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Events | Coyotes | Businesses | Garden Tips | Boy Scouts | General Interest | Narrows Bridge

Fox Island News - February, 2024

Fox Island News

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FoxIslandWA.net - 24 Years on the Web!

Fox Island Webmaster - John OhlsonJune 11, 2019 marked the 20 year anniversary of the day when FoxIsland.net went on line, to provide Islanders a place on the web! On June 11, 1999 Webmaster John Ohlson published the first 'Fox Island Home Page, a meager beginning to what has become the center of information, activism, Island Events and other information.

That day a new online presence was launched for Fox Islanders, and a new company was born; Dragonwyck Web Design LLC.  From our meager beginnings and our very first customer Don and Laura Musgrave, Fox Island's web presence has flourished. 

Read More...

 

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Fox Island Deli's New Pub: Zogs on Fox Island

Zogs on Fox Island

Dwayne Herzog of Zogs on Fox IslandApril, 2014 - Fox Island Store owner Dwayne Herzog is building his 'last gift to Fox Island', a much needed public gathering place, where residents can sip wine, have a beer, and a snack while listening to piped-in music, and enjoying the bubbling fountains and waterfalls in the newest addition to the Store & Deli complex.

 

Contact Zogs on Facebook

The facility will feature two stories of covered, family friendly restaurant/pub space, with two outdoor fire pit/fountains and a gazebo.  Herzog said he expects the facility to be completed around Memorial Day, with opportunities to rent it for private parties for wedding receptions, and other functions.

Zogs on Fox Island
Two 'Flaming Fountain' fire pits are the centerpiece of the new Fox Island Deli expansion.


The second story features an open-air deck, overlooking the wine garden.


A gazebo will provide a space for musicians to entertain guests.

See the finished project at Zog's on Fox Island

Contact Zogs on Facebook

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Tanglewood Island 'Great Hall' Demolished


The 'Great Hall' of the Tanglewood Island's Lighthouse, just four days before demolition began on January 24, 2014.


2/1/14: Work has stopped, due to a lack of proper permitting on the demolition, the County has issued a stop work order.

Fox Island loses it's most famous landmark, victim of time, weather and neglect.  It would appear that the County will levy some fines or other consequences to the owners for violating County land use laws, we hope it may include a measure of restoration for the remaining lighthouse structure, to give it back it's "Light".

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Read more about Tanglewood Island...
 


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DNR Removing Fox Island Ferry Landing

9/25/13
The old Fox Island Ferry landing is in the last stages of removal, at the corner of 9th & Fox Drive.  Contractors working for the Department of Natural Resources are removing the creosote pilings that once made up the old ferry dock that brought cars to & from Fox Island during the 1920's, 1930's, 1940's and 1950's before the bridge was built in 1954.

In the photo at right, taken in 1999, you can see the pilings and ramp that have been removed.

The DNR has embarked on a program to remove creosote pilings from Puget Sound shorelines.  The project should be completed by October 1st.

 
Fox Island Boy Scouts
FICRA sponsors two Scout units on Fox Island:
Cub Scout Pack 27 and Boy Scout Troop 27

See what the Scouts are up to on Fox Island

Fox Island Cub Scouts Get New Flag

Fox Island Cub Scout Pack 27
Fox Island's Pack 27 shows off their new Pack Flag (donated by FICRA and Stan Weston) at a recent Pack Meeting at the Nichols center.  The Cubs celebrated their first ever crossover ceremony on June 25th, at the Fox Island Sandspit.  Three Webelos Cubs (in khaki shirts above) graduated to Boy Scout Troop 27, upon receiving the Arrow of Light award.
Fox Island boys ages 7 - 10 years old are encouraged to join, visit our Pack 27 website for more information.

 

FICRA Sponsors New Cub Scout Pack 27

October 6, 2011
At the October FICRA meeting, the FICRA Board voted unanimously to sponsor Cub Scout Pack 27, to be based at the Nichols Community Center on Fox Island.

