HONORING THE FALLEN Several local events mark Memorial Day. Page 5
With this issue!
BEACHCOMBER VASHON-MAURY ISLAND
WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2014
Vol. 59, No. 21
www.vashonbeachcomber.com r.com
FLYING HIGH AT POINT ROBINSON
75¢
School, park districts disagree on who should fund pool fix School board sets terms for moving ahead By SUSAN RIEMER Staff writer
Natalie Martin/Staff Photo
Sunshine and steady winds made for perfect kite flying weather on Saturday, which was Kite Day at Point Robinson. “This year’s conditions were as ideal as I think they could be,” said Captain Joe Wubbold, president of the Keepers of Point Robinson, which puts on the annual event. And it showed, as around 500 people made their way to the point throughout the day to fly kites, relax on the beach, enjoy live music and tour the lighthouse. Wubbold said that he noticed a larger number of people came from off-island for Kite Day this year, perhaps because of some press from the Seattle and Tacoma media as well as the better-than-average weather. In the past, Kite Day has been plagued by bad weather — one year it rained so hard that not a single person went. This year, the only disappointment came when one man’s kite got stuck in the radar tower. Wubbold said it may be there for some time as a reminder of Kite Day. “I don’t climb anymore,” he said. See page 13 for more photos of Kite Day.
The Vashon Pool is slated to open next month, but the island’s school and park districts are disagreeing about who is financially responsible to remedy the drainage problem there, a situation that could lead to litigation and the pool not opening this season. “We want the pool to open, no question,” said school board member Laura Wishik after a special board meeting Monday. “But it has to be in a way that does not bind the school district to further costs at the pool.” The school district owns the pool, but the Vashon Park District operates it. This arrangement began four years ago, when King County ceased running the pool as a cost-saving move, and the park district took it on. In previous years, the pool’s water drained to the school dis-
trict’s septic system. However, the construction of the new high school changed that, and officials at both districts learned earlier this spring that the pool’s drainage had been unknowingly cut off last fall during the building process. Since the discovery of the problem, the school district’s Capital Projects Manager Eric Gill has been working with a variety of regulatory agencies to come up with a solution. Last week, the Department of Ecology (DOE) approved a plan: a pipe that would go between the pool area and an existing drainage pond to the west of the facility. But such a fix is unusual, and the DOE will require considerable monitoring and testing to ensure no effluent travels as far as the wetlands on the district’s property near Vashon Youth & Family Services, school district Superintendent Michael Soltman said. “The park district will need to be extremely careful and cooperative in managing the SEE POOL, 20
UW helps rethink local agriculture Grad students suggest a co-op, improved farmers market By NATALIE MARTIN Staff Writer
A group of University of Washington students is putting the finishing touches on several proposals — from revamping the Farmers Market to forming an island farmers co-op — in an effort to strengthen Vashon agriculture. The project is helping the students reach their goal of earning a Masters degree in urban planning, but those involved say it could also give the island’s agricultural community the boost it needs to take local Natalie Martin/Staff Photo farming to the next level. Cory Castagno presents an idea for the Farmers Market at a meeting last week. “The big plan is how do we develop Vashon as an
agricultural center,” said Nan Wilson, the chair of the Vashon Island Growers Association (VIGA) who has been working closely with the group. “It’s got a lot of small agriculture going on, which is all good … but there have been some barriers to growing.” Among those barriers, Wilson said, is that it’s nearly impossible for Vashon’s small farms to sell their products off-island. In addition, many would like to do better business at the Vashon Farmers Market, which has fluctuating attendance based on the weather and is not well-attended by locals. Since January, graduate students with the UW’s College of Built Environments have been meeting with representatives of VIGA, officials with the Vashon Maury Island Land Trust and local farmers SEE AGRICULTURE, 19