KINGSTON — As the days get sunnier, North End residents may start to feel the pull of the great outdoors. In anticipation of this urge, Kitsap County Facilities, Parks and Recreation crews have been improving, sprucing up and opening various parks around the North Kitsap area so they are ready for summer use.

Kitsap County’s senior maintenance supervisor Dori Leckner has been making the rounds and overseeing the parks’ upgrades in North Kitsap, including the opening of Norwegian Point Park in Hansville at the end of March. She also observed as the Kingston/Eglon trail was completed with several new parking spots on Parcells Road.

“Public works worked on that as well,” she said.

With four new parking spaces, the trail has been marked finished and ready for hikers, though the Eglon end is a bit washed out from heavy rains.

Arness Park on South Kingston Road will receive upgrades in the next few months in the way of Romtec style restrooms, which Leckner said are like upgraded portable facilities.

“This is a much needed asset to the property,” she said. “There’s more use at Arness, with people barbecuing, swimming, sunbathing and hanging out there. Arness is in constant use during the summer.”

The county has submitted permits for the facilities and expects them to be in place by June.

With the Legislative budget just released April 22, two other North End parks benefitted greatly from funding that was questionable for a while. Miller Lake, located near the Gamblewood area, received $1,075,000 to help with its acquisition by the county from private owners. The Kingston Village Green, which will include not only open space but a new Kingston Community Center, received a $500,000 boost as well.

“Both of those projects scored competitively in the state grant programs last summer,” said 23rd District Rep. Christine Rolfes (D-Bainbridge Island). “They really stood on their own merits, and what we did in the legislation was increase the funding so the grant lists would be covered by more funding. That way, the Kingston Village Green got funded.”

With money, both projects will be moving forward after waiting for the budget to be finalized.County officials working on the projects are thrilled to have them funded and will continue with the plans, said Facilities, Parks and Recreation administrative director Chip Faver.

“We would be excited for any additional funding that might be available to us,” he said. “The possibilities any new money might bring to the county are very exciting.”