HomeMy WebLinkAbout032326 email - Jefferson County Parks and Recreation FundingALERT: BE CAUTIOUS This email originated outside the organization. Do not open attachments or click on links if you are not expecting them.
Hello County Commissioners,
My name is Rebecca Sund. My family and I are residents of Irondale. I am writing to express my concern and frustration with the current funding status of for the Parks and Recreation
Department and the communication regarding this issue with the public.
My family and I utilize county park resources multiple times per week and sometimes multiple times per day. We are part the Port Townsend Playschool cooperative and live near the Irondale
Community Park. Parks and green spaces in our area a core component of our health and identity.
In the comments that were relayed this morning, many people spoke to the critical need and value for the the Uptown Rec Center, memorial field, and youth activities. I cannot echo these
sentiments enough. I also want to highlight the need for other parks and properties in the county's parks and recreation portfolio. The Irondale Community Park and the Irondale Beach
Park are the only green spaces in walking distance to much of the Port Hadlock and Irondale areas. Proximity and access to green space has been shown as a integral component of individual
and community health. Removal of green spaces from the The possibility of the county divesting from these properties has me very concerned about the access that my family and community
will have to core resources and the future health of the youth in the Irondale area.
Moving forward I hope to have the county actively engage in communication with citizens as well as seek funding mechanisms that dedicate funding to parks and recreation. I encourage
the county to explore relationships with diverse community partners to distribute costs for the maintenance and care of county park facilities. These may include working with the city
of Port Townsend, the Indian Island Naval Battery (to care for the Indian Island park and free up funds for other parks), OlyCap, the Mainstreet Program, the Port Townsend Farmers Market,
or the specific place-based communities themselves.
Respectfully,
Rebecca Sund