Buck Park Lease/Transfer Process Still Stalled

Updated April 29 at 8:45 p.m.

Caution ruled the day at the Orcas Island School District (OISD) Board Meeting last Thursday, April 27, and the long-awaited turnover of Buck Park to the Orcas Island Park and Recreation District (OIPRD) was again stymied.

This time it was problems with the lease agreement that the two districts had (mostly) hammered out at the March 22 joint board meeting, whereby the School would lease the Park to the Park and Rec District until a transfer could be officially completed. (Currently, that transfer is being held up by state documentation.)

Last Thursday, the School Board held a required public hearing about the agreement with the Park and Rec District before its official public meeting. At the hearing, former School District Board Directors Bruce Orchid and Barry Madan spoke of Buck Park’s governance history, and encouraged the two districts to go ahead with the agreement. Bob Eagan, OIPRD Director, displayed a refurbished sign for Buck Park.

Then Martha Farish, OIPRD Chair said that the Park and Rec District had been advised by counsel that a recent change to the lease agreement, spelling out responsibility for the water usage, represented “a substantive change; both [districts] carry responsibility for airing substantive change.” The upshot, Farish said, was that another public hearing by both boards would need to take place, with the suggested addition.

That change would add $166 monthly water costs to the nominal $1 per year annual lease, until the transfer supercedes the lease agreement.

School Board Director Scott Lancaster proposed that the school district go ahead and approve the agreement with the added wording, which had been approved by the school’s counsel, and the Park and Rec District can “do whatever you want with it.”

Parks and Rec Commissioner Bob Eagan noted that they were working towards a target date of June 1.

Farish said, “This [lease agreement] was a stopgap measure in March due to the fact that other documents were delayed at the state level.”

While she acknowledged that “All these documents — facilities use, water use, and transfer —  are simple… but they haven’t come before the [district] boards.”

Farish pointed out the school district’s agreement with the Eastsound Water Users Association (EWUA) expires May 22. The School Board said that its EWUA water agreement is scheduled to be renewed next week, and that they were attempting to move forward so that the park fields could be ready for summer sports.

Acting School Board Chair Chris Sutton asked if there was a concern with the school district approving the lease, with the additional language, at the present meeting.

Farish replied that the issue was compliance with the process of open public meetings.

OISD Superintendent Barbara Kline said that there had been a glitch in communication about splitting the costs for water usage, and Farish said, “this has been a lesson in government.”

OISD Board Director Janet Brownell said, “The only thing that would change is the fee structure, [which would be] the lease fee of  $1 + $166/month [for water usage] until the official transfer.”

Bob Eagan addressed the management of the interim situation, saying, “ Your facilities people would take care of irrigation (which is scheduled automatically); our people would mow the grass and alert your people if there was a problem with irrigation, during the lease period.”

The board voted to approve the agreement with the added language stipulating payment for water usage until the transfer agreement takes place; OISD Director Jim Sullivan cast the single dissenting vote.

OIPRD Commissioners plan to hold a hearing with the additional language, in time to approve the lease of Buck Park from the School District, effective June 1.