Peninsula Daily News news services
OLYMPIA — Are three North Olympic Peninsula state parks off the chopping block?
The answer seems to be yes under a bill to pay for state parks which passed the state Legislature late last week.
Car tabs will go up by $5 under the bill, but vehicle owners can opt out of paying the fee.
This is a change from current law which allows a vehicle owner to actively choose to make a $5 donation to support state parks.
The bill passed the state Senate on Friday on a vote of 32-16.
Gov. Chris Gregoire must put a final stamp of approval on the measure — which is expected to bring in about $20 million — before it would take effect.
The bill — which passed the House 56-42 on Monday — was sponsored by state Rep. Lynn Kessler, D-Hoquiam, one of three state legislators representing Jefferson and Clallam counties and part of Grays Harbor County in Olympia.
Three Peninsula state parks — Old Fort Townsend State Park, Fort Flagler State Park, both near Port Townsend, and Bogachiel State Park, 6 miles south of Forks — were among 36 that Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission had listed for possible closure or transfer of ownership to local government.
The parks commission said it needed to cut $23 million of the agency’s $100 million budget to help the state deal with a a projected $9 billion budget deficit through mid-2011.
Fort Casey on Whidbey Island, part of the military’s historic “Triangle of Fire” with forts Worden and Flagler on Admiralty Inlet, and Fort Ebey State Park, also on Whidbey, were also on list for closures or transfer.
But the park fee bill helps avoid any park closures in the final state budget.
The measure would add the $5 parks fee to all vehicle licensing tabs.
All of the money collected must go to operation and maintenance of state parks, but the fee can’t be charged if a car owner opts out of paying.
The state Department of Licensing is required to ensure that the opt-out choice is prominently displayed and clearly visible on both paper and online renewals.
The measure would take effect in September, if signed into law by Gregoire.
Most Republicans were firmly opposed to the bill Friday, saying the fee seems intended to trick people into unknowingly paying for parks.
The minority GOP tried unsuccessfully to amend the bill on the Senate floor.
Port of PT action
“Once we get the budget, we will call a special meeting, and that’s when we’ll discuss it [the status of the parks],” said Linda Burnett, Washington State Parks spokeswoman.
She spoke last week after the parks commission pulled a discussion of the possible closures from a meet scheduled for Thursday.
At present, the only Peninsula state park with a possible taker is Old Fort Townsend, south of Port Townsend, which the Port of Port Townsend is considering owning and operating.
“Really, the big question is for the budget to be finalized, and are you going to close this one or not?” Port Townsend Port Executive Director Larry Crockett said last Tuesday.
Crockett said if it becomes clear that the state wants the port to take on management of the 367 acres of Old Fort Townsend State Park, the port commissioners will be in a position to negotiate a sustainable business model.
Bogachiel’s future
Discussions about potential operators of Bogachiel State Park— a 123-acre park with camping facilities and 2,800 feet of shoreline along the Bogachiel River — have taken place with county and tribal officials, Forks Mayor Nedra Reed said last Tuesday, but nothing has been decided.
“We’re hopeful that the Legislature will provide an opportunity for a solution,” Reed said.
