ART WITH A TWIST From bikes to flowers, new gallery has it all Page 4
7pm
DANCING ‘ALADDIN’ See the classic tale this weekend. Page 11
BEACHCOMBER VASHON-MAURY ISLAND
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25, 2014
Vol. 59, No. 26
www.vashonbeachcomber.com
SWEET TUNES FOR SUMMER
75¢
School district works to increase student safety Officials consider school response to gun violence By SUSAN RIEMER Staff Writer
Natalie Martin/Staff Photo
Some couldn’t resist dancing on Thursday evening as Ober Park filled with the toe-tapping sounds of the Country Lips, the “outlaw country” band that kicked off this summer’s series of free concerts in the park. “Every band we have this season is a danceable band. We want to get everybody out there having a good time,” said Pete Welch, who with Allison Shirk is organizing the Thursday evening concert series through Vashon Events. Welch said the popular concert series, which is sponsored by the Vashon Park District, is aimed at families, and he and Shirk have lined up some hot acts this summer, including the Bellingham-based Polecat, which will play next on Thursday, July 10, and the Seattle cumbia band The Cumbieros, which will play on Aug. 7. “The lineup is phenomenal,” Welch said. “You can bring the family and have a picnic.” Pictured above, Geo Cheroke and Janet Williams dance at last week’s concert. For dates and information on upcoming concerts in the park, as well as Shakespeare in the Park on July 24, see www.vashonevents.com.
With school shootings frequently in the news, public school officials on Vashon say they are constantly working to increase safety in the schools and will take steps this summer to further boost their emergency preparations. “We think about it every day,” said Michael Soltman, superintendent of the Vashon Island School District. For years, schools have had to comply with several safety-related governmental regulations, but the district has gone beyond those, district officials say, and will work in the coming months on further safety planning, including coordinating with the King County Sheriff’s Office on reducing response times to the schools and evaluating the district’s security planning goals. This summer administrators will also work with the district’s technology experts to ensure
the district is using its technological capabilities to the fullest for emergency purposes. When the school year resumes, administrators will continue training staff in the schools to act autonomously should the need arise. This step is vital, Soltman said, because in past episodes of violence, typically it has not been building security measures and safety plans that have made a difference, but individuals who took action. To that end, he said, district officials would like to equip every adult with information and training to act independently. “It’s become clearer and clearer in an emergency, quick communication and people being practiced adults is key,” he said. “The best thing is to have people ready to act independently.” After the most recent shootings — including one in the Portland area and one at Seattle Pacific University — a national conversation erupted about whether gun violence in schools had increased, or if there is simply more media attention on the incidents that SEE SAFETY, 13
Some pressure water district to restore their flow District says it is addressing the unexpected problem By NATALIE MARTIN Staff Writer
About a month ago, Dave Willingham turned on his water and noticed something different. The water pressure, which was previously fine at his home on Quartermaster Drive, was “absolutely terrible,” he said. Suddenly, Willingham said, he and his wife couldn’t use water in more than one part of their home without seeing it reduced to a little more than a trickle. “You can’t flush the toilet when someone is in the shower,” he said. “This is not
survivable.” Willingham, who co-owns the Vashon Pharmacy, was thinking of calling a plumber when he learned his neighbor down the hill was experiencing the same thing. The two soon discovered that they were among a small but unknown number of Water District 19 customers who lost water pressure as an unexpected result of a recent district project. A few District 19 customers are now upset and looking for answers, including Willingham’s neighbor, Tom Trigg. Trigg, who has been most vocal about the issue, is trying to find others affected and says he may pursue legal action if his water pressure isn’t restored. “All Dave and I want is what we had before,” Trigg said. “We don’t need more.” Water District 19 officials, on the other
hand, say they’re just as surprised as their customers to learn of the problem and they’re now trying to address it. Jeff Lakin, the district’s general manager, said engineers are working to adjust a system of new pressure-reducing valves that was recently activated. They hope most people will see their water pressure improve, he said. However it’s also likely that some will have to learn to live with lower pressure than they had before or replace their own water pipes to get better pressure, as the district believes all are being provided more than the minimum amount of water pressure required already. “We’re basically telling them be patient. We’re still working,” Lakin said. SEE WATER, 18
Natalie Martin/Staff Photo
Dave Willingham shows what his water pressure is like when more than one faucet is on at his home.