HAUNTING HALLOWEEN Islanders celebrate in true Vashon style. Page 13
NEWS | Construction begins on skate park bowl. [5] COMMENTARY | Honor veterans and their families. [6] SPORTS | Several teams see [14] post-season success.
CRUISE INTO ART Galleries will stay open late Friday night. Page 10
BEACHCOMBER VASHON-MAURY ISLAND
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2014
Vol. 59, No. 45
www.vashonbeachcomber.com
75¢
Park district looks for public feedback on raising fees District hopes to build a reserve By SUSAN RIEMER Staff Writer
Natalie Martin/Staff Photo
The Pirates’ small numbers were especially apparent at the Homecoming game, when they faced a large Cascade Christian team.
VHS football struggles with low turnout Many point to lack of a youth program, concussion concerns By NATALIE MARTIN Staff Writer
No amount of cheering from the crowd could help the Pirates at their Homecoming game last month. A paltry 16 players suited up to face a 40-man force from Cascade Christian High School. Some Vashon players
would later describe going onto the field as scary. By halftime, they were down 49-0. Such has been the season for Vashon High School’s football team. With 20 players on the roster, the Pirates have frequently faced teams with nearly twice their numbers and have been hard pressed to pull off a win, even against squads less talented than Cascade Christian, which is expected to win State this year. The state of the football program — which has been small and nearly
winless for a few years now — has led some parents to raise concerns about safety. Others are brainstorming how to renew interest in football on Vashon. “They don’t realize we could be a good team if we got more dedication from everyone,” said Luke Larson, a freshman, during a weekly football dinner last week. Sitting at round tables at the Vashon High School cafeteria on Thursday, SEE FOOTBALL, 20
The Vashon Park District will take on the issue of user fees tonight at a special meeting, where one commissioner will lead a conversation about raising fees to help the district, which has struggled financially, build its reserves. Many of those involved with groups that use the facilities in question said they’ll attend the meeting with an open mind, but also expressed concern, as any significant fee increase would be tough on their budgets and likely force them to raise their own participation fees. “The average parent on the island should be concerned,” said Cheryl Pruett, vice president of Vashon Youth Baseball and Softball. “I don’t know any sport financially healthy enough to eat that expense.” The meeting will be led by commissioner Scott
Newsman tells of heady days working in media Former Time magazine editor is next in VCC’s speaker series By SARAH LOW Staff Writer
With nearly four decades of working in the print media, broadcast and entertainment industries under his belt, islander Brian Brown has a treasure trove of entertaining stories to share. This Sunday, Brown, 79, will offer some of the most memorable ones from his 30 years of work-
ing for Time magazine in New York as the next talk in Vashon Community Care’s (VCC) Telling Stories speaker series. “I didn’t know him myself, but when I met him, I was blown away by his stories,” said Linda Milovsoroff, executive director of the VCC Foundation. “We are thrilled to present him as our next speaker.” The Telling Stories series evolved as a fundraising endeavor after the foundation invited Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist and former islander Berkeley Breathed to speak on Vashon in 2010. Many people wanted to learn more about fellow islanders, and particularly seniors, who
Milovsoroff said have some great stories about their lives. Brown, who moved to Vashon in 2007 with his wife to be closer to family in Seattle, was born in the Bronx and raised in Scarsdale, New York. An engaging gentleman with an infectious humor and energy, he has a graduate degree in American Literature from New York University and has worn many different hats over the course of his career, from teaching literature to engineering students at Purdue University and literacy SEE BROWN, 17
Brian Brown
Harvey, who will present information on the rationale for a fee increase, he said, including what he sees as the need for the district to develop a financial reserve and that the fees be set in proportion to related park district expenses, which he will determine before the meeting. “I will come to the meeting with an analysis to support what I think needs to be done,” he said at the most recent park board meeting. All five park commissioners plan to attend and will consider the public’s feedback in the coming weeks as they craft next year’s budget, Harvey said. While many park districts charge fees for certain uses of their facilities, Vashon has a mixed history regarding its fees. After a period of not charging most users, it instituted its current fee schedule in early 2013. Those fees cover a variety of facilities, including the district’s athletic fields, equestrian facilities at Paradise Ridge Park and the SEE FEES, 19