An Unexpected Journey

It seems that one is constantly being reminded of the life paradox that the more you know, the more you seemingly don’t know. I, for instance, had no idea that I was to blame for the economic woes at the Vashon Park District (VPD) until I attended the latest (at this writing) meeting at Ober Park. But it wasn’t just me, but all of you share the blame as well, except for the average of two people that used to attend these meetings before all heck broke loose. In a long soliloquy voiced by board chairman Bill Ameling

( and posted here on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNyIN3d-WD0 ), the implication, or aspersion, that I grasped as a takeaway from this was that we were all to blame for VPD’s problems because we hadn’t shown up to keep an eye on what was transpiring there, even though many of us had indeed voted these board members into their positions, trusting they would do the right thing with our property tax monies and our faith in their abilities.

As it is, my combined takeaway from the four meetings I’ve attended since this all blew up is that even if I had been showing up previously, the board would have not listened to anything I might have said regarding the fields project, as they don’t seem to listen to any of the well meaning attendees that now populate these meetings. That being said, I decided to do my own fields survey to try and understand at least some of what was going on.

First, I drove to the new VES field which is at the center of this controversy. It was surrounded by chain link fence, and the only apparent entrance was spanned by a chain and padlock. I did not go in. I then travelled to Agren Park, where a sign at the edge of the field indicated the space was closed to any activity because of adverse weather-related conditions. I then went to what many refer to as the horse park on Paradise Ridge. There was a new cover on the arena that I hadn’t seen before, and a wide flat area that seemed like it could have been considered a candidate for at least one sports field. From there I went down to the skate part, or B.A.R.C., and found a large, flat space that seemed like it could have accommodated at least two play fields with minimal grading, in spite of the fact that the artist’s rendition posted there indicating future park plans showed a paved, outdoor skating oval and a topographic feature designated as a "knoll", both potentially occupying this space in concept. I then drove to the LDS Church, because at the parks meeting I learned for the first time, as did many others judging by the overall reaction, that VPD had made an arrangement with the church to maintain and use their baseball field while the new fields were being constructed. I did not know that this field even existed, but the two deer I interrupted during my brief visit there obviously knew it well, and stared me down from either end of the field until I left, as if I had barged in on some private frisbee toss they had been enjoying prior to my entrance.

From there I paid a visit to the Parks office and Susan McCabe, who to my mind is the voice of reason in all of this- it’s too bad she is leaving. She labeled the current situation a perfect storm of economic poo-poo, which I felt said it as well as anything I’ve heard. Part of my confusion in all of this has been a search for the why, as in: why was this project even considered a good idea in the first place? To this she answered with rough numbers: 400 soccer players, 200-300 baseball players, 150 lacrosse players. Between the leagues and the schools, the fields were getting beaten to the point that they were becoming unusable. She also said that if I were looking for some kind of nefarious (my word) motivation behind the fields project I wouldn’t find one. She said that it was her impression that the intent behind the creation of this fields complex was as a gift to the community and the future, as well as to accommodate the increasing need for more fields.

From there I went shopping for windshield wiper blades, which in retrospect contained an irony of sorts, as the stop wound up enhancing the clarity of more than one view. As it turned out, a friend there had read my last column and let on that he was a soccer coach. He said that while it was funky and at times sporting some pot holes possibly left by digging dogs, the old fields at the new fields location were quite useable , if not necessarily perfect. He also said that it used to be policy that when it rained and the fields got too wet they would practice in the gym. This cut way down on the destruction of the fields. He did mention that over the last three years, a relaxing of the indoor practice policy may have led to greater field wear during wet times. The word from Susan McCabe was that the indoor practice policy is still in effect, and to reduce wear and tear on walls and bleachers, a milder form of soccer known as Futsal is played for indoor practice. My coach friend did say that there had been no loud and extensive clamor for new and better fields by the coaches, that he recalled. The coaches and players are however quite pleased with what they have seen of the new facility. He did mention that he remembered hearing one loud voice advocating from early on in this mess for the new fields, and that voice belonged to David Hackett.

It should be mentioned, whether you look at it or not, that I am, along with my column, cited by name by Mr. Ameling in the above mentioned YouTube clip. Of all the topics I mentioned in the article as needing questioning, the only one he chose to address involved the Rossers, or as I am hearing him pronounce it on the recording- Rosslers. It was my exchange with Mr. Ameling about the Rossers that led to a conversation with one of the contractors on the fields project after the meeting. What he said to me was that he had researched the Rossers claim and he felt they were wrong. He also said that in talking with his grandparents, handshake deals were common on the Island back then, and that it was more than likely true that the Rossers had such a deal. I did not ask him if he were in a situation similar to the Rossers if he wouldn’t be fighting to substantiate his claim as they have. Everyone bemoans the passing of how things used to be on Vashon. At the same time, it seems to be not so difficult to condemn someone for trying to live by the same principles and methods of operation that used to be. There was no dispute with the Rossers and their driveway and easement until the VPD came in with their fields plan and pushed them aside. The other overlooked part of this is that this is not even parks property- it did and does belong to the school district.

Another thing the contractor mentioned was that the parks would not be in the trouble they are in if the Rossers hadn’t forced their dispute into court. This is not true. The reason VPD is going into the end of this year at least $58K in the hole is because the board authorized the spending of way more money than they had because of the dream of a gift. Whenever someone blows it big, it has to be expected that a fall guy, a scapegoat, a boogeyman has to be found to vilify and to transfer blame. That was the role of the Rossers until this past Tuesday the 11th, when Mr. Ameling accused you and me of complicity in this debacle because we did not show up to tell him not to spend what we didn’t have. I titled this piece An Unexpected Journey, partly because that is the second title of the just released Hobbit film, and mostly because of the fact that I had no idea that this was happening or that I would wind up spending so much time going down various roads in order to try and find out what the heck is going on. As it turns out, the actual second title from the Hobbit book is "There, and Back Again". What this brings to mind is the quote attributed to Albert Einstein, and that is: " Insanity- doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." When I look into Mr. Ameling’s eyes on the YouTube clip and he asks whether we think anyone cares more about the parks than he does, I’m almost ready to answer no, I don’t. But when he says that all we need to do is get to the end of the year and "…everything will be just like it was", I am quickly snapped back to the reality that the VPD has been crippled by the actions of this board and it is time for a fresh start with people unassociated with this debacle.