A Roaring Success

"The red roofs still are not painted" - Captain Joe- Head lighthouse keeper
 
While some of the commissioners and some of the parks staff in attendance were somewhat giddy with delight over recent turns of events at the Vashon Park District (VPD), there still remained uncertainty about where the Vashon Elementary School (VES) field project was to be going from here after the latest Tuesday night’s commissioners meeting. It was reported that the VPD had basically been given a pass the day before by the state Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) by being granted an extension for completing the VES project until the 30th of September of this year. This opened up a greater opportunity for all current work to be completed on the fields in order for parks to be in compliance with whatever rules and guidelines are in place that would finally verify eligibility for monies to be handed over to VPD from the RCO. Some found all of this to be an occasion for jollity and great relief- others remained less than impressed.
 
Donning the cap of perpetual inquisitor, Capt. Joe Wubbold pointed out that the bulk of the monies being generated in the entire park system were coming from the rental properties, both at Point Robinson and at Fern Cove, and thusly was wondering what monies might be seen coming back to the lighthouse in the form of badly needed maintenance expenditures. In response, commissioner Ameling said that "when you say nobody made cash, it’s just because we only get our cash twice a year- it does not mean that all the other programs lost…." If indeed the VPD had adhered to that philosophy of only spending money either that they had or that the government handed over to them, then we wouldn’t have a park system with gutted staffing and reduced programming. We wouldn’t be asking girls’ soccer teams to be paying for naming rights to athletic field bathrooms, as commissioner Hackett did, although in this case, the Eagles Poopery has a certain ring to it that we wouldn’t otherwise have had the opportunity to experience and enjoy. And yes, why not spend a bunch more of the taxpayer’s money on a "public" toilet that you can lock up and give access only to those you deem worthy.
 
We also received yet another course in creative accounting by commissioner Ameling regarding the new portable toilet unit being delivered from Indiana was we write this. As I understand it, first we buy it, then we finance it, although I am still puzzled by what it was that we used to buy it with to begin with. Somewhere after that was discussed, if not necessarily explained or resolved, it was brought to the commissioners’ lack of attention that if we can take out a loan for a portable toilet, or as Mr. Ameling would prefer to rephrase it- a modular toilet- and finance the entire VPD on TAN loans, why couldn’t we do some needed and preventive maintenance at the lighthouse and cough up $8 thousand to paint the roofs at Point Robinson? To that, Mr. Ameling stated simply: "I’m not going to shell out eight thousand bucks to paint a roof… it’s not the time right now to be expansive." These are the comic moments we live for at these parks meetings.
 
And then, while still trying to justify spending over $2 million for the soccer fields nobody except David Hackett asked for, we learn of another potential impending expense on the parks horizon. As it is, because of expiring leases and environmental remediation, it looks as if the Tramp Harbor dock may soon disappear. While again, it is unclear as to who owns what, beyond the fact that the VPD owns the land end of the dock, what is clear is that creosote pilings are bad and the tramp Harbor Dock is held up by creosote pilings which probably have to be removed. Until clarification has been reached on who is responsible for what here, it is not worth speculating on the various unsavory outcomes. As a bit of insurance though, people worried about losing this particular resource might want to get Mr. Hackett’s kids interested in fishing- it’s worked on overblown projects in recent memory.