PORT TOWNSEND — Citing a more than $100,000 deficit, Jefferson County Parks Director Matt Tyler outlined a proposal to close four park facilities, cut almost three part-time staff positions and become heavily dependent on volunteers to maintain most other county parks.
The move leaves just one paid staffer for parks maintenance countywide.
“We coping and surviving now,” Tyler told the county commissioners Monday, announcing a plan to greatly expand the system’s volunteer program to maintain most of the county’s 19 parks.
The county park system that serves 2,200 families with 700 children budgeted $539,546 in 2009 expenditures but has only slightly more than $438,000 for 2010.
That’s a reduction of 19 percent.
To make budget, the parks and recreation department must pare back its part-time staff, laying off 2.64 full-time-equivalent positions, leaving the department with a staff of 5.28 full-time-equivalent positions in 2010, Tyler said.
‘Low-performing’
The proposal closes the “low-performing” Chimacum Campground and Day Use Park adjacent to the Tri-Area Community Center in Chimacum.
It would also close the Lake Leland Campground north of Quilcene, but leave the day use park open.
Hicks/Shine Park and the Quilcene Campground will be closed altogether.
The county parks agency also proposes raising fees for parks and recreation programs, cutting high-subsidy programs, building new high revenue programs and partnering with day-care services.
The intent is to recover 50 percent of county parks revenues instead of 33 percent as is now the case, Tyler said.
Volunteers sought
Building a volunteer work force is wanted at all parks, except those with strong existing volunteer groups, Tyler said.
Parks with organized neighborhood volunteer work forces include East Beach County Park on Marrowstone Island, South Indian Island Park, Irondale Beach Park and H.J. Carroll County Park.
The county this year has already tapped the general fund transfer to county parks by 17 percent.
County parks and recreation programs are currently supported by about 400 volunteers who work part-time as coaches and other in programs such as Adopt A Park.
The county will look to Fort Worden State Park to possibly assist the county with maintenance of North Beach Park, which adjoins Fort Worden at the north shore of Port Townsend.
Recreation center
Tyler said parks needing volunteers include the Port Townsend Recreation Center grounds, Memorial Field downtown and North Beach, all in Port Townsend.
“I think the important thing is we’re out of reserve money, we’re into the red,” county Public Works Director Frank Gifford said, backing the parks department that he oversees.
Kathleen Kler, a parks advisory committee member from Quilcene, said the time might be right to reconsider creating a metropolitan park district.
That has been an issue kicked around more than once between the city of Port Townsend and the county over the years.
Kler said if such a conversation does not take place “within a couple years, we could lose enough ground that we might not be able to recover.”
County Commissioner Phil Johnson, D- Port Townsend, cited state initiatives including I-695, the license tab flat $30 fee and a worldwide recession as reasons behind the dramatic loss of parks and other revenues to the county.
“We’re going to be in deeper trouble next year than we are this year,” Johnson said.
Another source
County Administrator Philip Morley said the county must “find a sustainable separate funding base for parks and recreation programs.
“This community needs to build its future, and for our quality of life that needs to include parks and recreation,” Morley added.
With new construction at a critical low, the county Department of Community Development has laid off nine employees since December and reduced hours by 10 percent.
In April, the county reduced its general fund revenue projections for this year by $1 million.
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Port Townsend-Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com
