10 • mARCH 11, 2010<strong>The</strong> <strong>Splash</strong>cover storyGrounds for a priceCounty parksget maintenancecutbackBy Hope Brumbach<strong>Splash</strong> EditorBudget cuts are forcing Spokane Countypark officials to let the grass get a littlebrowner in county parks this summer, therestrooms to stay locked longer and garbageto sit more frequently.<strong>The</strong> county created a three-tier systemto address park maintenance, with <strong>Liberty</strong><strong>Lake</strong> County Park designated as level1 — the least affected — and the <strong>Liberty</strong><strong>Lake</strong> ORV Park as level 2. <strong>The</strong> strategy siphonsthe most money and maintenanceinto parks that are the most popular andsituated closer to the county’s maintenanceshop.“This is a position we haven’t been infor many, many, many years,” said DougChase, the county parks director. “Wetried to lay out a plan we can accomplishand work with, and we’re looking for patienceand understanding.”<strong>The</strong> reductions in park maintenanceand services total about $175,000, aboutthe loss of two full-time maintenanceemployees. <strong>The</strong> parks department cut itsbudget by a total of $205,000, with a reorganizationof staff saving about $30,000,Chase said. <strong>The</strong> reduction is about 11 percentof the department’s overall budget.Chase said he hopes the maintenancereduction is not a long-term adjustment,“but ultimately may depend heavily uponan improved local economy.”Ten parks, including <strong>Liberty</strong> <strong>Lake</strong>By the numbers$175,000Amount SpokaneCounty cut this yearin park maintenance$169,000Amount <strong>Liberty</strong> <strong>Lake</strong>budgeted this year forpark maintenanceEquipment inthe <strong>Liberty</strong> <strong>Lake</strong>maintenanceshop is one ofthe expenses ofkeeping parkspace in thecommunitymaintained.County Park, are designated as level 1 andwill have nearly normal service. <strong>The</strong> biggestchange will be that the shelters andrestrooms won’t open until June 1 andwill close Sept. 15, eliminating about 10weeks of service compared to prior years.Maintenance — such as garbage collection— also will be slightly reduced. <strong>The</strong>park still will have lifeguards.Two parks are designated level 2, includingthe <strong>Liberty</strong> <strong>Lake</strong> ORV Park.Those parks will not open restrooms andservices will be more limited.<strong>The</strong> county is open to volunteers whowant to help with park maintenance andservice, Chase said. <strong>The</strong> county is preparinga “menu” of needed items or servicesfor each affected park. County employeesalso are preparing materials for park usersto understand the changes.For more information about volunteering,contact Spokane County ParkRanger Bryant Robinson at 477-6395 orBROBINSON@spokanecounty.org.$7,000Amount the cityestimates it costsper acre to maintainparkland2Number of city’sfull-time employeeswho maintain parks(hours spread betweenemployees)Keeping green spacegreen costs taxpayersOn the coversplash photo by Hope brumbachJeff Nelson, the city’s equipmentmanager for parks, works on machinerythis week in <strong>Liberty</strong> <strong>Lake</strong>’s shop.City stretchesdollars for parksBy Hope Brumbach<strong>Splash</strong> EditorWith the addition of Rocky Hill Park, thecity of <strong>Liberty</strong> <strong>Lake</strong> is preparing for steadilygrowing costs of maintaining the parks andgreen space in the community.<strong>The</strong> city now maintains just shy of 50acres, with roughly 15 acres each at PavillionPark and Rocky Hill Park and the openspace and corridors in the city, said DougSmith, the city’s planning and community5-6Number of seasonalemployees the citywill hire this year<strong>Splash</strong> photo by Hope Brumbach50About the number ofacres in parks andopen space the citymaintainsdevelopment director.With roughly $160,000 to $170,000 inannual maintenance costs, the city paysabout $7,000 per acre of parkland and about$4,000 per acre in maintaining open space,Smith estimates. And that doesn’t includeirrigation costs, which typically run about$20,000 to $30,000 annually, he said.<strong>The</strong> budget this year for park maintenanceis $169,000, Smith said, and the city will geta reprieve on half of Rocky Hill Park, whichwill be finished this construction season.<strong>The</strong> park maintenance budget is tight, withlittle margin for paring back, Smith said.“Any reduction would result in reductionin the quality of what you see out there,”Smith said. “We’d be fertilizing less, mowingless, irrigating less. <strong>The</strong> margins are justtoo thin.”Parks are a key feature of the community,residents agree, and they have been ahot topic in the last years, with discussionsabout planned sizes of parks in the RiverDistrict development north of the freeway.City officials say, though, that growth ofparks needs to keep pace with the longtermcosts of maintaining them.“In the final analysis, while there are expensesassociated with it, the return on investmentis well worth it. It really is whatadds to the vitality of <strong>Liberty</strong> <strong>Lake</strong>,” Smithsaid of park space. “I wish we had moremoney to spend on parks and open space.We have to be conservative and cautiousthat we don’t overextend ourselves.”In the River District, for example, someCity Council members pushed last fall forlarger parks and setting aside additionalacreage for a 20-acre park. City staff cautionedagainst reserving the property, however,saying that capital costs are one-timeexpenses while maintenance costs quicklymount. <strong>The</strong> city still has the option to purchaseproperty in the future.“<strong>The</strong>re’s no argument that everyone appreciatesthe level of service we have inparks and open space, we have a tremendouslevel of service,” Smith said. “But at thesame time, there has to be an awareness thatwith that level of service, there has to be alevel of financial commitment to maintainit.”It would be “worse to be in county’s positionof building up the inventory and (havingthe) financial restraints of making cutbacks,”Smith said.
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Splash</strong> mARCH 11, 2010 • 11S Formerly Reflections Med Spa, Coeur d’Alene
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