COMMUNITY | Park district to vote on financial plan. [4] HISTORY | Hyrdos have long skimmed Vashon’s waters. [14] NEWS | County council passes [3] marijuana amendment.
COLORS OF COFFEE Artist creates with the bean and beverage. Page 10
7pm
BEACHCOMBER VASHON-MAURY ISLAND
WEDNESDAY, JULY 2, 2014
Vol. 59, No. 27
www.vashonbeachcomber.com
FORGETTING CANCER AT CAMP
75¢
VIFR looks to bolster its medical response Vashon may join south King County’s paramedic program By NATALIE MARTIN Staff Writer
Natalie Martin/Staff Photo
After a funding crisis put Camp Goodtimes’ future at risk, last week a troupe of young cancer patients, survivors and their siblings again arrived in Burton for a week of fun, support and “a chance to be kids,” according to Rodney Gibson, a counselor at the camp. Another staff member called the camp “the only thing that doesn’t suck about cancer.” Last summer the American Cancer Society announced it would no longer fund Camp Goodtimes and similar summer camps across the country, instead focusing the money on research. Staff, campers and parents quickly formed a nonprofit and staged an ambitious fundraising effort to bring in $400,000 to make the camp, which is free for kids 7 through 17, happen again this year. Funds came in through grants as well as private donations. “We got in by the skin of our teeth,” said camp director Carol Mastenbrook. The new nonprofit, The Goodtimes Project, will now focus its efforts on finding large sponsors who can commit to annual donations to sustain the camp. On Thursday, campers enjoyed a carnival, pictured above. See page 15 for more photos of the afternoon.
Vashon’s fire district is considering merging its paramedic services with south King County’s, a move some say could provide the island with better emergency response capabilities. While there has not yet been an official proposal, officials with Vashon Island Fire & Rescue (VIFR) and King County Medic One are performing what VIFR Chief Hank Lipe calls a comprehensive overview of Vashon’s paramedic program. They believe absorbing Vashon’s eight paramedics into south King County’s rotation of 80 could provide the responders more experience, allow VIFR to focus more on its EMT and firefighter programs and perhaps even bring expanded paramedic coverage to the island. Lipe briefed VIFR’s board on the idea at last week’s meeting and expects to have an official proposal for them to consider in a
couple of weeks. “The rest of the county is getting better service right now,” Lipe said. “We want to be a part of it. … We want to bring that level of service to Vashon.” For years, Medic One — King County’s paramedic program — has contracted with VIFR to provide paramedic services on the island. Vashon’s eight paramedics, highly trained responders who handle the most serious medical emergencies, have the same training and follow the same protocols as those in the rest of the county, but work under VIFR leadership and out of the Vashon station, which receives more than $2 million in county levy funds per year to provide the service. VIFR also uses local levy funds to employ firefighters and emergency medical technicians (EMTs), who are trained to respond to less serious emergencies. In recent years, however, calls for medical emergencies on Vashon have slowly risen, perhaps because of the island’s aging population. What’s more, medical transports have more than doubled in nearly a decade, rising from 271 ferry transports in 2005 to 714 last year. SEE VIFR, 13
Contestants vie for unofficial mayor title Islanders carry on the tradition with extra effort this year By SUSAN RIEMER Staff Writer
Susan Riemer/Staff Photo
Candidate Ken Zaglin washes a car in exchange for votes in a campaign fundraiser last Saturday. Zaglin is running for unofficial mayor on the Vashon Schools Foundation ticket.
Several islanders are vying for the position of Vashon’ unofficial mayor and are raising funds for local nonprofit organizations as part of this annual election. This particular campaigning-for-acause began in 2001, when the chamber of commerce and the Eagles club resurrected the unofficial mayor tradition as part of the Strawberry Festival. Six contestants participated, competing for votes that cost a dollar a piece, with
the proceeds going to their designated charity. Among the contestants that year were Sharon Nelson, who launched her political career running on the Preserve Our Islands ticket, but she and her other competitors lost to Olde John Croan, who took the title after running to support the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Since then, islanders have been encouraged to cast their $1 votes early and often and have raised thousands of dollars to support a variety of organizations that serve Vashon — its people and its animals. “It is a great way for nonprofits to engage with the community and get people aware of them,” said Jim Marsh, the executive director of the chamber of commerce, the sponsor of the contest.
“It is an interesting way to raise awareness and raise funds.” In previous years, most contestants relied on money deposited in donation cans around town, and raised — in total — anywhere from just $1,000 in 2007 to more than $9,000 in 2012. That was the year that contestant Hilary Emmer “knocked it out of the park,” Marsh said, by raising more than $8,000 for needed dental care and medical services. More typical amounts raised in recent years range from $3,000 to $5,000, with 85 percent of the total for each candidate going to the designated nonprofit and 15 percent to the chamber. “We spend more than we get back,” said Marsh. “But it’s worth it.” SEE MAYOR, 18