STEP INTO ART Galleries open for First Friday art walk. Page 10
NEWS | New office opens for accessing social services. [3] COMMUNITY | A look at Vashon’s Presbyterians. [5] SPORTS | Golfer goes to State [14] all four years at VHS .
WINE ON TAP Restaurateur’s unique new venture in town. Page 4
BEACHCOMBER VASHON-MAURY ISLAND
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 2013
Vol. 58, No. 23
www.vashonbeachcomber.com
75¢
Vashon’s teen drinking levels still above state average Middle schoolers, however, are drinking much less By NATALIE JOHNSON Staff Writer
Vashon high schoolers continue to drink alcohol and use marijuana at rates higher than their peers in the rest of the state, but middleschool use is down, according to a recent survey, giving hope to those working to address Vashon’s high levels of youth substance abuse. “That’s where I see we’re making headway,” said Luke McQuillin, the Vashon Alliance to Reduce Substance Abuse’s (VARSA) project coordinator. “That’s the piece that really excites me.” Results from the latest Healthy Youth Survey (HYS), administered to sixth-, eighth-, 10th- and 12th-grad-
ers last fall, show a mixed picture, according to those involved in a farreaching effort to get Vashon youth to abstain from drugs and alcohol. On one hand, high school drinking rates remain well above the state average. Last fall, 65 percent of Vashon 12th-graders reported they had drunk alcohol in the past 30 days, compared with just 36 percent of 12th-graders statewide. In the 10th grade, 36 percent of those surveyed reported drinking in the past 30 days, compared with 23 percent statewide. Both grade levels also reported drinking at rates slightly higher than 10th- and 12th-graders surveyed two years ago, and binge drinking rates on the island, measured for the first time this year, surpassed state averages. Marijuana use among high schoolers is also SEE SURVEY, 18
Granny’s Attic looks to fund community health projects Members vote to change how thrift shop gives money By SUSAN RIEMER Staff Writer
After more than 35 years serving the island, Granny’s Attic is in the midst of a sea change in how it bestows its funds, ending its monthly subsidies and adopting a grant-based approach that will provide financial support for a variety of health-related programs. Granny’s Attic first opened in 1975 to support the work of the fledgling clinic that is now the Vashon Health Center and has grown to the thriving thrift store many islanders shop at today. Business is booming to such an extent that in recent years Granny’s has provided $200,000 annually for health care on the island, according to Janet Kime, the president of the Granny’s Attic board of direc-
tors. In fact, in March Granny’s surpassed the $4 million mark for funds it has given away. The lion’s share of the money — $3.5 million — has gone to the Vashon Health Center and Highline Medical Center, which now owns the clinic, Kime said. After Highline stepped in to help the financially ailing clinic more than a decade ago, Kime said, Granny’s initially had a contract saying it would provide funds for specific Vashon needs, such as the 24-hour call service. But for many years now, she added, Granny’s monthly check has gone to Highline’s operating fund, and many Granny’s Attic members, as well as Granny’s manager Tim Johnson, have wanted to better see and track where the money is going. Last week, Granny’s Attic members voted to adopt the grant approach that will allow for funding of more community-oriented projects. SEE GRANNY’S, 13
Natalie Johnson Photo (above), Rick Wallace Photo (below)
Above, those who Attended This Place Matters — Stand Up for Mukai pose for a group photo behind the signs reading “this place matters.” Below, Flo Lentz, from King County 4Culture’s preservation program, speaks to the crowd.
Hundreds show for event at Mukai Speakers, including the county executive, call for better preservation of farmhouse By NATALIE JOHNSON Staff Writer
About 200 people showed at the Mukai farmhouse and garden on Saturday for an event organized to rally support for revitalizing the historic site. The gathering — which included speeches, musical performances and a small street fair — culminated with a group photo on the street outside the house, with islanders as well as a significant slate of government and nonprofit leaders gathering behind large letters reading “this place matters.” “Many of us have hoped for a moment like this,” said Glenda Pearson, a Friends of Mukai board member who addressed the crowd. Indeed, the event came in the midst of a long dispute over the historic property, purchased more than a decade ago by the nonprofit Island Landmarks. Islanders concerned over the state of the house and Japanese garden just outside town — which they say have fallen into disrepair and are not open to the public as originally promised — have formed their own nonprofit and are actively working to see the property change hands. County and state officials have also expressed concern about the situation at Mukai and what they call Island Landmarks’ apparent failure to live up to requirements of public grants that funded the property’s purchase. “It’s an integral part of the history of the island,
and it needs to be encouraged, loved, cherished and nurtured in every way,” said Katharine Golding, a member of the Vashon-Maury Island Heritage Association’s board, who spoke at the event. The Friends of Mukai recently nominated the farmhouse for the Washington Trust for Historical Preservation’s list of most endangered historic properties in the state. It was added to the list last month, prompting the friends group to quickly organize Saturday’s event, which was co-sponsored by the Washington Trust as well as the heritage association and 4Culture, King County’s cultural arts SEE MUKAI, 18