ART HEATS UP ON FRIDAY Much is in store for this month’s Gallery Cruise. Page 11
NEWS | L&I fines Vashon’s fire district. [3] COMMENTARY | Society needs to tune in to nature. [6] ARTS | Free concerts in the park begin. [12]
HEAD OF THE CLASS Middle school teacher honored with award. Page 15
BEACHCOMBER VASHON-MAURY ISLAND
WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015
Vol. 60, No. Noo 26 N
w www.vashonbeachcomber.com ww.v w ho be combe bee
Schools narrow options for next bond measure High school gym, track, academic buildings identified as possible projects
Small fire results in big damages for restaurant By SUSAN RIEMER Staff Writer
By NATALIE MARTIN
views, Superintendent Michael Soltman and two board members said the district might ultimately decide to prioritize upgrades and choose only some capital projects to put before voters as a bond next February. “I think that’s exactly the
A fire broke out at La Boucherie last Wednesday, with damages expected to total $50,000 for island business owner George Page. The fire, which started about 1 p.m. at the restaurant and butcher shop, created heavy smoke and drew a crowd of spectators. Vashon Island Fire & Rescue quickly put out the flames, and afterward, Captain Brodie Smith said the fire was smaller than it appeared and called the incident “pretty routine.” For Page, however, it is a different story. “It was pretty dramatic and has a huge impact on our business,” he said. Page credited chef Michael McQuaid with keeping the fire under control with a garden hose until firefighters arrived. “He performed admirably and saved the day and saved the building,” Page said. “Without his actions, the Boucherie building would have caught fire.” As it was, the building only sustained minor damage. On Monday, Page said that because the buildings that were damaged were separate from the restaurant, it was not clear if his insurance would cover the cost of all of his losses. He planned
SEE BOND, 18
SEE FIRE, 14
Staff Writer
Rob Kearns remembers shooting hoops at the Vashon High School gym when he was a kid. Standing in the same gym last week, Kearns, who is now 46 and a basketball coach, said he thinks it’s past time for a new one. “These facilities are bad. They really are,” he said during a high school girls’ basketball practice. Not only is the gym more than 50 years old, but the basketball court is overbooked with teams and is shorter than a typical court. The girls’ locker room in the basement is cold, smelly and “dungeony,” Kearns said, and leaks when it rains. And an overall lack of locker space forces visiting teams to use the locker rooms of opposite genders, which can be hard to manage. “It’s a mess, to say the least,” he said. It’s a situation the Vashon School District hopes taxpayers will address. With the new high school recently completed,
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Natalie Martin/Staff Photo
Girls’ basketball coach Rob Kearns talks to players during a practice last week. He hopes the 50-year-old gym they play in will soon be upgraded. Vashon’s school board is moving forward on planning for additional improvements at the district’s campus. School officials learned last week that a list of desired upgrades — including a new high school gym, new educational buildings and a new track, field and bleachers —
could total between $25 and $36 million. The bond for the high school building, which passed in 2011, was about $48 million. Board members at a Thursday meeting where the numbers were presented had little discussion about the figures, which architects called highlevel estimates. But in inter-
Hamming it up
Vashon’s amateur radio operators use national exercise to tune their skills By SUSAN RIEMER Staff Writer
Susan Riemer/Staff Photo
Amateur radio operator Bob Smueles attempts to connect with other ham radio groups across the country on Field Day. The Vashon volunteers were stationed in a trailer at Sunrise Ridge.
Several of the island’s amateur radio enthusiasts gathered in an open field at Sunrise Ridge last Saturday, where they set up an off-the-grid communications center in preparation for disaster. The event was part of Field Day, a 24-hour emergency communications drill in which thousands of people participated across the United States and Canada. The purpose of the drill was for the radio operators to practice their skills and demonstrate just how valuable ham radios and their licensed operators can be in a crisis.
Vashon-Maury Island Radio Club’s communications trailer drew many of the island’s ham radio operators — or hams — who took turns at the radios, reaching out to other groups participating in the exercise across the country. Nearby, Sharon Danielson’s horse trailer served as another station, where a guest connected to hundreds of others using Morse Code. With young children playing in the tall grass and an evening potluck, the event had camaraderie and also fulfilled the drill’s purpose by revealing a few areas that need to be strengthened before the next time SEE HAM RADIO, 19