It’s easy, in any community, to say what we don’t want. It’s a much harder thing to develop a collective vision and work collaboratively to pursue it.

A case in point, of course, is K2.

For the last year or so, many Islanders have made it clear that they didn’t want the library branch to move a mile down the road to the former K2 site. Their concerns made enormous sense. And indeed, ultimately, the King County Library System board listened and spiked the plan.

But the library board’s decision had another significant impact: It meant the developers of K2 Commons — Dick Sontgerath and Truman O’Brien — had a lot less cash to work with. Did it spell the end to their plans? They’re not saying. But it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that losing a $1 million deal had a deleterious effect.

So now, the site’s owners — K2 Sports, which is owned by Jarden Corp., a large company based in Rye, N.Y. — is ready to aggressively market the 18-acre property again. Don’t worry: They’re not talking about placing a corrections facility at the site (a rumor that has gotten some traction on Vashon). Rather, they hope to find a buyer who will use the building in a way that reflects well on “the K2 brand,” as K2 Sports President Robert Marcovitch put it.

But rest assured: If the next potential buyers have the money, they likely won’t ask Islanders how we feel about their plan.

What this means is that our ability to influence the future of the K2 site — to the degree that we had any ability at all — is waning. It may be that what ends up there will fit this Island well. This chapter of Island history could end very positively. Or not.

The point is, unless those Islanders who are engaged in Vashon’s future can come up with a collective vision grounded in a business plan and put it forth quickly, we’ll be spectators to the site’s future, not players in its development.

It may be asking for too much — to expect a group of engaged, smart, passionate Islanders to work together to shape the future of a 180,000-square-foot building, where it’s expensive to simply keep the lights on. We are, after all, a highly individualistic people. And we’re all very busy.

But we don’t want it to be said that all we’re able to do successfully as an Island is spike other people’s plans. If there’s any energy at all to shape the future of the largest commercial site on Vashon, now is the time to act.