By Stan Matthews
County Communications Program Manager
Trash receptacles will be removed this week at Eastsound Village Green to cut costs and compensate for sagging park use revenues.
“We expect our use fees from the Farmer’s Market will be $2500 less than last year and we’ve lost a couple of other events that will put us about $3,000 below our budget for the year,” Wuthnow said on July 7. “Eliminating garbage service will save us between $1,500 and $2,000 so we’ll still have to work to balance the budget.”
The Farmer’s Market’s use fee dropped when it obtained non-profit status. Earlier this year the market moved to Prune Alley for three weeks, eliminating those payments to the park and Wuthnow said the number of other revenue-producing events at the park has dwindled. She said that after looking at June revenue figures she felt obligated to act.
“We’re hoping that having a clean Village Green is important to the whole community and especially to park users, so they’ll help by packing out any trash they generate.”
Wuthnow said that the Parks Department continues to provide garbage collection service at the County’s camping parks, but the service has already been cutback or eliminated at other day parks.
This is pretty darned outrageous! Of course events are down! Who wants to pay a fee to offer a free concert to the community? Do other county parks (Odlin, Lime Kiln, etc.) have to pay their own way to get their trash picked up? I doubt it. So why here? The Village Green is our park, the band shell was built with our funds and our labor (not the county’s). This is a fundamental free public facility, supported by and supporting our community. Taking care of it should be our a responsibility, and also one of those fundamental public services that the county uses our tax money to undertake. Maybe we should take up a collection. Or maybe we can take out a mortgage on the ridiculously expensive public bathrooms that were installed, but that the county continually threatens to close because they can’t afford to keep them clean. I’m not impressed with the parks department’s ability to budget and manage money, nor with their approach to this public facility. I hope that people are responsible for their own trash, but I fear that it will end up in beleaguered merchants’ dumpsters, or just blowing in the wind….
This is pretty darned outrageous! Of course events are down! Who wants to pay a fee to offer a free concert to the community? Do other county parks (Odlin, Lime Kiln, etc.) have to pay their own way to get their trash picked up? I doubt it. So why here? The Village Green is our park, the band shell was built with our funds and our labor (not the county’s). This is a fundamental free public facility, supported by and supporting our community. Taking care of it should be our a responsibility, and also one of those fundamental public services that the county uses our tax money to undertake. Maybe we should take up a collection. Or maybe we can take out a mortgage on the ridiculously expensive public bathrooms that were installed, but that the county continually threatens to close because they can’t afford to keep them clean. I’m not impressed with the parks department’s ability to budget and manage money, nor with their approach to this public facility. I hope that people are responsible for their own trash, but I fear that it will end up in beleaguered merchants’ dumpsters, or just blowing in the wind….
There is no fee for the use of the Stage on the Green for the free concert series on Sundays.
The stage was built by County Park volunteers.
The majority of the funding for the Stage came from a grant applied for and administered by County Parks.
Lime Kiln is not a County Park. Odlin has a campground. The camper’s fees pay for garbage collection. The Village Green’s fees do not cover the expenses of maintaining it.
There is no tax that is designated by law to fund San Juan County Parks. The “new” 2% tax or hotel bed tax was originally intended, in part, to provide a solid source of funding for County Parks. Our County Council recently decided to follow the recommendation of a citizen’s advisory group ( LTAC) that gave some new groups available 2% tax money and awarded less money to County Parks than had been approved in their budget by the Council.
I have worked for National, State, Municipal and County Parks, and have never worked for a park system that is run as efficiently and responsibly. The budget has no fat to cut. The competent staff does an amazing job protecting our resources and providing quality recreational opportunities for our community and it’s visitors.
I, too, hope that people will be responsible and pack out their trash – because at this time there is no money available to pay for trash removal.
Donations may be sent to San Juan County Parks.
There is no fee for the use of the Stage on the Green for the free concert series on Sundays.
The stage was built by County Park volunteers.
The majority of the funding for the Stage came from a grant applied for and administered by County Parks.
Lime Kiln is not a County Park. Odlin has a campground. The camper’s fees pay for garbage collection. The Village Green’s fees do not cover the expenses of maintaining it.
There is no tax that is designated by law to fund San Juan County Parks. The “new” 2% tax or hotel bed tax was originally intended, in part, to provide a solid source of funding for County Parks. Our County Council recently decided to follow the recommendation of a citizen’s advisory group ( LTAC) that gave some new groups available 2% tax money and awarded less money to County Parks than had been approved in their budget by the Council.
I have worked for National, State, Municipal and County Parks, and have never worked for a park system that is run as efficiently and responsibly. The budget has no fat to cut. The competent staff does an amazing job protecting our resources and providing quality recreational opportunities for our community and it’s visitors.
I, too, hope that people will be responsible and pack out their trash – because at this time there is no money available to pay for trash removal.
Donations may be sent to San Juan County Parks.