To date, 9 boys have joined the Pack, and many have already earned the Webelos badge!  Their next outing will be a train trip to the OMSI Museum in Portland, where they will spend the night in a submarine!

Fox Island boys ages 7 - 10 years old are encouraged to join, visit our Pack 27 website for more information or call Scoutmaster John Ohlson at 253-380-4100.

Cub Scouts from Fox Island's Pack 27 participate in
their first Pinewood Derby race at the Nichols Center
 

Scouts Build Footbridge for FICRA's Nature Center

A companion project to the Raised Walkway Extension was recently completed on December 29, 2011 by Scouts in Fox Island's Troop 27, where they built a 10' long footbridge over a groundwater stream. 

This bridge, made of pressure treated beams and Trex decking, resulted from re-routing the original trail that used to follow the streambed with stepping stones, and now crosses the stream.

Thanks to the Troop 27 Scouts, who put in a combined 35 hours in building the bridge, while working towards their next rank in Scouts.

 

 

Island Events Calendar
The FoxislandWA.net
Interactive Events page is open to all Fox Island organizations that wish to promote their activities, meetings, and other events of interest to island residents.
For Island Events - Click Here!


FICRA e-Flash
e-Flash
The e-FLASH welcomes your ads, articles, news and letters.
Please submit your items about Fox Island events, people and news to:
Call: John Ohlson  at 253-549-2701  E-Mail

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Items Of General Interest General Interest
PenLight, Fox Island Cable Replacement Project Completion Celebration

Peninsula Light workers install the original Fox Island submarine cable in 1931.

Gig Harbor, WA – Peninsula Light is pleased to announce the completion of the Fox Island/Hale Passage Cable Crossing Replacement Project.

The project originated from Ketner Point on Fox Island, to 62nd Ave NW on the Cromwell side of the Gig Harbor Peninsula. The HDD Company of Cameron Park, California bore 30 to 70 feet below the Puget Sound. The horizontal bore had little or no impact on the marine environment. The cable was pulled into a 12 inch steel casing that will facilitate future cable replacement and prolong the life span of the cable. The $2.5 million project was one of the largest capital improvement projects in the 85-year history of the cooperative.

PenLight’s Project Manager, Dennis Walden, oversaw the project since the initial planning stages. “We feel the project was a great success. Everything went smoothly, on-time and within budget.”

The Fox Island cable replacement has been a priority for PenLight’s CEO, Jafar Taghavi, “I would like to thank the neighbors of Fox Island and Cromwell for their patience and cooperation, we could not have completed the Hale Passage Cable Crossing Project without their support.”

Please join PenLight in dedicating the project’s completion at 11:00 A.M. at the Ketner Point vault location (near the intersection of 7th Lane and Chinook Drive) on Saturday, August 13, 2011 followed by a cake reception to be served at PenLight’s booth at the Fox Island Community and Recreation Association’s Annual Fair at Nichols Community Center immediately following the dedication.

Peninsula Light Company is a member owned cooperative located in Gig Harbor, WA and is a full requirement utility of the Bonneville Power Administration. The utility began in 1925. Since then, the cooperative has grown to be the second largest cooperative in the Northwest, with 26,000 members and serving over 31,000 meters on the Gig Harbor and Key Peninsulas. The utility provides electric power and water services.

For more information visit: www.penlight.org

 

Kopachuck State Park Campground Closure

Kopachuck's trees have a disease - laminated root rot.  The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission are seeking input from citizens about what should be done about the problem.

The state is removing all the Doug Firs, reforest and bring the campground back to its condition prior to the tree removal.

Read more, and watch the video about this important development.

 

 

SAND & SOIL MEMBERS IN THE SPOTLIGHT

HAROLD "HAL" GOODELL
Hal is Sand & Soil Garden Club’s "go-to" man for tomatoes and how to nurture them. But his life encompasses so much more, as you will see. He was born in Olympia and grew up in Puyallup, WA. Interestingly, the 1908 house he lived in was part of one of the first nurseries in the Puget Sound area. The remaining filbert orchards were part of his playground, along with a huge, multi-pronged cedar that he used as a "rocket ship." After a huge storm blew his "ship" over a few years ago, he counted 100+ rings, indicating that it was likely planted around the time that the house and nursery were established.


