The Vashon Park District commissioners have finalized a $1.1 million budget for next year that includes funds to finish the fields project, extend the pool’s season by a month and build back the district’s reserves.

The board discussed the budget at its Dec. 16 meeting and is expected to vote on it next month.

The spending plan, at $1,124,000, is up $74,000 from last year because of an anticipated increase in levy funds. The bulk of those additional funds will go to the maintenance budget for upkeep and repair at park district facilities, according to Elaine Ott, the park district executive director. Next year, pending board approval, $396,000 will be allocated for maintenance, which draws the largest amount in the district’s spending plan, followed by administration at $295,000. Next year’s budget also calls for $10,000 to extend the pool season by four weeks and $10,000 for users of Paradise Ridge to help with cleanup and planning at the park now that former caretaker Scott Provost and his family have moved out. About $159,000 is allocated to finish work on the VES Fields, $100,000 to build a reserve and $153,000 to paying down the district’s debt.

At last week’s meeting, as in years past, the money required to complete the VES Fields was the subject that drew the most conversation and concern. The district is faced with a summer deadline to finish the work required by the King County clearing and grading permit, including paving two driveway entrances, completing the storm drain system in the access road and submitting final technical reports and drawings to the county.

Over the course of 2014, no construction has been done at the fields, mostly because the district has been working with the Department of Permitting and Environmental Review (DPER) on ridding the project of elements that DPER officials said are essential, but which many islanders believe are not. Ott noted she is disappointed in the lack of progress at the fields with a deadline looming.

“I would have preferred that we worked on it last year,” she said.

If the work is not done on time, when the permit expires in August, the county could close the fields down until the district complies, Ott said. If that happens, the district might have to reapply for a new permit and could be subject to standards that may have changed since the district obtained the permit a year and a half ago. Additionally, the project may have to be re-engineered, adding significant cost.

“My opinion is it would not be an efficient use of funds if we did not commit to doing this now,” Ott said.

Once the budget has been approved in January, Ott said her top priority will be to get bids on the project, which is expected to take between eight and 16 weeks to complete.

While the budget calls for nearly $159,000 to finish the project, she cautioned that the district will not know the full cost of finishing the project until the bids come in.

At the park district meeting, some commissioners and islanders who attended expressed strong interest in the users of the fields donating more money to finish the project. Hilary Emmer, who follows park issues closely, asked if the board might require users to pay 20 percent of the final costs of the remainder of the project, as it had requested of the skate park supporters before the building of the skate bowl, which is under construction now.

Some commissioners, such as Bill Ameling, indicated they did not believe such a request would be appropriate because this is a continuation of a project, not the creation of a new one. Scott Harvey, however, expressed his interest in having the field users pay more. At one point he quoted a February 2013 Beachcomber article, citing representatives of lacrosse, soccer and youth baseball saying they would continue to contribute to the fields, but Harvey said additional funds had not come in.

“I think it is relevant that subsequent to that meeting no cash came in,” he said. No significant cash came in; in other words, despite the representation that it would happen … it didn’t.”

Hans Van Dusen, the president of the Vashon Island Soccer Club, however, took issue with Harvey’s position.

“There were a lot of contributions since then,” he said.

Since their initial fund raising push, user groups have contributed more in-kind donations than cash, he said.

“All the (baseball) equipment on the field the baseball club contributed. All the soccer equipment on the field the soccer club contributed. The parks didn’t put any equipment on the field. The water tanks the soccer club contributed,” he said.

User groups also provided considerable free labor to complete the fields, he added.

“A lot of elbow grease went in and saved the parks a lot of money in contributions since February 2013, and it won’t stop,” he said.

He also noted that the fields do not have lights, and as soccer season is during fall and winter’s short days, the club rents lights so that teams can use the  fields.

“We are a long way from done, but to say that we stopped working for those fields and fundraising for those fields in February (of 2013) is just not right,” Van Dusen said.

According to figures provided by the park district, field user groups have donated $145,000 in cash and $327,000 in labor and equipment. They also helped garner $682,000 in grants for the $2 million project.

Regarding other areas included in the budget, Ott said the additional levy funds will allow the district to tend to some important needs and hire an additional part-time maintenance person throughout the year and two more seasonal people for the busiest months. Maintenance Supervisor Jason Acosta has created a maintenance plan for all the parks, Ott noted, and the funds will enable him to address some of the tasks that were determined in that process, such as filling potholes in the parking lots and providing additional field maintenance at the VES Fields and Agren Park. The increase in funds may also allow the district to purchase or lease a new mower.

“That is a much-needed item we have been putting off,” Ott said.

Compared to the 2014 budget, the maintenance allocation is up more than $121,000 and  includes money the district is carrying over from this year, along with the increase in revenue from the levy funds, Ott said.

More of the district’s funds will go to election costs this year, with the bulk of the $47,000 added to administration intended to cover fees and costs associated with putting the park district’s levy on the ballot next year. The election to renew the levy has been set for April, and the proposed budget calls for $23,500 for those costs and $9,600 for the November election, when commissioners Bill Ameling, Joe Wald and Scott Harvey will be up for reelection.

At last week’s meeting, Marie Bradley, who is active in the horse community, asked the commissioners, on behalf of the Paradise Ridge stewards, to provide $10,000 for the park in next year’s budget. The home that belonged to former park caretaker Scott Provost and his family was removed this year. Now, Bradley said, horse groups want to ensure that there will be funds for reworking that area, including tending to necessary repairs, testing and planning. Commissioners agreed to figure it in the 2015 plan.

Additionally, the Vashon Pool budget has increased for next year, allowing for $10,000 to cover the cost of opening the pool in mid-May and closing it in mid-September and for $10,500 to purchase a thermal cover for the pool in January.

Considering the budget overall, Ott said she was especially pleased about the pool extension, which she attributed to solid work on the part of the Friends of the Vashon Pool, and the reserve fund, noting she is glad the commissioners were committed to creating it.

“It is kind of a scary place to be when you never know what is going to go sideways in a year,” she said. “The reserve takes pressure off. That is significant to me.”

The park board will meet next at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 13, at Ober Park. The budget will be voted on that evening.