Kudos for the paper mill

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Sadly enough, the mill doesn’t get much good press. It seems as though they are consistently the recipient of too much bad press coverage. I would like to share a story about their overwhelming commitment to safety.

In late June, I requested a meeting with the mill manager, Mr. Mike Craft. On July 2, the head football coach at Chimacum, Mr. Chris Storm and I arrived at the mill promptly at 10 a.m. where we were met at the watchman’s shack by Mr. Craft.

It was evident from that point on that safety is taken seriously at the mill as we made our way to his office by way of a very specific route that was well identified as a “safe zone” if you will.

Hard hats, fluorescent vests, and safety reminder posters were everywhere. Our request for this meeting was to ask the mill for a donation to help us replace some dangerously unsafe shoulder pads.

We brought a pair in with us as an example. We could tell right away that we had Mr. Craft’s attention. He was genuinely concerned with our kids’ safety and asked how much we needed to get our equipment to a level of acceptance. We then gave him a number and he told us that he could not promise us anything. But he would take it to his superior and let us know.

As anyone who follows football knows, it’s an expensive sport to outfit. Especially for small, rural districts.

We all know that schools are in the business of education and not athletics and getting them to spend money on equipment is a tough sale. I am happy to tell you that the mill came through and our kids will be safer because of them.

Mike Clarke

Port Hadlock