Who’s Who on VASHON
HEART OF VASHON Storytelling event at Blue Heron on Sunday. Page 10
2016
BEACHCOMBER VASHON-MAURY ISLAND
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2016
Vol. 60, No. 3
www.vashonbeachcomber.com
Churches in transition: Five island institutions seeing leadership changes While the Burton Staff Writer Community Church (BCC) — which falls under the s the nation umbrella of the American looks ahead at Baptist faith — has been this election pastorless since the unexyear and the leadership pected and abrupt deparchange it will bring, ture of Rev. Bruce Chittick there are leadership two years ago, the church’s changes happening out- moderator, Jeannette Smith, explained that side the political arena the congregation is about and much closer to to discuss its future path home, as several island congregations are about at a retreat to be held in February. to say, or have already For the past year, the said, goodchurch has bye to their had once-a“Everyone who month serministers. T h e comes to the island vices from Rev. Beachcomber has to sort out if it’s visiting Marilyn reached out going to work for Marston, to Burton C om mu n it y them or not. And it who has been Church, the just hasn’t worked also on-call for Presby teria n for us.” any pastoral church, the Episcopal Rev. Heather Christensen care needs. Church of the Unitarian Universalist minister A n o t h e r one of the Holy Spirit, month’s serthe Unitarian Universalist fellowship vices is led by a guest pasand the Methodist church tor, and two services per for details on what might month are lay-led services. The lay services have appear to some as an exodus, but at the end of the included music, poetry and day is merely a collection of guest speakers. Smith noted coincidences.
Ballots mailed today for school bond election By ANNELI FOGT Editor
Ballots are being sent out today for the election to decide whether the school district’s $26.9 million bond will pass, allowing an overhaul of Vashon High School’s athletic facilities. The bond, listed on the ballot as Proposition 1, was approved by the Vashon Island School District board in November. A supermajority of 60 percent is needed for the bond to pass and at least 40 percent of islanders who voted in the November election need to vote in this one to validate the election. If passed, the bond will fund a second gym at the high school that will be used for high school sports games and contain new restrooms and a weight room, the original
By SARAH LOW
A
SEE CHURCHES, 27
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gym will be renovated and become a storage and practice space. The bond will also fund a new track and synthetic field, renovations to the high school’s StudentLink and FamilyLink building, the creation of a multi-purpose district service facility and scheduled replacement and renovation at all three schools. More than half of the $26.9 million ($15.9 million) will go toward the construction of the new gym and renovations to the current one; $4.9 million will go toward the track and synthetic turf field; $3.58 million will go to the district facility; $1.8 million will go to projects at all three schools, and $550,000 will go to the StudentLink/ FamilyLink building. SEE SCHOOL BOND, 13
Anneli Fogt/Staff Photo
Vashon United Methodist Church Rev. Kathryn Morse is the leader of one of five island churches that have recently seen, or will be seeing, changes in leadership. Morse has been at the church for about five years and will be leaving in June.
Courtesy Photos
If approved by voters, more than half of the school district’s $26.9 million bond would go toward building a second gym and new track and field at Vashon High School.
Fire department loses volunteers amid small amount of on-island help By ANNELI FOGT Editor
Four of Vashon fire department’s volunteers, including the volunteer coordinator, have left recently, drawing concern from some about the state of the volunteer program, but department management says the program is the strongest it has been in years. Vashon Island Fire & Rescue (VIFR) responded to 1,603 calls for service in 2015, a record, according to VIFR Chief Hank Lipe. While the call volume increases every year, the department has struggled to maintain a roster of reliable and qualified volunteers who are on-island to respond as needed. While recently departed volunteer coordinator Ross Copland made strides in recruitment, more than half of the department’s volunteers still live off-island. VIFR
Assistant Chief George Brown said the department currently has 44 volunteers, 20 of whom live on Vashon. The total number also includes 11 “resident volunteers,” those who may or may not live on the island, but serve a minimum of one 24-hour shift every week. During such shifts, the volunteers stay in department housing. “This year, the resident volunteers really took off,” Brown said last week. “That speaks a lot to Ross’ efforts with reinvigorating the program.” Brown also said that 30 people were interviewed this week for volunteer positions; and a maximum of 10 of them will be put into the volunteer training program and be ready to respond to calls in six months to one year. The department has also begun a search for a new volunteer coordinator after losing Copland and another volunteer to
firefighting jobs in Texas. Copland was one of six firefighter or emergency medical technician (EMT) volunteers who both live and work on the island. While the department has 20 volunteers who live on Vashon, once volunteers who work off-island are taken into consideration, 16 remain. Without Copland, five of those 16 are firefighters or EMTs; the rest are support volunteers who can drive the department’s vehicles, but cannot respond in any other capacity. And that number, the five volunteers who can respond to fire or emergency medical situations during the workweek, is what has some concerned. Brown acknowledged the problem last week, saying that in the middle of workSEE VOLUNTEERS, 28