PORT TOWNSEND — Since public input about a proposal to create a joint city-county metropolitan parks district has not met expectations, the committee charged with forming the concept will host an open house about it this weekend.
“We’ve had complaints about having meetings in the daytime, and we’ve had evening meetings where people haven’t shown up,” said Kathleen Kler, who with Cammy Brown is the co-chair of the citizen steering committee for the proposed district that would include parks in Port Townsend and East Jefferson County.
“We want to make this as accessible as possible because we are looking for public input.”
The open house will be from 9:30 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Chimacum High School library, 91 West Valley Road.
It will offer seven tables where attendees can ask specific questions on such topics as finances, boundaries and goals.
The idea of establishing a parks district emerged last year in response to the financial strains for both city and county government in supporting and maintaining park properties.
The proposed district, which would be a junior taxing district if voters approve it, would be charged with running some or all of the park properties in the region.
The board would have the authority to levy up to 75 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation, or $187.50 annually for a house valued at $250,000.
The steering committee’s task is to develop a proposal as to what such a district would look like before it goes before the voters for their consideration.
When the steering committee began meeting this spring, it was with the possibility that a ballot measure asking voters to authorize a district would be presented on the November ballot, but this will not happen, Kler said.
The committee will continue meeting throughout the summer, present its proposal to the city and county, and then dissolve, with the city and county working together to craft a ballot measure.
The soonest the measure could face the voters is in spring 2014, Kler said.
“We need to define the roles of the different agencies,” Kler said.
“Whether the MPD will work together with and incorporate some of the programs that the Y is doing, can the schools begin to share unused facilities.”
Said Brown: “We will be able to present information about what parks and recreation really does and all its programs.
“You can live here for years, and there are still things that you do not know.”
The committee discussed what they called the “American Idol” process, where only the most popular facilities would be maintained.
Kler said this strategy would not come to pass because it would weigh against those facilities in the south part of the county, but the idea helped stimulate discussion.
“What that criteria does is get people from South County to ask what an MPD can do for them and get them to determine what is going to work for them,” she said.
“It’s about how do you start talking about the details, what will be included and what will be left out.”
Kler said she has seen interest grow in the proposed district.
“People are talking about this. They are starting to show some interest,” she said.
“In the last week and a half, they are getting more involved and are beginning to send in more comments.
“We are directing then to submit their comments and also encouraging them to show up and participate in the conversation.”
For more information, visit http://tinyurl.com/bwslutg.
To submit a comment, contact Matt Tyler, manager of the Jefferson County Public Works Parks and Recreation Division, by phone at 360-385-9129 or by email at mtyler@co.jefferson.wa.us.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
