March 2, 2010 in City

Cuts loom for Spokane County parks

Department uses tier system to target maintenance reductions

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Kathy Plonka photo

“We moved into this neighborhood because of this park,” said Trista Groshon as she played with her daughter Zoe at Pine River Park in Spokane County on Monday. A tight budget is forcing cutbacks, including the closure of bathrooms at Pine River and certain others.
(Full-size photo)(All photos)

Spokane County parks will be a little browner this summer because of budget cuts.

Garbage cans may be fuller or gone, and restrooms may be locked.

County officials hope, though, that a new three-tier maintenance policy will put the Parks Department’s money where it does the most good.

Basically, popular parks that are closer to the department’s Spokane Valley maintenance shop and farther from other parks will suffer the fewest cuts.

Ten parks designated level 1 will receive nearly normal service while seven level 3 parks will get minimal attention. Irrigation, tables and a little more maintenance will distinguish a couple of level 2 parks from the level 3 parks.

The level 1 parks are: Camp Caro, Gateway, Holmberg, Linwood, Northside Aquatics/Bidwell, Orchard Avenue, Liberty Lake Regional, Plantes Ferry, Shields and Southside Aquatics/Prairie View.

Sontag and the Liberty Lake ORV Park are level 2 parks.

Level 3 includes rural Bear Lake and Fish Lake, and a cluster of suburban parks north of Spokane: Camelot, Freddy’s, Gleneden, Brentwood/Northwood and Pine River.

All county parks will have a shorter maintenance season. Usually maintenance is provided mid-April through mid-October. This year, maintenance will start June 1 and end Sept. 15.

Except for the 2 ½-month curtailment, service at level 1 parks should be at a “relatively high level,” Parks Director Doug Chase said.

“The most notable difference in the level 1’s is you’re going to see those restrooms won’t be opening until June 1 and will remain open only through Sept. 15,” Chase said.

Restrooms won’t open at all in level 2 and 3 parks. Also, drinking water and garbage service won’t be provided.

Irrigation, lawn mowing, tables, electricity and higher maintenance in general will distinguish level 2 from level 3.

For fire safety, Chase said grass will be mowed until it stops growing at level 3 parks.

Some site-specific cuts include restricting shelter rentals to Liberty Lake Regional Park. Shelter rentals and bookings of Camp Caro Lodge will be limited to June 1 through Sept. 15.

The visitor center at Gateway Park will remain closed indefinitely.

In some cases, there was nothing left to cut.

For example, lifeguard service was eliminated last summer at Fish Lake and Bear Lake parks – along with the $2 general admission charge. And none of the county parks has gotten much fertilizer in recent years.

“We’ve been tightening the belt for a while now, and we have tried to be as creative as we can,” Chase said.

County commissioners, during a recent meeting, commended the park staff for stretching its dollars. Closing all the county’s parks, as some constituents suggested, is not viable, commission Chairman Mark Richard said.

“People need, not just want, these recreational opportunities,” Richard said.

Cuts in park maintenance and services total about $175,000, reflecting the loss of two full-time maintenance workers. The department had to reduce its budget by $205,000, but the rest was achieved by reorganizing the administrative staff.

Business and office manager positions were replaced with secretarial positions, and one of two recreation manager positions was reduced to recreation assistant. Special projects manager John Bottelli was elevated to assistant department director.

The department also lost a park ranger when the state withdrew grant money.

The $205,000 cut brings this year’s general fund Parks Department spending down about 10 percent from last year. Fee-supported programs, such as softball and aquatics, have a separate “special revenue” budget.

Fees and other nontax revenue also supplement the department’s general fund budget.

Chase said in an interview that nontax income will cover about $400,000 of the $1.8 million general fund budget this year. The tax-supported portion is less than 1.1 percent of the county’s overall general fund budget, he said.

Parks Department employees are working on materials to explain the cutbacks to park users.

“We really want the public to understand and work with us,” Chase said.

One way people can help is by packing out their own garbage. Refuse disposal is a “very significant” expense, Chase said.

