COMPUTERS IN THE CLASSROOM District hopes a new program will help students in math. Page 4
DOGS AT WORK The popular sheep herding trials return to the Island. Page 12
BEACHCOMBER VASHON-MAURY ISLAND
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2011 Vol. 56, No. 36
www.vashonbeachcomber.com
The mess at Fauntleroy
75¢
Safety concerns mount at the busy ferry dock
A VISD error: Events slated to take place on Jewish high holidays
By NATALIE JOHNSON
By LESLIE BROWN
Staff Writer
Staff Writer
Last Thursday afternoon Washington State Ferries (WSF) worker Lisa Lennon stood on the sidewalk at the end of the Fauntleroy ferry dock directing thick commuter traffic through the tollbooths, a job that until this summer was filled by a Washington State Patrol cadet. In a move that caught commuters and even some lawmakers by surprise, state budget cuts in July forced the removal of the cadets who have directed traffic at both the tollbooths and the busy intersection at the end of the dock for years. Lennon — who was transferred from the Coleman dock in Seattle as part of WSF’s temporary solution for the loss of the cadets — used hand signals to quickly funnel drivers into the correct lanes. She sometimes pulled cars for certain ferries from farther up in the line and said that since the loss of the cadets, loading the boats seemed to go smoothly with her there during peak hours. Unloading, however, is a different story. On this same Thursday, without an officer to direct ferry traffic pulling onto Fauntleroy Avenue, the lines were long as drivers leaving the dock waited their turn to merge onto the sometimes busy street. Some drivers slipped quickly into the traffic; others hesitated, holding up the line. On one occasion, too many cars tried to crowd the intersection at once. One car quickly
ment period and would likely move forward with the plan within a few days. The hunting season would begin Oct. 15. Though few at the meeting spoke in direct support of the proposal, those in attendance were clearly divided on whether hunters and pedestrians could continue to share Island Center Forest as they have for years. The county’s plan was crafted after an increasing number of Islanders raised concerns last year about the risk hunters posed to pedestrians at
Vashon School District officials inadvertently scheduled significant public school events on two of the holiest days in the Jewish faith this fall, raising concern among Vashon’s small Jewish community and eliciting a pledge from the district that it won’t happen again. The district quickly rescheduled one of the events last week. Vashon High School’s homecoming dance, scheduled to take place on Saturday, Oct. 8, which is Yom Kippur this year, was moved up one week and will now take place Oct. 1. But the homecoming football game — a well-attended high school event that includes a halftime tradition involving hundreds of students — is still on Yom Kippur, which begins at sundown Friday, Oct. 7, and ends at sundown the following day. And the McMurray Middle School open house, when parents get an opportunity to meet their children’s teachers, will be held tonight during Rosh Hashanah, which begins at sundown and ends at sundown tomorrow. The mix-up was troubling to leaders in Vashon’s Jewish community, who note that the dates for these two holidays are identified on nearly every commercial calendar and are as sacred to Jews as Christmas and Easter are to Christians. “Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are not obscure holidays,” said Matt Bergman, the father of a high school senior who won’t attend the homecoming football game because it falls on Yom Kippur. “I think it’s disrespectful
SEE HUNTING, 19
SEE HOLIDAYS, 14
Natalie Johnson/Staff Photo
SEE FAUNTLEROY, 21
Drivers attempt to merge onto Fauntleroy, a tricky intersection now that cadets no longer direct traffic.
County gives tentative nod to shortened hunting season By NATALIE JOHNSON Staff Writer
King County officials say they will likely move forward with their proposal for a shortened hunting season at Island Center Forest, a plan that got mixed reviews at a public meeting last week. Today is the last day to comment on the proposal, which would allow hunting in the forest for 17 days next month, during which time it would be closed to all other uses. County officials say the proposal is based on a large
amount of feedback gathered last year and a thorough investigation into the impacts of the plan. David Kimmett, a county natural resources manager, said the 10 Islanders who spoke at last Tuesday’s meeting, which was attended by about two dozen people, mostly brought up concerns the county has already heard. “We’re confident (the plan) addresses all the concerns we heard, and it’s something we can implement,” he said. Kimmett said the county would review the comments made during the two-week com-