PORT TOWNSEND — The fate of 367-acre Old Fort Townsend State Park — which the state parks system proposes for a local ownership transfer to help save millions in park maintenance statewide — will be unknown until a state budget comes back to Washington State Parks in May, said Peter Herzog, the Washington State Parks planner.
“I’m afraid none of you are going to leave this meeting satisfied,” Heraog said on Thursday night.
“But let me make it clear that we’re a long way off from this being a done deal.”
Herzog, who has been instrumental in facilitating long-range planning for Fort Worden State Park in Port Townsend, discussed the future of Old Fort Townsend State Park with members of the community on Thursday night at the Fort Worden Commons.
The proposed 2009-2011 budget released by Gov. Chris Gregoire asks State Parks to take a 10 percent budget cut, or $10 million, mostly in staffing and operations.
Old Fort Townsend State Park, about 2 miles south of Port Townsend off state Highway 20, is one of 13 parks listed in the proposal.
Bogachiel State Park near Forks is the other state park in the North Olympic Peninsula listed for transfer.
Herzog explained that a $3.5 million savings proposed by state parks would “come from transferring 13 park properties in all to local governments and/or conservation partners or nonprofit organizations.”
State Parks is freezing equipment replacement, closing one of four regional offices and reducing programs and staff at its headquarters to save another $6.5 million, Herzog said.
“You have to understand that this is gut-wrenching for everyone involved, so we have to be extremely sensitive to all involved,” Herzog said.
“We don’t want to sell the park; we want to make sure the properties stay open for public use.
“This isn’t an effort to privatize the parks.”
Not unheard of
Herzog said transfers of parks have been completed before.
Properties such as Moses Lake, Mukilteo, West Hylebo and Heart Lake have all previously been absorbed by cities and counties, he said.
The Thursday-night meeting offered few answers to people’s questions.
Herzog admitted the Parks Commission were still in the preliminary stages of deciding what to do with the governor’s proposal.
“We’re still on the ragged edge here as far as a plan goes,” he said.
“The one thing you can do is write to the Parks Commission and tell them how you feel.
“This is very serious, and it is very heartbreaking for us all.”
The meeting is the only one that has been held by Washington State Parks in response to the proposed cuts.
Herzog said he decided to change the topic of the previously scheduled Fort Worden Long Range Plan meeting in order to answer people’s immediate questions about Old Fort Townsend.
“People have a good part of their souls in Old Fort Townsend,” he said.
“I understand that.
“Right now, no other parks are having a meeting.”
Jefferson County Commissioner John Austin, D-Port Ludlow, stood at the meeting and asked everyone to write their legislators.
“We have three pretty powerful legislators,” Austin said.
“We need to write them and let them know what Old Fort Worden means to us.”
Austin, a self-proclaimed “heavy user” of Old Fort Townsend, said he was disappointed in the announcement that Old Fort Townsend had been proposed for transfer.
“I’m very, very unhappy that they are looking at these parks, not only this one but Bogachiel on the West End,” Austin said.
“The second-best alternative to keep the park open would be for the state to lease it to an organization like the Nature Conservancy to own it and manage it.”
Jefferson County, facing its own financial troubles after budget cuts and layoffs late last year, is not in a position to acquire and manage another park, Austin said.
“The park is designed to be a resource for everyone in the state,” he said.
“It’s really patently unfair to leave it to local government to maintain.”
No meetings
No meetings have been scheduled addressing the status of Bogachiel State Park, 6 miles south of Forks.
Forks Mayor Needra Reed said she will petition the state to keep the location funded.
“We plan on lodging our concerns with our representatives and the governor,” Reed said.
“The park is vital to the community. It’s a great asset for the community. It’s got great swimming holes for the locals, and it’s also vital for tourism.”
Reed said the city has long feared losing the park, and she views it as a great boon to their economy.
“We have gone through talks and planning and discussion on the closure of the park for years and have dodged the bullet, but we’re not so sure this time,” she said.
“We have a critical need to try and keep the park open.”
The budget cuts don’t stop at the state’s parks.
Gregoire recently proposed slashing more than $3 billion from state funds affecting education, social services, prisons, health programs, state parks and perhaps the second ferry for the Port Townsend-Keystone route.
After being told of the proposed closure of the parks, Rep. Lynn Kessler, D-Hoquiam, said she’s glad the Legislature can dig into revisions.
“We depend on those parks to attract visitors to our area,” said Kessler, whose 24th district covers Clallam and Jefferson counties.
As a member of the House ways and means committee, Kessler will lead the Legislature’s creation of its own budget, revising the governor’s proposal when the session begins Monday.
Old Fort Townsend State Park features 3,960 feet of saltwater shoreline on Port Townsend Bay.
The heavily wooded park has a rich military history dating from pioneer days.
The fort was closed between 1859 and 1874 and declared “unfit” after an inspection by an Army headquarters commander. It was reopened in 1874.
The fort thrived until 1895, when fire destroyed the barracks.
The property was used as an enemy-munitions defusing station during World War II. State Parks took custody of the premises in 1953.
Today, it has 6.5 miles of forested and shoreline hiking trails and occupies more than a third of the original Fort Townsend built in 1856 by the U.S. Army for the protection of settlers.
It has boating, diving, fishing and crabbing access, ball fields and a children’s play area.
Bicycles are permitted on some of the hiking trails.
Established in 1931, Bogachiel State Park is a thickly forested 123-acre camping park on the banks of the Bogachiel River.
It is remotely located on the northwestern tip of Washington state on the tip of the Hoh Rainforest.
Lush rainforest terrain is formed dense rainfall.
The park is open all year for camping and day use.
Some campsites are closed in winter.
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Jefferson County reporter Erik Hidle can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at erik.hidle@peninsuladailynews.com.
