Despite unhappiness in recent years with the Vashon Park District, island voters should renew the park district’s levy this month. Taking tax dollars away from this agency, which keeps our parks open and so much more, would be a mistake.

There’s little question that the VES Fields project was mismanaged, becoming a source of great public frustration. It went far over budget, took funding from other district needs, and still isn’t complete, despite getting underway five years ago. However, there’s been turnover since then in the park district’s director and staff. The new team is setting the district on the right track, and the fields will be finished this year. It’s notable that some islanders who have been most critical of the district, who have doggedly watched its actions and attended meetings to voice their concerns, now support the levy in part because there are signs of improvement.

However, not all agree, and local activist Hilary Emmer wrote the no statement for the levy in the voter’s pamphlet. She accurately points out that the park district has shrunk its program offerings while pouring money into the VES Fields. However, voting down the levy now to possibly approve it under different conditions in the fall, as she suggests, would only distract the district from its current course and cause it to spend another $20,000 in tax money to put the levy back on the ballot.

However, the chief reason voters should renew the levy is that our island park district exists for an important reason. If voters are unhappy with how the park district has acted or spent public money, they should choose new representatives when the time comes, not defund the agency.

The park district maintains the parks and beaches used by many, some of the most well-loved spots on the island. It also facilitates the bulk of the recreational opportunities on Vashon, managing the public pool, the boathouse in Burton, athletic fields at the schools, equestrian trails and the horse arena, the Tramp Harbor dock, the playground in town, the Village Green and the island’s only skate park and disc golf course. These are many of our island’s greatest assets, things that help make Vashon a great place to live. When it comes to the levy, the stakes are simply too high.

Three park commissioner positions are up for vote this November — two of the board members with expiring terms have been with the district for several years. Whether or not these commissioners choose to run again, taxpayers will likely have some decisions to make. Then will be the time to consider the district’s future and set the agency up for further change. For now, it’s clear that the island needs continued funding of the Vashon Park District.