said. Public workshops on these and other proposed changes are scheduled for 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on the following days:

• Today, Ecology's Kennewick Office, 1315 Fourth Ave., Kennewick;
• Wednesday, Hal Holmes Center, 201 N. Ruby, Ellensburg;
• Thursday, Ecology Headquarters Building, 300 Desmond Drive, Lacey;
• March 9, Ecology Northwest Regional Office, 3190 160th Ave. S.E., Bellevue;
• March 11, Fairhaven Pavilion, 107 Chuckanut Drive, Bellingham;
• March 12, Water Resources Education Center, 4600 S.E. Columbia Way, Vancouver.

'Build a Better Kitsap' program wins award

BAINBRIDGE ISLAND -- Kathleen O'Brien, principal of O'Brien & Co. on Bainbridge Island, was recognized recently for her contributions to the "green building" industry at the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) International Convention in Dallas. O'Brien & Co. provides information and advice on resource-efficient design and construction. Over the past three years, O'Brien has helped the Home Builders Association of Kitsap County develop the "Build a Better Kitsap" program, which recognizes builders and remodelers for incorporating environmentally-friendly techniques in their projects. The program received the Local Legislative/Government Affairs Program Special Chairman's Award at the NAHB convention in Dallas. The award was presented to O'Brien and Art Castle, executive vice president of the Home Builders Association of Kitsap County. The NAHB Research Center plans to showcase the Build a Better Kitsap program as a model for other homebuilders associations around the country, O'Brien said. "The program focuses on saving energy, saving materials and protecting water quality," O'Brien said. "So there are obvious environmental benefits. And if you protect your environment, you protect your local economy, as well." In addition, builders who participate in the program look more attractive to consumers and government regulators, O'Brien said. O'Brien is now busy helping the Clark County Homebuilders Association develop a spin-off program called "Build a Better Clark."

Update on cleanup, future use of Asarco site

EVERETT -- The city of Everett Planning Commission will have a workshop at 6:30 tonight on the cleanup and future land-use alternatives for the old Asarco smelter site in north Everett, where dangerous levels of arsenic and other metals have been found. The most severely contaminated area is the 6-acre site where Asarco Inc. refined arsenic in the early 1900s. However, arsenic contamination has been found throughout a 300-acre area developed with homes, businesses, industrial plants and the municipal Legion Memorial Golf Course. "This is a huge area," said Everett Planning Director Paul Roberts. "It's a fairly substantial section of what is north Everett." Of the approximately 300 homes in the area, 22 built directly over the old smelter have been purchased by Asarco and torn down, Roberts said. A remedial investigation/feasibility study has been completed by the Tacoma office of Hydrometrics Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Asarco. McCulley Frick and Gilman has been hired to assist with the complex environmental mediation process. Design firm Merritt Pardini is studying future land-use options for the contaminated 6-acre site. "The cleanup will not redevelop the site, but we have to be sure we give consideration to what development will be possible depending on the way the site is left," said Ecology site manager David L. South. South said Ecology plans to complete a cleanup action plan for the site in-house. Ecology has prepared a scoping notice which describes the Asarco cleanup project and includes a list of suggested environmental issues to be analyzed in an environmental impact statement. To receive a copy of the scoping notice, call Susan Lee at Ecology at (425) 649-7138. Written comments on the scoping notice must be submitted by March 16 to: Michael J. Gallagher, Department of Ecology, 3190 160th Ave. S.E., Bellevue, WA 98008-5452. Tonight's public workshop will meet in the Everett Planning & Community Development Hearing Room, Eighth Floor, Wall Street Building, 2930 Wetmore Ave. For more information, call Paul Roberts at (425) 257-8731 or send e-mail to: dkoenig@ci.everett.wa.us.

Du Bey joins Short Cressman & Burgess

SEATTLE -- Attorney Richard Du Bey has joined Seattle law firm Short Cressman & Burgess, where he will serve as chairman of the Environmental and Natural Resources Practice Group. Formerly chairman of Stoel Rives' environmental group in Seattle, Du Bey will continue to practice in the areas of environmental, administrative and natural resources law. He handles all aspects of hazardous waste cleanups, regulatory negotiations, environmental risk management, permitting and compliance. "The opportunity to do more work in the environmental and natural resource area was really the draw," Du Bey said when asked why he made the switch. "Basic natural resource law is going to be the driver in the years to come as we deal with water quality, water quantity and land-use issues." Before he entered private practice in 1980, Du Bey spent four years as the assistant regional counsel for the Seattle office of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. He is a 1975 graduate of the New England School of Law.