Find out more about Hal...

 

Public Forum Input -
No Park at Navy Lab Site

Update: November 10, 2011:

A private investor has purchased the Navy Lab property for $600,000, and has listed it for sale for $1,900,000.  Three new homes are proposed to be built on the site.


July 14, 2010 - John Ohlson, FICRA President

A public forum was held on July 14, 2010 to help decide if FICRA should pursue acquisition of the former Fox Island Navy Lab site as a recreational property.  Since the Nisqually Tribe relinquished their claim on the property earlier this year, the Fox Island Naval Lab is now available for acquisition by other governmental agencies, through a 'public benefit conveyance'. 

The GSA provides a 30 day window for agencies and non-profit organizations such as FICRA to submit proposals to convert the Navy property to public use.  The HUD Homeless Assistance Program has first right of refusal to obtain the property though.

The proposals must be sponsored by a government agency such as the National Park Service, the state of Washington, Pierce County or PenMet Parks.  If FICRA were to participate in submitting a proposal, this would mean a partnership with one of these agencies.

20 Fox Island residents provided testimony at the public forum, which included possible uses such as preserving the property as a limited-use recreational facility, an environmental education center, a marine park, or allowing the property to fall into private hands, at public auction.  Opponents were concerned that excessive vehicle traffic down 3rd avenue would be problematic, and that recreational users would disturb the quiet neighborhood.

Proponents argued that the property should be open to the public, and come under local control, keeping control of the facility in the hands of Fox Island residents.  A vote was taken, and the majority of those present preferred that FICRA take no action to pursue a partnership with an agency, for the purpose of acquiring use of the property for public use.

The remaining issue was the unfinished restoration of the property, now that the Navy has relocated their staff and equipment to another location.  Part of the promise made by Norm Dicks office was that part of the money allocated to relocate the facility would be used to remove the dock and buildings - work that was never completed.

 


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Fox Island Scouts Clean Up Graffiti at Nichols Center
Scouts remove graffiti from Nichols CenterOn January 3, 2010, area youth tagged the Nichols center with obscene graffiti, hateful statements about the Gig Harbor Police Department, and other images.

The Boy Scouts from Fox Island's Troop 27 spent most of a day scrubbing the graffiti off the building, and repainting the walls, to restore it back to normal.

FICRA would like to thank the Scouts, and if anyone has information that would lead to the arrest of the taggers, please contact us.

 

New Fox Island Post Office Open

Rising on the corner of 6th Avenue and Fox Drive is the new & improved Fox Island Post Office!

Several years in the making, the new post office will feature expanded mail processing space, more post office boxes, and larger truck access for delivering mail from the regional stations.

 

The existing post office, shown at right, is up for sale.

The new post office opened in December 2010.

 

 

Fox Island Nature Center & Wildlife PreserveMap of Nature Center Available

FICRA has produced a new map of the trails around the Fox Island Nature Center.  Follow the trail to see the wetlands, old-growth nurse logs, native species garden, footbridges, wildflower meadows and more!  Download your copy of the map, and take a walk in the woods today!  Nature Center Trail Map! 

 

Island Garden Tips Kicks Off it's 17th Year on FoxislandWA.net!
For fifteen years straight, Master Gardener Linda Dodds has been providing monthly gardening tips for Fox Island residents.  FICRA would like to give Linda a BIG THANK YOU for her tireless contributions to our website, and to the gardening enthusiasts of Fox Island.  You can read her garden tips from years gone by in our Garden Tips Archive, dating back to January, 2001.  Keep up the great work, Linda!
John Ohlson

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Check out the photo of some of the Fox Island Garden Club members busy weeding and cleaning up the gazebo garden at Nichols Community Center.

