In Kingston, there are about 21 organized groups (i.e. Kiwanis, Rotary, Garden Club, Friends of the Library, etc.) that make things happen. More than 150 volunteers and friends built the current Village Green Community Park. Volunteers maintain the park and volunteers pay for most of the park repairs and fuel for the mower.

Before the metropolitan parks district petition was circulated, volunteers with knowledge of maintenance and operations did benchmarking visits with with similar facilities in Kitsap, Snohomish and King counties to develop the confidence for the proposed maintenance and operations budget (15 cents per $1,000 of assessed value) that was discussed during the petition drive. That budget confidence is further increased when the volunteer component which we currently enjoy with the Village Green and the Kingston Chamber of Commerce is factored into the maintenance and operations programs.

Unfortunately, state statute requires a higher lid (75 cents per $1,000 of assessed value) to be placed on the MPD ballot measure. This requirement certainly created confusion with respect to what was discussed during the petition drive. But the ballot measure doesn’t drive the cost — the volunteers do. And the volunteers continue to drive the cost down.

All of our commissioners-elect candidates are themselves volunteers and are committed to continuing the value proposition of providing quality community center programs for the lowest cost.

In these times it is easy to be cynical of government and taxes, but in this case, a big thank you and support for the MPD is due to the volunteers for demonstrating a better way to provide needed community service.

Dave Wetter

Kingston