Tree to light up the town
Vashon’s annual Holiday Open House and tree lighting will take place this Friday, Dec. 7.
The Vashon High School band and Captain John Burke and the Longboat will lead a holiday parade starting at Movie Magic at 5:45 p.m.
The group will proceed to Ober Park, where the group will light the 96-foot community Christmas tree.
All the old lights from the K2 tree, the existing lights from the old tree and 2,000 feet of new lights will adorn the evergreen this year. Unofficial Mayors Lance Morgan and Jim Martin will attend, and Santa and Mrs. Claus will be present at the tree lighting and will mingle in town afterwards.
See the calendar on page B4 for more information.
Meet with public safety chair
Although there will not be a regular meeting of the Public Safety Committee in December, Committee Chair Jennie Hodgson will be at the courthouse from 10 to 11 a.m. Friday, Dec. 7, to talk with anyone who wants to bring their safety concerns to the attention of the committee.
The committee’s January meeting will address safety problems related to Bank Road. Complaints have been received regarding the safety of pedestrians especially from the outskirts to the center of the village. Issues regarding cyclists and equestrians have also been voiced. The meeting will be at the courthouse at 10 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 4.
Glacier posts new Web site
Glacier Northwest, fighting to secure the right to dramatically increase its mining operation on Maury Island, has launched a new Web site exploring its proposal.
The multi-page site — located at www.mauryislandmine.com — includes sophisticated graphics, a timeline, a list of all its permits and an ecological justification for the expansion. It says, for instance, that the project would replace 228 creosote-treated pilings, which are toxic, with 56 steel pilings.
Pete Stoltz, the company’s permit coordinator, said Glacier created the site to help people better understand the project.
“What we have found … is that the unknown is the scariest part of any project,” he said.
But Amy Carey, president of Preserve Our Islands, which opposes the expansion plan, said the site is rife with errors and misstatements.
“They have taken great liberties with the truth,” she said.
The site, for instance, says there’s a sand and gravel shortage, but Carey said the study it refers to is one funded by Glacier.
