SOUTH WHIDBEY RECORD: Parks, Rec district hopes for share of stimulus windfall
Kira Erickson reports from South Whidbey:
South Whidbey Parks and Recreation District officials are hoping to get a healthy slice of Island County’s coveted federal stimulus dollars…. During a meeting Sept. 15, commissioners for the South Whidbey Parks and Recreation District considered submitting a $2.9 million funding request to the county in an attempt to score some of the funding. The request spans a total of seven projects, including improving athletic fields, building pickleball courts, and expanding the park district’s water system to the site where an aquatic center is slated to be constructed.… Getting the proposal approved, however, may be easier said than done.
They Said It
Parks and Recreation District Director Matt Simms: “We are uniquely suited to actually spend it on something that will actually bring people out and into the community, versus something that maybe is less directly connected to that and requires three or four other different things to happen,” Parks Commissioner Matt Simms said of the county’s funds.
Parks and Recreation District Director Krista Loercher: “Going outdoors is going to continue to be people’s salvation for the near term,” Krista Loercher said. “I just don’t see how they can say no to this very effective argument.”
Island County Commissioner Jill Johnson: “Anybody can ask for whatever they want, but they shouldn’t feel confident they’ll get it,” she said. “There are no givens right now. It’s not a bad idea to try, but I wouldn’t count on it as guaranteed funding by any stretch of the imagination.”
On the Ballot in November 2021 – South Whidbey Parks and Recreation District:
- Position 2 – Erik Jokinen – Incumbent running unopposed
- Position 3 – Jake Greve – Incumbent Joshua Coleman not running
- Position 5 – Matthew Simms – Incumbent running unopposed
