Dan Driscoll
Dan Driscoll called me yesterday. Even though he lives just a few blocks northeast of us, we don’t see him often and hear from him even less than that. He’s a busy guy – an oyster grower with a wholesale business, a retail business and a restoration project all rolled into one. He began the conversation in the best possible way – with flattery! I’m a sucker for flattery..
“You are Oysterville’s primo promoter and publicist,” he said – or words to that effect. “When Shawn Wong told me that he reads your blog every day, I realized what an impact you have.”
Shawn Wong
Wow! Shawn Wong reads my blog? I was dutifully impressed, just like Dan. (If you aren’t sure who Shawn is, Google him. You’ll be impressed, too.)
So, naturally, I was all ears. Dan wanted to tell me about his latest interaction with the county and to apprise me of the fact that his next court date is October 7th. He asked if it would be okay to send me his “latest timeline” and I said “sure.” Along with the timeline came several other documents that I haven’t had time to look at yet – one is 18 pages long and is called “OSF [Oysterville Sea Farms] Response to Infraction” and one is 161 pages long and is called “Exhibits to OSF Response Brief.” I doubt that they will be light reading.
I did look briefly (so to speak) at the timeline. It begins:
The Oysterville Cannery, 1973
1933 – Dan Driscoll’s Grandparents, Ted and Virginia Holway, begin farming oysters in Willapa Bay. In partnership with the Kemmer and Heckes families, they develop the Oysterville Cannery buildings into Northern Oyster Company, a booming oyster processing
business. Canning ceases at the Cannery after the Korean War.
The final entry says:
“Oysterville Sea Farms” by Pat Fagerland
Tuesday, October 7, 9:00am – OSF will appear in South District Court to contest this “infraction from the future.” All are encouraged to attend. We are hoping for a decision that will allow OSF to carry on as it was prior to June 2011, and that Pacific County will direct its energy, resources and money on productive and necessary endeavors.
The 16 entries in-between document Dan and his family’s involvement with the Northern Oyster Company/Oysterville Sea Farms and Dan’s account of his difficulties culminating in his current court dispute. It makes for interesting reading.
Even more interesting will be the outcome of the current court case. However it goes, I hope that justice will be served and that all parties will feel satisfied with the outcome.
Is this the dispute about the café they used to run? I contacted the county at the time to voice my support but thought it must have been decided against them since – unfortunately – the cute little café in the corner never reappeared.
Much more complicated and involved than “the cafe they used to run” but that was definitely part of the problem. The controversy has been on-going for three and a half years and is now going through the hoops of litigation.
Somehow I get the feeling that my reference to their former café was taken as an insult. I can’t imagine why but that certainly was not my intention. In any case, hopefully the legal matters will be settled in their favor soon.
Not at all, Linda. It has just been a very stressful three and a half years for all of us who care about Oysterville and about Dan. You can learn more about it by going to http://tdn.com/news/local/pacific-county-oysterville-sea-farms-at-odds-over-zoning-rules/article_09f3533e-d43d-11e0-812a-001cc4c002e0.html.