It’s McFeeds that does not fit in at Center | Letter to the Editor

After reading yet another round of letters to the editor about the new VAA building, many of them about the importance of the center Island intersection and how concerns that the new VAA building should fit in with the style of the other existing buildings, I thought to myself, am I the only one who notices that the old McFeeds building does not and never has fit in with the style of the old Fuller Store, Minglement or the Blue Heron building? I’m puzzled about the reasoning of this train of thought. Why is it that the McFeeds building can sit there with an architectural style that has not fit in since 1927, but now all of a sudden the new VAA must fit in with the existing buildings?

June 13, 2012 8:00 am

After reading yet another round of letters to the editor about the new VAA building, many of them about the importance of the center Island intersection and how concerns that the new VAA building should fit in with the style of the other existing buildings, I thought to myself, am I the only one who notices that the old McFeeds building does not and never has fit in with the style of the old Fuller Store, Minglement or the Blue Heron building? I’m puzzled about the reasoning of this train of thought. Why is it that the McFeeds building can sit there with an architectural style that has not fit in since 1927, but now all of a sudden the new VAA must fit in with the existing buildings?

I used to think of Vashon as a place where people pulled together for the good of the Island, but lately I’m not so sure. One person mentioned the new VAA building might stand in the way of future bike lanes. Really?  I might be wrong, but I think the other buildings at the intersection are too close for that to happen anyway.

I’ve lived on the Island for 32 years, and I can’t say I always read The Beachcomber, so maybe that’s why I have such a rose-colored view of the Island. Maybe I just never noticed all the infighting and bickering. I don’t have a personal interest in the VAA building. I don’t sing or dance or paint or act, but I like living on an island where people do, and I like the idea of them having a really nice, big place where they can do it. So I hope the new VAA building can continue and replace the old Mcfeeds building, which I think has run it course.

 

— Natalie Winter