As this ugly recession drags into another year, Island County is again desperate for money, this time to keep the parks open for public enjoyment.
Consensus on the basic issue should be easy to reach. Everyone wants our parks open. We need them for exercise, for beach and water access, to commune with nature and for plain old family fun. But no one can dispute that without money something will have to change, and that isn’t good.
Bill Oakes, county parks director, has only a half-time employee on each island to keep the parks open. After several years of budget cutting, there’s hardly anyone left to cut the grass.
An updated parks plan is under way and the issue of charging for the use of parks is addressed. At this stage, it seems unavoidable. Oakes recently pointed to a good example on Camano Island where the county boat ramp brought in $12,500 in six months by installing a pay box and selling season passes for frequent users. It’s totally dependent on the honor system as there is no county ranger ready to ticket boat-launching scofflaws. Nevertheless, people are paying and that’s a good omen for the rest of the county in 2011.
Boat launch pay boxes should be installed where boaters can drop in a few dollars to launch a vessel. Ideally, other governmental entities, such as South Whidbey Parks and Recreation and the Port of South Whidbey, with boat launch areas would join in so boaters don’t inundate a few free launching sites. Some intergovernmental communication is needed on this issue.
Many county parks allow dogs on leashes and are equipped with plastic bag dispensers so people can clean up after their animals. Adding pay boxes would be a reasonable move, asking for a dollar or two to keep the parks open. Or, an annual pass could be purchased for Fido, giving him access to any park in the county.
If people who use the parks for specific purposes pay, perhaps it can remain free to just sit on a log and watch the waves come in.
In today’s economy, governments are struggling mightily just to maintain basic services such as education, law enforcement and health care. There’s little if anything left over for the finer things in life, such as parks. People will just have to pay a little more so we can continue to enjoy what we have.
