With a ribbon cutting ceremony last Thursday, Vashon Community Care commemorated the construction of two new vestibules at the front and rear entrances to the building.

The creation of the vestibules solves a problem that has long plagued the center, VCC officials said. During the winter months, cold air blew easily into the entrances and made some of the most heavily used rooms chilly. It got especially cold during extended power outages, they said. Now, the vestibules’ double doors — both of them automatic — will keep the elements out.

“It doesn’t seem like a big deal, but it is for the residents,” said Capt. Joe Wubbold, a VCC board member who led the effort.

The $48,000 project was funded by the center’s maintenance reserve fund as well as grants from The Little Family Foundation and the Puget Sound Energy Foundation. Keith Putnam, a Vashon architect, designed the vestibules at a discounted rate.

As the vestibules were being built,Wobbold said, residents joked that VCC’s resident cat Isabella, who frequently comes and goes through the doors, would have the final stamp of approval. And before the front ribbon was cut by Wubbold and Putnam (pictured at left), Isabella successfully passed through the doors.