Vashon Park District commissioners voted last week to approve a 5 percent increase in fees for the use of several island park and school district facilities.
The measure will increase fees for a variety of groups, including sports teams that use Vashon’s athletic fields and gyms, equestrians who rent space at Paradise Ridge Park and swimmers at the Vashon Pool. Individuals and groups who rent indoor space at Ober Park and the public schools will also see increases.
The plan went into effect Monday, but teams whose seasons have already begun or have registration underway will be exempt from the increases until next year. The vote was unanimous, though commissioner Lu-Ann Branch was not present.
Scott Harvey, the commissioner who proposed the measure and who has proposed raising user fees repeatedly in the past year, said he was pleased with the meeting’s results.
“It is great to be in a situation when the entire board is on the same wavelength,” he said.
With the increase, club sports teams will pay $15.75 per player per season, up from $15; school classrooms for nonprofit use will increase from $5 per hour to $5.25, and because of a provision to round up to the nearest 25 cents, general admission at the pool will increase from $6 to $6.50. Other facility users will see similar increases. The board chose not to act on a request Executive Director Elaine Ott brought from pool manager Scott Bonney to exempt a discount program for seniors on fixed incomes from the increases. Those fees will go up from $3 to $3.25.
A measure to charge athletic teams for the cost of materials to line fields was tabled until next year, and Harvey’s initial user fee motion was amended to remove a portion that would have established automatic future increases. Harvey recommended both of those actions after hearing from fellow board and community members about their concerns.
Vashon Island Soccer Club Vice President Nick Keenan attended the meeting and told the board that combined, the tab for the cost of materials and fee increases would increase the park district-related costs for the club this year by 20 percent. He asked the board to consider instituting just one change this year and another change next year. This would allow the club more time to make the necessary financial adjustments. He noted that the club operates on a net zero budget and serves hundreds of families, many with very young children.
Commissioner Bob McMahon expressed his support for the idea of raising fees, but also expressed reservations about Harvey’s plan except on an interim basis.
He noted that fees to use the fields on Vashon are lower than comparable fees in the area, except for the pool, which has higher fees than many off-island pools.
“The whole system needs to be rationalized and thought through … to make sure we really know what we are doing before we vote this in,” he said.
Both Doug Ostrom and Harvey agreed about the need for an evaluation of fees, but said they felt raising the fees was important in filling a budget hole. Last year, as part of the budget process, Ott had suggested raising pool fees to bring in an additional $7,000 for maintenance. At the time Ostrom suggested all users share that expense and requested an across-the-board 4 percent increase in user fees. The outgoing board voted that measure down, leaving it to this board to raise fees. Harvey indicated his intent with this motion was to address that situation and get rid of the shortfall.
Islander Barb McMahon, Bob McMahon’s wife, was present at the meeting and said she felt that sufficient due diligence had not been done before the proposal was brought forward and that overall, it had not been well thought through. She cited a lack of study about comparable fees for field use and pool fees — known to be relatively high — now being made higher.
“As the park district works to build its credibility, this feels like more of the old effort,” she said.
Later, chair Karen Gardner addressed that concern, noting that the board is in a period of transition, and some matters cannot be resolved over night.
“Things will be rationalized. Things will be fixed,” she said.
