PORT TOWNSEND— Fort Worden State Park has enjoyed a busy summer but still faces a budget shortage and continued cutbacks, according to material presented to the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce on Monday.
“We had our busiest July ever,” said park manager Kate Burke told a chamber luncheon at the Port Townsend Elks Lodge.
“The entire park system has shown a slight improvement in the near term, but the message we are getting from the governor is that we now have to prepare to submit another round of cuts by Sept. 22, which will be our biggest challenge so far.”
This summer saw the advent of what is expected to be a major revenue stream, the Discover Pass, which requires a $10 daily or $30 yearly fee per vehicle for park access.
Pass sales are expected to generate $57 million a year, according to Burke — but even if those projections are met cutbacks will be required.
“I am not faulting the governor,” Burke said. “She had some difficult decisions in front of her, such as how to develop a budget based on revenues that may or may not be there.”
The positive news, according to Burke, is there are a lot of good things happening at Fort Worden, which offers a variety of programs in the 400-acre park.
Much of this has to do with the renovation of Building 202, a 20,000 square-foot empty space that will become East Jefferson County home for Peninsula College and Goddard College.
Burke said construction will begin in fall 2012 and take about two years, although that could change.
“With the renovation of historic buildings, there are always things that come up that aren’t anticipated that can take more time or cost more money,” she told the chamber audience.
“But we are looking for ways to make the project work, such as adding a program to the Port Townsend School of Woodworking that will educate veterans and others who want to learn historical preservation trades.”
Burke said all state parks are feeling the pinch and need to come up with creative ideas, although she doesn’t necessarily favor how some parks in other states have allowed natural gas drilling.
“There are only five state park systems in the country that don’t have some kind of fee system in place,” she said.
Burke credited the Port Townsend and Jefferson County community with keeping the park afloat through tough times and expects that trend to continue.
“We are looking to develop partnerships with people who can bring learning opportunities to the public,” she said. “This can range from highly structured college courses to people who say, ‘I want to learn woodworking.’
“We hope to find tenants with new ideas; we have plenty of buildings.”
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
