Things are looking up at the Vashon Park District. The current board of commissioners has accomplished a lot in the past 12 months, and Executive Director Elaine Ott-Rocheford is really hitting her stride as a manager. Together, they are rebuilding the district from the bits that remained after the VES Fields project went wildly over budget.

The park district no longer depends on short-term borrowing against future tax payments (Tax Anticipation Notes — TANs) to fund its daily business, a red flag raised in past state audits, which are now giving the district a clean bill of financial health. Commissioners have re-established long-missing reserve accounts so that the district is able to handle its future operational needs without relying on loans. This was no easy task, folks. That was a deep hole we’d dug at VES.

Deferred maintenance is being addressed, including the installation of a septic system at the Belle Baldwin House at Fern Cove and work at Vashon’s pool. Current estimates hover around $5 million just to catch up with work that’s been put off for many years. The park district is still behind the curve here, but so far they’ve been able to keep up with the biggest challenges that have surfaced.

After years of talking about the need for a statistically valid public survey, the current board finally had one done, and they are using the information to shape their decisions about how to best allocate their limited resources. The Vashon fire district’s plan to ask for a larger slice of the tax pie could slice into the park district’s funds in the future, as well.

This group of commissioners has done their best to be thoughtful, responsible and engaged stewards of the public properties in their care, and I am grateful to them for their service. This is grassroots democracy, my friends, and at the park district, it’s working and working better than it has in years.

— CC Stone