Remember to VOTE November 3rd
BEACHCOMBER VASHON-MAURY ISLAND
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015
Vol. 60, No. 43
www.vashonbeachcomber.com
75¢
VoV studio coming Local boys take on international to former quilt shop skateboard competition By ANNELI FOGT Editor
Giant numbers posted in the window of the former Island Quilter shop in town began counting down lfrom seven ast week, marking the days until today, when a surprise would be revealed. The surprise? Voice of Vashon will be opening a new storefront broadcast studio in early 2016 in the front of what will soon be a fitness studio owned by islanders Kelly Macomber Straight and Zabette Macomber. Construction has already started inside the building, and the storefront between Zombiez and the new ice cream shop has been abuzz with construction activity. However, the project has remained under wraps, and islanders have been unable to see the process. That will all change today, as town passersby will now be able to watch the progress through the large windows facing Vashon Highway. KVSH FM Program Director Jeff Hoyt told The Beachcomber that the couple reached out to the station with the proposition months ago because they liked, the “idea of a community-centric organization occupying the front of their building.” “We’re happy to be able to help VoV have more of a presence on the island, and we know that they will be a fun and unique addition to downtown,” Macomber Straight said in a VoV statement. Hoyt said that the station realized it was being offered a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that would not likely come around again.” With the decision made to pursue the project, VoV board members began to quietly reach out to major donors, and Hoyt said the board was surprised by the response. The response from donors was “terrific,” according to VoV Board President Jean Bosch. She said the organization didn’t want word getting out until it was certain funding to start construction was secured. “We reached our minimum funding goal rather quickly,” Bosch said. “A town location has long been on SEE RADIO STUDIO, 17
Dave Wilke Photo
Island teens and middle school students Bowie Spencer (left) and Simon Wilke (right) continue to practice their skateboarding tricks on Vashon. The two have returned home after competing in an international competition in Los Angeles. By SARAH LOW Staff Writer
Two island teens have now crossed off what many in the skateboarding world consider to be a top bucket-list item, competing against some of the world’s best amateur skaters at one of the foremost facilities in the sport. Simon Wilke and Bowie Spencer, both eighth-graders at McMurray Middle School, were invited to skate in an international competition in Los Angeles that took place on Oct. 17 at The Berrics — a privately owned, worldrenowned indoor skateboarding and multi-media production venue.
Simon and Bowie competed in the Wild in the Parks (WITP) Global Championships, which is the grand finale of a series of skateboarding competitions sponsored by action sportswear and equipment company Volcom, and held in cities throughout the U.S. and Canada and around the globe. “I was really happy I got to qualify for that,” Bowie said. “It was great. I was like ‘Wow, I made it here.’” To qualify for an invitation to the global championships, skaters had to place in the top seven in their age groups at SEE SKATEBOARD COMPETITION, 18
PlaySpace holding open house to introduce updated programming Event will introduce public to refocused birth to 6 programming By ANNELI FOGT Editor
More than one year after it suffered major funding cuts and was forced to drop numerous parenting and youth programs, the Vashon Youth & Family Services’ (VYFS) PlaySpace will hold an open house next week to introduce the public to updated programming; A result of the organization refocusing existing funds to birth to
6 programming. The weeklong open house will run from Monday, Nov. 2, to Saturday, Nov. 7, and will allow residents free access to all programming. It will serve as a sort of “re-launch” for the space, according to VYFS Parent Educator Lori Means. She told The Beachcomber last week that the goal of the PlaySpace has always been to support new parents with children between the ages of newborn and 6 years old, but the loss of funding last summer forced the space to go to “bare minimum, one-on-one parenting programs.” “Now, we’re revamping our membership and expanding programs to weekends for commuter parents who
can’t make it to our programming during the week because they’re either working or stuck on a ferry,” Means said. “Having a baby is the great equalizer. It doesn’t matter if you’re a Ph.D or on the streets, you all suddenly are going through the same things.” A June 2014 Beachcomber article reported that the PlaySpace lost $100,000 in grant funding after changes were made to how much of a grant VYFS got to access to. The state grant was being used to fund both VYFS and VARSA programs, the article states. VYFS Executive Director Kathleen Johnson said in SEE PLAYSPACE, 19