The Maple Valley City Council and the Parks Commission are faced with a number of challenges that were introduced at the Council meeting of February 13th. They need to stretch a $2M capital budget around a group of desires that are many times that amount. Some of these are repairing & improving the Lake Wilderness Park the bathhouse facilities at a cost approaching $1.5M, Children’s spray Park, and new playground equipment. Also in light of the bond failure, decisions have to be made on the Summit Fields project.

Into this mixture comes a proposal from the owners of the Elk Run Golf Course. They have a piece of property (approximately 60 acres) on the back nine that is classified as wetlands, plus partially under BPA power lines; thus, eliminating the potential to build on or sell for any purpose. They would like to turn it over to the City for parks land in exchange for elimination of park fees due the city on construction of their build-able property (approximately $275,000). This proposal must be examined in depth for both startup costs as well as securing funds from a limited budget for annual maintenance costs. Only then can a proper decision be reached on acceptance terms as well as funding for the future.

The Parks Commission will be debating these and other items starting with the meeting on the 22 of March. This is your chance during Public Comments to voice your opinions and help them prioritize these and other projects.

Lawrence Lindstrand