CYCLISTS OBJECT Bike riders voice upset over new rumble strips. Page 4
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT Blue Heron ballet a result of months of work. Page 11
NEWS | Heritage association takes on a new project. Page 3 COMMENTARY | Reflections on Mother’s Day. Page 6 SPORTS | VHS soccer team sets its eyes on state. Page 15
BEACHCOMBER VASHON-MAURY ISLAND
WEDNESDAY, May 9, 2012
Vol. 57, No. 19
www.vashonbeachcomber.com
County ART STUDIO TOUR: A TRADITION CONTINUES officials question art center’s design By LESLIE BROWN Staff Writer
King County’s Historic Preservation Office has raised concerns about Vashon Allied Arts’ performing arts center, saying the glass-fronted, barn-inspired structure fails to complement the historic intersection where it’s slated to be built. County preservation officials met several times with VAA’s architects and project managers over the course of several months to discuss their concerns and seek modifications, they said. The intersection — Cemetery Road and Vashon Highway — is one of the county’s most historically intact crossroads, and county preservationists had hoped to convince VAA to build an arts center that fit in with the corner’s white-washed, turn-of-the-century buildings. “I’m sorry to say, we haven’t been successful,” said Charlie Sundberg, the office’s preservation planner. Julie Koler, who oversees the county’s preservation office, also voiced concern. “It’s a beautiful building. It’s just out of place,” she said. But VAA officials take issue with the county’s assessment, saying they made changes in the art center’s design as a result of the preservation office’s concerns. They added skylights to a breezeway, widened the entrance and altered their landscaping plan, said Kirk Robinson, project manager for VAA’s arts center. What’s more, Robinson said, SEE ART CENTER, 19
Leslie Brown / Staff Photo
Vashon’s twice-annual Art Studio Tour took place last weekend, when 20 Island artists opened their doors to the public. As in years past, there was a diversity of artwork to appreciate and purchase, including richly hued oil paintings by Kristen Reitz-Green. Janet Bishop, (above) an Island resident, was one of many who stopped by ReitzGreen’s idyllic studio near the Dilworth Loop to look at her work. The tour continues this weekend; studios will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Liz Lewis, a potter and one of the organizers, says she hopes people will turn out. “Celebrating art and spring is a wonderful way to celebrate Mother’s Day,” she said. “Bring your mom, bring a friend, bring a friend’s mom.” For a map of the tour, visit www.vashonislandartstudiotour.com. For more photos, see page 12.
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New stewards bring fresh energy to skatepark By NATALIE JOHNSON Staff Writer
Thanks in part to an infusion of volunteer support, the Burton Adventure Recreation Center (BARC) will likely have a new outdoor skatepark as well as an upgraded indoor skatepark by the end of the year. The Vashon Park District’s project to build a new skatepark outside the indoor one at BARC has slogged along for three years due to slow fundraising and several hurdles in the permitting process. However, a group of parents and older skaters recently brought new life to the effort, helping park district officials rethink the project and pledging to raise the funds necessary to complete it. “This is the most energetic and enthusiastic group we’ve had,” said park district Program Coordinator Susan McCabe, who is heading the project. “These people are results oriented, and they really put their money where their mouth is.” Since 2009, the park district has SEE SKATEPARK, 10
For a Vashon architect, the VHS project hits close to home By NATALIE JOHNSON Staff Writer
In a dozen years as an architect, Islander Brian Carter has been involved in designing countless schools. But his latest project is unlike any of them. “We always like to reach out and talk to students,” Carter said. “But this is the first time I come home in the evening and have dinner with one of the students in the school.” Carter is the lead architect for the new Vashon High School building. It’s a project that’s close to his heart not only because he has a daughter at VHS and a son
who graduated from the school, but because it’s a building that will play a special role on Vashon, a place he has called home for 15 years. “We believe the high school tends to be the most civic building in its neighborhood,” Carter said. “Most people spend more time at the high school than any of the public buildings. … They’re really important buildings.” In a wide-ranging interview at Vashon High School last month, Carter, easygoing and thoughtful, spoke highly of his team at Integrus Architecture, the Seattle SEE CARTER, 20
Lawrence Huggins Photo
Brian Carter is the lead architect for the Vashon High School project.