Quake shakes Vashon

A magnitude 3.2 earthquake centered just south of Burton briefly shook the island late Monday night, at about 11:10 p.m., according to the United States Geological Survey.

The quake was strong enough to be noticed by local residents, including Dockton dweller Phil Clapham, who reported in an email that his house shook. Steve Bergman, a research geologist and educator who lives on Vashon, said the quake could be related to a strand of the Tacoma Fault system.

Vashon is part of the Circum-Pacific Belt, also known as the “Ring of Fire,” which extends along the western coastlines of South and North America, up, over and around to cover most of the major islands of east Asia and Oceania. Roughly 90% of the world’s earthquakes, and 75% of its volcanoes, occur along this area, according to National Geographic, thanks to the moving and grinding of tectonic plate.

Chamber event belatedly canceled

The Vashon Island Chamber of Commerce’s Home & Garden Show, referenced in last week’s edition of The Beachcomber, was canceled but not with enough notice to prevent some visitors from showing up to Vashon High School on March 15.

The Chamber neglected to notify The Beachcomber and a website error also kept the event live on one version of the Chamber’s online calendar, the organization said in a public statement.

“If you tried to attend and were baffled [or] miffed that it was not at the High School, please accept our sincere apologies,” the Chamber said. “This is for sure a learning error on our part, but in no way diminished your lost time. So sorry!”

Foot ferry bill passes house

Rep. Greg Nance’s Mosquito Fleet Act, a bill in the state legislature that could facilitate more foot ferries across the state, cleared the House Transportation Committee in February and passed the House on a bipartisan vote of 87-8. The bill is now in the Senate.

The bill could allow more passenger ferry service on Vashon Island — such as a route connecting the island to Des Moines.

The passed version of HB 1923 removed language creating a state fund to support the foot ferries, so the bill now merely allows more government entities across more of the state to collect taxes to run their own water taxi service.

Public meetings

• Vashon Island Fire & Rescue’s next board meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 26. Visit vifr.org/events for more information.

• The Vashon Ferry Advisory Committee meets at 7 p.m. on March 26 at the Land Trust Building. You can also join via Zoom: us06web.zoom.us/j/89010061276.

• Vashon Island School District’s next board meeting starts at 6 p.m. on Thursday, March. 27 at Chautauqua Elementary School, Room 302, 9309 SW Cemetery Road. Visit vashonsd.org for more information.

This story has been corrected. It previously stated that residents would likely need to form a transportation district and raise money to pay for a Des Moines — Vashon foot ferry route, but in actuality, because the island is already part of the King County Metro Marine service area, it would not necessarily be necessary for islanders to form a new taxing district.