Work party members are: Bottom row, left to right, Juanita Bjork, Marti Thompson, Lois Miller and Gail Jones. Back row, Thelma Laird and Linda Dodds.

Read more gardening tips on the Garden Club web page.
 


 


Towhead Island Boat Ramp Project Revived?

Click to enlarge image of Boat Ramp Master PlanDue to the rapidly deteriorating condition of the Fox Island boat launch (formally known as "Towhead Island"), and the hazardous traffic conditions at the launch on busy summer weekends, FICRA President John Ohlson has been holding talks with various government officials to see if an improvement plan drawn up by the Pierce County Parks & Recreation District in the 1980's can be revived.

Over 650 Fox Island residents have signed a petition to get the ramp fixed up.

The land was originally the site for the toll booth for the Fox Island bridge, and the original ramp was constructed to facilitate the construction of the bridge. Some years later, the original ramp was destroyed by some heavy equipment belonging to the Navy. It was later replaced by the current concrete slabs which are chained together to form the boat ramp. The slabs are breaking apart, have become disconnected from one another, and pose a hazard to boaters. Most people avoid the actual ramp, and launch their boats on the adjacent gravel beach.

Time and the tides have taken their toll, and the once spacious parking area is now only a fraction of it's former self.  Erosion has washed away nearly all of the parking area, and the pavement on the ramp is crumbling badly.

The new plan would increase the on-site parking from approximately 8 stalls to nearly 21 stalls, and provide an off-street staging area for boaters to turn around and position their rigs to launch - out of the oncoming traffic.  Incoming traffic would be routed to the north end of the lot, and exiting traffic would use the south exit, providing a smoother flow of traffic on the site.  The angle of the ramp itself would be increased to prevent having to submerge your vehicle in the saltwater to get your boat off the trailer, and the concrete slabs would be replaced with a smooth, continuous concrete drive.

FICRA President John Ohlson has been in communication with Senator Maria Cantwell’s office, Senator Derek Kilmer, Rep. Pat Lantz, Pierce County Councilman Terry Lee, and PenMet Parks Executive Director Marc Connelly over the past four months regarding this project. There is interest by all parties concerned, to get the project back on track.  To that end, FICRA has appointed a steering committee to oversee the efforts to restart this project, and potentially strike up a partnership between PenMet, FICRA and the BLM to provide stewardship and ongoing operational support for this facility.

 Clay BabiesClay Babies!
What are Clay Babies, you ask? 

According to amateur geologists, our clay babies are concretions, which are defined as, “a rounded mass of mineral matter found in sedimentary rock (or – in the case of clay, material with extremely small grains).”

 

 

 

Find out more on our new clay babies web page, courtesy of Fox Island author Don Edgers, author of two books about Fox Island history; "An Island in Time, Growing Up In The 40's", and "An Island in Time, Coming of Age in the 50's". 
Check it out!

 

Fox Island Book Club
The Fox Island Book Club meets the first Monday of the month at  4:00 PM at the
Fox Island Museum.  Come join your Island neighbors in some literary fun!  All interested people are welcome.


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Find a local Fox Island area business on the Fox Island Marketplace business directory. Need a housekeeper or a sitter for your pet?  Find one here.  Need a caterer or a Hair Stylist?  Find one here.
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Update On The Narrows Bridge

No Tolls!

Bird’s-eye View of Narrows Bridges One camera is positioned on the old bridge’s west tower. In an emergency, this web-cam could be used to enhance traffic monitoring in that it covers the bridge span itself. The camera views can be found at
http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/tacoma/

 


Governmental Officials Contact Information

US Senator Patty Murray
http://murray.senate.gov/

US Senator Maria Cantwell
http://cantwell.senate.gov/

Governor Jay Inslee
http://www.governor.wa.gov

Pierce County Councilman
http://www.co.pierce.wa.us/pc/Abtus/ourorg/council/district7.htm


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