News Briefs | October 24 edition | Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber

Water District 19 restrictions are lifted; also, prepare for Halloween street closures.

Water restrictions lifted

Emergency water use restrictions were lifted for Water District 19 (WD 19) customers around noon on Tuesday.

The State Department of Health gave the Water District notice last Friday that the district could lift the emergency restrictions, according to WD 19 General Manager John Martinak.

Martinak said on Tuesday that he took some time after getting that news to make sure the district was fully ready to begin operations at its treatment plant, and by Tuesday morning felt confident that the district was ready to lift the emergency restrictions.

While some work remains to be done, the treatment plant is now fully operational and the district is back to normal, Martinak said.

The district has been asking customers to reduce water usage since late August. Customers who have been conserving water under the restrictions no longer need to do so.

The Beachcomber will revisit the water emergency more comprehensively in a future edition.

Learn more by visiting water19.com or calling 206-463-9007.

VYFS Community Needs survey

Vashon Youth and Family Services (VYFS) is asking island residents to fill out their 2024 community needs survey that will guide their providing of behavioral health services.

The survey is available in English and Spanish. It includes 32 questions and takes about 10-15 minutes to complete, with five more optional questions at its end.

The surveys are available online at:

• tinyurl.com/VYFSsurveyEnglish

• tinyurl.com/VYFSsurveySpanish

Physical surveys can also be found and dropped off at the front office of VYFS, located at 20110 Vashon Hwy SW.

A 2020-2021 survey by VYFS found many on the island experience social isolation and exclusion; a feeling of invisibility for some and over-familiarity for others; high costs of living; and systemically overburdened service providers. You can learn more about that survey at vyfs.org/community-needs.

VYFS provides counseling, programs for kids and families, resource navigation and other services for islanders. Learn more by visiting their office or calling 206-463-5511.

Halloween street closure

There’s no Halloween quite like on Vashon.

From 5 p.m. to roughly 8 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 31, the main drag of Vashon Highway — from 171st Street to 178th Street — will be closed to vehicles to accommodate roaming aliens, ghouls, banshees and vampires, and the many businesses and organizations gleefully plying them with candy.

No parking will be allowed along Vashon Highway starting at 4:30 p.m. to ensure cars have time to clear the streets before the event begins.

Loren Sinner and the Saints, presented by John L. Scott, will be rocking the streets at the main four-way intersection.

Ballots mailed

King County Elections has mailed approximately 1.4 million ballots for the Nov. 5 general election. A turnout of 82% (1.1 million ballots) is projected by King County Elections staff, according to an Oct. 16 media release.

Voters’ pamphlets, featuring statements from each candidate and about each measure, have already begun to arrive in voters’ mailboxes earlier this week. Every household will receive two pamphlets, one from King County Elections and one from the Secretary of State’s Office. Voters can also access a personalized voters’ guide on My Voter Information.

Voters who had not received their ballots by Oct. 21 can call King County Elections at 206-296-VOTE (8683).

Ballots must be postmarked by Election Day, Nov. 5, or returned to one of the 84 official drop box locations across the county. Drop boxes are open 24-hours, seven days a week, until 8 p.m. sharp on Election Day. On Vashon, there is one ballot drop box, located outside the Vashon Library.

The deadline to register to vote online is Oct. 28. Voters can register and vote through 8 p.m. on Election Day at any of King County Election’s Vote Center locations.

You can track your ballot by opting in online through King County Election’s ballot tracker. Visit kingcounty.gov/en/dept/elections.

A family celebrates last year’s Halloween with costumes from a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away. (Phil Clapham photo)