Vashon School District’s fields and gyms are the heart of youth sports on Vashon.  The track and field are home for many PE classes and a full slate of high school athletics. In addition, Park District Programs use VSD facilities for nearly 8,000 hours annually—providing safe and healthy play for nearly every child in our community.

This bond would replace the field and cinder track in the VHS stadium with an all-weather track and field. The current field is at the end of its life. The VHS track team cannot host home meets because the Nisqually League considers our track dangerously old and worn out. All weather fields are being installed all over the region because maintaining them costs a small fraction of costs to operate a grass field.  More important, artificial turf can be used over twice as many hours a year compared to grass. Our grass field requires months of “resting” to prevent degradation. Over the life of this facility we would conserve over 1.7 million gallons of District 19 water, reduce chemical use, and save tens of thousands of dollars annually in maintenance costs-- while greatly increasing the availability of playing fields for school and community sports.

$3,500,000 for the renovation of a playing field that requires a 20 year payoff is not in the best interest of Vashon residents for several reasons.

The playing life of a plastic field is 12 years or less.  It would need to be remade before we finished paying for the first one. 

Storm water run off will take all chemical residue into the drain fields and the Sound. 

In aggregate the massive totals of these two Bond issues would raise the property taxes for a $450,000 house over $720 per year for the next twenty years.

There has been a 35% increase in need at the Food Bank this year over last year.  Vashon Youth and Family Services is seeing a large increase in demand for help. 

With major cuts for education from the State, we a will be asked to shoulder a larger part of our children’s education out of pocket on a yearly basis.

These Bond issues are just too costly for all. People on fixed incomes would be impacted the most.

Vote NO on Prop II

The opponents made many factual errors:

Artificial turf needs to be replaced periodically. This means rolling out new turf not rebuilding the entire field every 12 years as implied.

Artificial turf lasts much longer than grass and doesn’t have to be rested. On a per use basis, it is a lot cheaper to operate than grass.

Bottom line: For a $450,000 house, the tax increase to support both Propositions is only $157.50/year.

Statement submitted by: John “Oz” Osborne, May Gerstle and Bettie Edwards

We are being asked to pay $3,500,000 to save “thousands of dollars in maintenance costs” on a field that will need to be replaced before we finish paying for it.  Parents of off island students pay nothing toward these bonds.

This is not a good use of our limited funds.

Statement submitted by: George Wright and Lee Ockinga • 206-567-4238

Download the full text of resolution

60% yes vote and a minimum turnout of 2,456 voters (Wash. Const. art. VII, sec. 2(b)).