Russell Brazill, Vashon High School’s track coach for 33 years, used to take his math classes to the field on days when there was a meet and have his students help him drain the track of standing water.

He’d try to turn the tedious work into a hands-on mathematical exercise. But mostly, he said, he was simply attempting to get a cinder track that drained poorly ready for relay races, dashes, hurdles and other events.

That was more than 13 years ago.

Now, Brazill is one of several Islanders who supports the second of two bond measures coming before voters for a Feb. 8 mail-in election. From his perspective, the $3.5 million request — which would cover the costs of rebuilding the track’s infrastructure and installing an all-weather rubberized surface — is long overdue.

Indeed, Brazill said, he and other track enthusiasts have been talking about the need for several years and at least a few times managed to get a line item for a new track into the Vashon Island School District’s budget — only to have the district run out of money before a new track could be installed.

As a result, he added, he believes a lot is riding on the issue this time around. Track participation has dwindled significantly in the last several years; coaches are hard to find; home meets can no longer be held at VHS; and the sport — once a source of pride at Vashon High School — is struggling.“We’re one of the few hold-outs in the entire state that doesn’t have a good track,” Brazill said.

“Track is such a wonderful sport. I could have 100 students turn out for track and find a spot for all of them,” he added. “And in this day and age when obesity is such a problem and PE programs are being cut, a sport like track and field is just invaluable.”

The $3.5 million bond measure is the second of two propositions that Vashon voters will be asked to consider starting this week, when King County mails ballots to registered voters. It’s contingent on passage of the first proposition — a $47.7 million measure for a new classroom building at the high school and a wholesale remodel of what is now the main classroom building.

Should only Proposition 1 pass, the owner of a $450,000 house — the average home value on Vashon — would likely pay $680 annually to cover the bond’s costs, or $1.51 per $1,000 of assessed value. If both propositions pass, that homeowner would likely pay $720.

Some say the costs of the two measures is just too much on Vashon, where property taxes are among the highest in the region.

“If I didn’t have to prioritize my thinking based on my finances, I’d say, ‘Sure, everything sounds good,’” said Carol McLean, a retired hospital administrator and a Red Cross volunteer. “But I do have to prioritize.

“I’m certainly going to vote with my conscience,” she added. “I just don’t think that good education necessarily means we have to have the best athletic fields.”

Such comments are disheartening to Brazill, though he believes McLean is hardly alone.

“I really think Prop. 1 will pass, even in this bad economy,” he said. “But I think there’s a good chance Prop. 2 won’t.”

If passed, Proposition 2 would pay for more than a new high school track. It would also cover the costs of rebuilding the high school’s stadium field and covering it with new synthetic turf. Gone from the proposal — at least for now — are some of the biggest ticket items from last year’s bond measure, including a new gymnasium and improvements to the outdoor grandstand.

Bob Hennessey, a school board member who has spent several years working to create a proposal voters would approve, said a synthetic-turf field at the high school would help address a huge, unmet need on Vashon — adequate field space.

Currently, he said, the stadium field has to rest for a few months every year, taking valuable field space away from soccer and other teams. At the same time, the McMurray Middle School field — newer and better than those at the high school — is taking a heavy toll from the near-constant use.

“It’s a nice grass field, but it’s being abused,” he said.

During rainy stretches, Vashon’s fields often get very muddy and several times during a season, they’re closed because they’re not considered playable. Greg Martin, president of the Vashon Island Soccer Club, which organizes teams for an estimated 500 players, said the club has had to cancel 20 percent of the practices due to field conditions this fall and winter.

A new synthetic turf field — the norm at most high schools — can be used 365 days a year, Hennessey noted.

“If we were to build (a synthetic turf field), we could use it all the time,” Hennessey said.

Synthetic turf fields have raised concerns over the years in various communities, where some parents, civic leaders and health professionals have sounded an alarm over potential health risks from the chemicals in the recycled tires and other materials used in the turf. According to a news story by the Associated Press two years ago, some health professionals have called for a moratorium until the issue is more fully studied.

Others have raised concerns about methicillin-resistant Staph-ylococcus aureus or MRSA, hard-to-treat staph infections that can, in rare instances, be fatal. The reason is that players experience more abrasions from playing on synthetic turf, and skin trauma increases the risk of MRSA.

“Yes, it saves water. Yes, the kids can play on it all year round. But there are more injuries on synthetic turf and concerns about its impact on players’ health,” said Hilary Emmer, who questions Prop. 2.

What’s more, she said, it will need to be replaced in 12 years; other school districts have seen their synthetic turf wear out even faster, she said. But the costs to replace the turf — an estimated $675,000 — haven’t been included in the bond measure.

But Eric Gill, the district’s capital projects manager, said he’s looked at studies and found no conclusive evidence of health risks from artificial turf.

California’s Office of Envir-onmental Health Hazard Ass-essment issued a study in July 2009 exploring both concerns about MRSA and the toxicity of some of the chemicals used in the turf. Though it cautioned that its findings weren’t conclusive, the office found that cancer risks from chemicals were neglible and that it’s not clear if artificial turf leads to higher rates of MRSA.

Meanwhile, students on Vash-on’s track team say they wish they could have experienced a better field. Tyler Stoffer, a senior, has been unable to practice either the high jump or hurdles at the track because of the field’s sorry condition. Neither, he said, is safe.

“The only time I practiced was at meets,” he said.

He and other members of the team will likely travel to Charles Wright, a private school in Tacoma, to practice during track season this spring.

“It’s unbelievable how poor our facility is,” he said.

The Beachcomber is hosting a forum on the bond measures

from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m Thursday at the Vashon Library. See the calendar on page 12 for more details