During the commission meeting, Commissioner Todd Mielke said a “sponsor-a-park” program or other volunteer efforts might take some sting out of the cuts. Maybe a service club would like to provide portable toilets at a park, he said.

Chase replied that his staff looked into that and found it would cost about $53,000 to provide the vendor-recommended level of portable toilet service at Fish Lake for the summer.

Safety issues may prevent some volunteer work, but “we will certainly make every effort to take advantage of the goodwill of folks,” Chase told Mielke.

Park Ranger Bryant Robinson has been assigned to work with volunteers. He may be contacted at (509) 477-6395 or brobinson@spokanecounty.org.

20 comments on this story so far. Add yours!

• 

  Betty on March 02 at 6:44 a.m.

  So this great county owns a Race Park which surely is a specialty Park that looks as though it can’t be profitably operated but public parks for children and families have services curtailed, keeping the Race Park for the pleasure of a relatively few in this time of high maintenance and of course as always a looming gas crises to drive in those races?? Has everyone lost their heads?—knew that “Alice in Wonderland” has been revived but guess she now lives in the County Courthouse with the rest of the cast!!!

• 

  liarsinnews on March 02 at 7:27 a.m.

  Your correct, Betty. Another point might be made, Ken Lay, the ENRON CROOK, has risen from the dead and has joined the county bunch to navigate the ship through the sea of red ink.

• 

  SugarShane on March 02 at 7:53 a.m.

  Sorry folks, our money is tied up in 2 illegal wars. 70 mil a day.

• 

  MrDavis on March 02 at 8:21 a.m.

  No money for parks, unless it’s a race track park or a baseball park. It appears that there are special interests more worthy of receiving the benefit of our tax dollars other than the citizens of Spokane County. On all levels of government, we are paying for things we don’t want while essential services are cut.

• 

  SpokaneIsFun on March 02 at 8:28 a.m.

  Parks are very important for people and the environment. Shutting down the restrooms is crazy thinking by city officials. Stupid. Do they realize where people will urinate when there are not toilets. Parks also bring beauty and life to a city. Stupid… Make the cuts where they belong. Cut the programs for losers, people who don’t work or want to work, all the freebies given out to people who do not pay taxes. To attorney’s in stupid lawsuits that just run the bills up. Look what happened to California. They are broke. Ask yourself why. All the freebies!!!

• 

  zerla on March 02 at 8:35 a.m.

  “The $205,000 cut brings this year’s general fund Parks Department spending down about 10 percent from last year.”

  Pocket change compared to the money the Raceway is costing the county. Wow—what a shame.

• 

  Hank_Tingler on March 02 at 8:50 a.m.

  And they want to build more parks on 5 mile and Assembly road.

  Perhaps instead of letting prisoners ROT in the County Jail, lets allow them to work their sentences off doing clean up in the parks.

• 

  MrNatural on March 02 at 8:51 a.m.

  So now we can see who takes the hit for the Mielke-Richard Memorial Speedway…the children, families, and average citizens of Spokane County. I guess they should all go to Raceway Park for their fresh air, exercise and peace and quiet. “People don’t need and most don’t want that greasy racetrack” Commissioner Richard but that didn’t stop you and your visionary cohort Mielke from squandering public funds to placate a few motorheaded campaign donors. I believe the health department should weigh in on the increased health risk to people from unsanitary conditions and garbage that will be generated by lack of services in these PUBLIC places. Damn this makes me angry!

• 

  ToddHogan on March 02 at 9:11 a.m.

  Why not have local “ambassadors” that can volunteer to maintain our great parks. We own them- not the county or city.

  Because of the sue happy citizens in our country- we would need waivers to release each city and the county from liability- but i know there are volunteers that would gladly organize to maintain the parks.

  Anyone agree?

• 

  misjustice on March 02 at 10:58 a.m.

  Dear Mr. Natural:

  What, pooping in the brown, dried up, fire prone grass at the park is not sanitary? LOL! Maybe urinating on the grass could be construed as a sprinkler system?

  This story is so depressing. And very telling about our priorities as a community.

  I like Mr. William’s suggestion of ambassadors (minus the blame on “sue happy citizens”)…More than likely, however, citizens would be discouraged from doing this by the City/County…

  Thank goodness we have a fancy schmancy race track! So grateful to the Commissioners for that; a bargain at twice the price!

