PIRATES‘ SEASON ENDS Basketball team loses to Okanogan. Page 14
NEWS | Pot proposal heads to the county council. [5] LETTERS | From marijuana to football, islanders weigh in. [6] ARTS | Island storyteller shares [9] his tales for a cause.
THE STRINGS HAVE IT Island musicians team up with Seattle trio. Page 13
BEACHCOMBER VASHON-MAURY ISLAND
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5, 2014
Vol. 59, No. 10
www.vashonbeachcomber.com
75¢
Vashon applications lined up as state begins to issue pot licenses Some are deterred by new regulations By NATALIE MARTIN Staff Writer
Natalie Martin/Staff Photo
Felicia Whitmore, a member of the Washington Conservations Corps, spreads mulch at Raab’s Lagoon, one of several countysponsored conservation projects to improve the health of Quartermaster Harbor.
Study confirms concerns about poor health of harbor, sheds light on causes By NATALIE MARTIN Staff Writer
During a break between rain showers Monday, a crew of young people from the Washington Conservation Corps tended to a wide patch of Oregon grape, snowberry and hawthorne recently planted at Raab’s Lagoon. The project to replant the native foliage on the shoreline at the countyowned park is just one of a wide range of efforts currently
being carried out by county, state and local organizations to improve the health of the Quartermaster Harbor. A study recently completed by King County, however, sheds new light on one aspect of the ailing harbor — its dangerously low oxygen levels. Scientists recently completed a four-year study on Quartermaster’s low oxygen levels, which threatens life in SEE HARBOR, 20
As the state Liquor Control Board (LCB) begins to issue marijuana business licenses this week, several people are in line to start small marijuana growing and processing operations on Vashon. While a list on the LCB’s website shows there have been at least 27 applications submitted by companies or people interested in growing and processing pot on the island, interviews with some of the applicants reveal a different picture. Several applicants have dropped out since first applying for licenses last year, and others have changed or delayed their plans due to changing regulations. And while a few islanders contacted by The Beachcomber believed they would eventually be successful in the new recreational marijuana market, no one believed they were
close to receiving permits. “It’s a challenge,” said Scott Durkee, who has been planning a pot growing and processing operation with two other islanders. “There are lots of questions to answer and lots of hoops to jump through. They’ve really regulated the heck out of it.” Durkee’s group, under the new LLC Buds of Vashon, applied for a tier 2 production permit — meaning the grow operation would be 2,000 to 10,000 square feet — as well as a permit to process, or dry and package, their product. Their plans were thrown off, however, when late last year, the King County Council passed a new requirement that marijuana businesses 2,000 square feet or larger must obtain a conditional use permit (CUP). The development was seen by some as bad news for small pot operations, as the county’s CUP process can cost applicants thousands of dollars and takes months to complete. “If you apply for a CUP right now, it’s not SEE MARIJUANA, 15
VYFS sees continued demand for services, leap in numbers in 2013 Officials say economy still has an impact By SUSAN RIEMER Staff Writer
Vashon Youth & Family Services (VYFS), the island’s largest social service provider, served nearly one-third more people last year than it had the year before, an increase that is part of a multi-year trend. For five years in a row, VYFS has seen double-digit increases in clients and pro-
gram participants, said Kathleen Johnson, the executive director of the organization, who noted the agency has recently finished evaluating last year’s statistics. VYFS provides an array of services, including counseling, chemical dependency treatment, a childcare program, family support, parent coaching and emergency services for some of the island’s lowest-income residents. Nearly all areas of the agency have seen growth in recent years, Johnson said. The reasons for the increase stem from both economic times and from foundational work VYFS has done in the community.
“In part it reflects the impact of the recession and the weak recovery,” she said. “It also results from the work of the agency in building awareness on the island and partnerships that have helped us grow our capacity to meet the need.” At the same time VYFS has served increasing numbers of people, income from a variety of funding agencies, such as King County and the United Way, has dropped off considerably. In fact, Johnson said, between 2008 and 2012, private and foundation contributions dropped by 41 percent. Donations were up again in 2013
— including $40,000 from the community during the December appeal — and provided support at a crucial time, Johnson said. “The last five years have been really challenging,” she added. Jeffrey Zheutlin, who has worked at the agency for 21 years and now heads both the mental health and addiction treatment divisions, recently spoke to the growth in the agency’s mental health services. In 2013, he said, the mental health SEE VYFS, 18