SHERLOCK ON STAGE Drama Dock brings the detective out of retirement. Page 14
NEW STAKES CAUSE STIR They’re markers to some, a nuisance to others. Page 5
NEWS | School district takes steps to boost its math program. Page 3 COMMUNITY | Police say rumors of murder on Vashon aren’t true. Page 4 COMMENTARY | Simple tools can help families handle addiction. Page 6
BEACHCOMBER VASHON-MAURY ISLAND
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 2012
Vol. 57, No. 15
VASHON RINGS IN SPRING
www.vashonbeachcomber.com
75¢
Experts urge Vashon to get ready for earthquake, tsunami By SUSAN RIEMER Staff Writer
A tsunami with waves up to 8 feet high could inundate Quartermaster Harbor just 18 minutes after an earthquake on the Seattle Fault, potentially immersing homes, beaches, people and animals at 15 feet of elevation and below. This message — that Vashon is vulnerable to a fast-moving tsunami following an earthquake — is one of the disaster-related issues two state experts will discuss at the annual meeting of VashonBePrepared next week. In recent years, scientists have learned a great deal more about the risk to the Puget Sound region from both earthquakes and tsunamis. At the presentation, John Schelling, the earthquake program manager for the Washington State Emergency Management Division, and Tim Walsh, the chief
hazard geologist at the Washington Geological Survey, will discuss the latest findings and provide information to Islanders about how they can best be prepared. “One of the things we want people to take away … is the fact that we want them to be the survivor story,” Schelling said recently. Earthquakes are a fact of life in the Puget Sound region, and preparedness is important, he stressed. “What you do today will determine how fast you and your family recover afterward,” he said. Earthquakes and the resulting tsunamis in Samoa in 2009, Chile in 2010 and Japan in 2011 have contributed to new understandings about both events, Schelling said. In his presentation, he will focus on how people can best be prepared while Walsh will discuss the SEE EARTHQUQAKE, 15
County council names Islander to top spot at ferry district On Saturday Vashon town buzzed with activity as the opening day of the Vashon Farmers Market coincided with the annual Spring Fling See more photos from Spring Fling and the under sunny skies and temperatures reaching into the 60s. opening day of the More than 400 Islanders and visitors made their way to the farmers farmers market. market at the Village Green, where about 30 booths offered up early Page 12 spring produce, plant starts and Island-made crafts and food. The market had record opening-day sales, bringing in $8,050, compared to $5,800 during last year’s opening day and $3,342 the year before. Market manager Rebecca Whittman credited the strong sales to the warm weather, Easter weekend visitors and the wide promotion of the opening day market. “It was a convergence of a lot of really positive things that brought a large crowd,” she said. Market organizers also took time on Saturday to honor Paul Motoyoshi, a beloved vendor who served miso soup and other Asian fare at the market for years and died earlier this year. They also gave out cups of green tea in his honor. Down the street at Ober Park, Vashon’s younger population celebrated at the Spring Fling, an annual event put on by the Vashon Island Merchants and the Vashon Island Chamber of Commerce. More than 300 kids, many donned in Easter outfits, crowded into the park, where they met the Easter Bunny, played games, dyed eggs and participated in quick and lively egg hunts. Event coordinator Jackie Merrill said that this year’s Spring Fling was so popular that she’s already planning to order more plastic eggs next year. At top left, Yoshi Takeda sells plant starts at the Langley Fine Gardens booth. At top right, children run at the beginning of an Easter egg hunt. At bottom right, twins Jack and Michael Hampl-Neuman dance to live music by APB at the farmers market. Photos and story by Natalie Johnson
By LESLIE BROWN Staff Writer
The King County Ferry District has hired its first full-time administrator to oversee the small transportation agency, which operates the Vashon and West Seattle water taxis. Christine Nelson, 51, took on the $77,000-a-year post two weeks ago, after she was selected by the ferry district’s board of directors, the King County Council. Councilmember Joe McDermott, who chairs the ferry district, said Nelson was selected because of her extensive background in municipal government and her work with elected officials. He and the two other councilmembers who interviewed her were also impressed by her degree of knowledge about the ferry district and potential legislation that could affect its structure. “She clearly does her homework,” he said. Nelson moved to Vashon in November in part to be close to her
aging mother, Helen Nelson, who lives on the Island. She also has two sisters on Vashon, both of whom commute to their jobs in Seattle on the passenger-only boat. As a result, she said, she has a lot of appreciation for the role the ferry — popular among commuters — plays on Vashon Island. “It’s clear from the Vashon ridership that if people are aware of it and it meets their needs, it’ll be used,” she said. Nelson has spent about 20 years in local government in Washington, Oregon and, more recently, Alaska. Her last position was planning director for the Matanuska Susitna Borough in Alaska, a post she left to move to Vashon. “I’ve done a little bit of everything in the land-use arena,” she said. Already, she said, she’s diving into the ferry district’s biggest issues, including whether the foot ferry will be able to continue to dock at Colman SEE NELSON, 19