• 

  Hank_Tingler on March 02 at 11:41 a.m.

  We could sell the parks and use the money to finance the racetrack….Oh my dont anyone tell the commissioners that..

• 

  Megan_B on March 02 at 11:59 a.m.

  What ever happened to the $5 fee when you renew your tabs that was supposed to go to supporting city parks?

• 

  ToddHogan on March 02 at 1:27 p.m.

  why should it just be the city/county job to maintain the parks? If you use the park system- you should volunteer to help maintain it.

  People are slobs…just look around Spokane at houses around town and in the valley. They can’t even pick up their own yards..

  One or two hours a week in your local park makes a huge difference. Some should try this at home.

• 

  MrNatural on March 02 at 1:45 p.m.

  (Smile 2 misjustice)
  I think the ambassador (campground host) idea has merit but the whole thing still depends on sanitary and solid waste services (when ya gotta go ya gotta go). So an annual business or club sponsorship is needed to maintain the cost of these services.
  Although it’s a city slogan “Near Nature Near Perfect” and who am I to remind the city about the aesthetic and spiritual benefits of restoring the riparian habitat at the old Y. The Commissioners need to realize that quality of life issues are what draw people to this region and various areas and neighborhoods thus helping renew the county coffers. I like knowing my tax dollars go to preserving open spaces, parks and natural areas for the health of our environment and for all to enjoy.
  Hence the county’s slogan can now be in view of the infinite wisdom of these two commissioners “A miss is as good as a mile”

• 

  mikeb2710 on March 02 at 4:10 p.m.

  i get a kick out of all of you… you post commits on hear but none of you stand up to the city commisioners they have been pissing money away for years building a parking garage we did not need spending 2 million in fees to fight the river rights act and buying a damb race track that has never made a dime. u have a govener that has no clue how to manage money we have to let police officers and fire fighters go becouse of the budget but she can get a $100.000 dollar a year speach righter she is reliesing criminals becouse there is no money to hold them in prision and this is what u are worked up about. please the parks although much loved are the last things u need to be worked up about.

• 

  sean96 on March 02 at 6:43 p.m.

  I just went to the county website and e-mailed the commissioners. This is Bull, they bought a race track and raised my property taxes and now I get to live by a litter invested brown grass park.

  Why did the North side get hit so hard, and did they not spend a bunch of money on Fish Lake? Now it will fall in disrepair.

  Contact them www.spokanecounty.org

• 

  Marie on March 02 at 8:45 p.m.

  I get that people are upset about the racetrack, but last year Mielke and Richards were up for re-election and they were re-elected. If you voted for either one of them after they spent money on a racetrack then you have only yourselves to blame for the rest of their bad decisions.

  And while it might be a good idea to get the prisoners out of the jail to work in the parks someone has to supervise them. Oh wait- the Sheriff has had to lay people off and cut programs too. Since the Commissioners’ budget was increased by 7.5 percent this year, while everyone else’s budgets were cut, maybe they will send some of their staff to work in the parks.

• 

  cowboy on March 02 at 11:00 p.m.

  Cuts cuts cuts but have we heard anyone taking a pay cut not on your life. The new parks director takes home $175,000 a year.

  This is what they do they cut where it hurts the families, parks, libraries, pre-schools, so next time they want money we all vote yes like a bunch of dumb cattle.

  My property taxes went up two years in a row my city utility cost has doubled in the last 5 years. But I still have potholed streets to drive on, and now I will have brown parks full of garbage and human feces to take my grand kids to.

  I am paying more for less services while public servants make 100 grand a year.

• 

  CharlesBillford on March 05 at 12:39 a.m.

  I hear everybody talking, but no one doing thing.

  So all you sheeple gonna keep crying in your beer or stand up and toss the bastards out?

  You get the government you deserve. If your not engaged, making your voice heard and managing our elected officials, they why complain?

• 

  HANK_TINKLER on March 08 at 10:42 a.m.

  I don’t mind having the restrooms closed, I use the bushes anyway.