THE END OF AN ERA Rhody lovers take a final sail on the classic boat. Page 9
BUSINESS | Quartermaster Inn will shutter its doors. Page 3 COMMENTARY | Tech levy is vital for schools. Page 6 COMMUNITY | Combat nurse to speak about her life. Page 5
AN ARTFUL LIFE Corporate leader trades it in for textile art. Page 10
BEACHCOMBER VASHON-MAURY ISLAND
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2012
VAA to file permits to construct new center
Vol. 57, No. 4
www.vashonbeachcomber.com
SNOW, ICE, POWER OUTAGES: A WEEK TO REMEMBER
Some, meanwhile, question size, scale at historic corner
Staff Writer
Staff Writer
SEE VAA, 16
Worst-case scenario: Vashon could lose ferry routes By NATALIE JOHNSON
By LESLIE BROWN
Vashon Allied Arts is close to finalizing its plans for an ambitious new performing arts center, with groundbreaking for the 20,000-square-foot project tentatively scheduled for June or July. The arts organization expects to submit a request for a building permit with King County next month, said Kirk Robinson, VAA’s project manager for the new arts center. The 21-day public comment period under the state’s environmental review process, meanwhile, will likely start in early February. The organization, however, still has to raise several million dollars before construction can begin, VAA officials said, a goal that they said is challenging but within reach. So far, VAA has $6.2 million in hand, more than half of it from Vashon philanthropist Kay White and another $1 million from the state. The arts organization needs to garner another $6 million — in cash or pledges — before construction can begin, said Executive Director Molly Reed. “We obviously have a lot of money to raise,” she said. “But we’ve been talking to a lot of people. We have a plan laid out that makes this achievable. … I’m feeling really good about it.” If the organization doesn’t raise the $12 million it needs to begin construction, VAA will postpone the groundbreaking but not change the size or scope of the
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Michele AnneLouise Cohen Photo (above) / Kelly Keenan Photo (right)
Several inches of snow hit the region last week, suspending Vashon’s schools for three days, forcing many adults to work from home and transforming the Island into a brief but beautiful winter wonderland. The weather also put the Island to the test. Ice-encrusted trees toppled, taking down power lines and cutting off electricity to large swaths of Vashon. Roads were closed due to fallen trees or icy conditions. Jim Didricksen, with the King County Roads Division, said he had the Island’s two snowplows going constantly during the height of the storm (above), trying to keep the Island’s “life routes” open and safe. At right, the Keenan family enjoys the fresh snowfall near their home on Vermontville Road. Dogs Bailey and Bella lead the way, followed by Mallory, 6, her father Nick and her brother Gavin, 3. See more photos on page 10.
In what state officials are calling a dire situation, Vashon Island could see two of its three ferry routes eliminated if lawmakers fail to find a new source of funding for the cash-strapped ferry system. Under a worst-case scenario laid out this month by state Secretary of Transportation Paula Hammond, five ferry routes would be eliminated and two more would see service reductions if the state receives no new revenue for transportation. The Point Defiance-Tahlequah and Vashon-Southworth runs are at risk, as are the SouthworthFauntleroy, Seattle-Bremerton, Port Townsend-Coupeville and Anacortes-Sidney routes. David Moseley, the head of Washington State Ferries (WSF), said the cuts laid out by Hammond were examples and not a final decision. Routes with the most ridership as well as runs that provide Island access were spared. “It illustrates the types of things that would occur if we do not have new revenue and if we’re not SEE FERRIES, 17
VISD searches for families for full-day kindergarten By NATALIE JOHNSON Staff Writer
When Islander Tina Parrish signed up her youngest son for kindergarten last spring, she decided she would pay the tuition required for him to attend class all day. Joshua — a bright and social 5-year-old — seemed ready for full-day kindergarten, and Parrish, the mother of three, was pleased the schedule would allow her to return to work as a substitute teacher. However, not enough parents shared
Parrish’s interest in full-day kindergarten for the 2011-2012 school year, and for the first time in seven years it simply wasn’t offered. Parrish hasn’t returned to teaching. Each day she or her husband picks Joshua up after his morning kindergarten class and takes him to preschool for the remainder of the day. It works fine, she said, but isn’t ideal. “He’s the youngest of three; he had preschool prior for two years,” she said. “I knew he was ready for the all-day option.” Now, Vashon School District officials are
working to assure parents like Parrish and her husband have that option again next year. Next week the district will hold two forums for parents of upcoming kindergarteners. Chautauqua principal Jody Metzger said the meetings will be a chance to give parents information about all-day kindergarten, to hear what they want out of kindergarten and to gauge interest in a Spanish immersion program. Boosting interest in Vashon’s full-day kindergarten program would not only ensure it’s SEE KINDERGARTEN, 4