County takes first step in making parks a priority

Imagine, if you will, an alternative universe where the Yamhill County Parks system included:

- The Stuart Grenfell Park County Campground, attracting RVers and others to West Valley for overnight stays — and generating revenue.

- Ninety-seven acres of walking trails with access to the Yamhill River in the Whiteson area, along with a revitalized Monroe Landing (and perhaps a campground, too).

- A popular paddle launch for canoes and kayaks on the former Newberg landfill property, with a trail connecting to the nearby Rogers Landing boat launch.

- An expanded Charles Metsker Park, home to a world-class environmental education center connected to a living laboratory of timber practices.

- A fully functional Dayton Landing boat launch with full amenities.

- A 17-mile trail for cyclists and runners stretching from south of Carlton to near Hagg Lake.

Such developments have been part of discussions, plans or perhaps just dreams over the years, all delayed or thrown away outright for one reason or another.

The new Yamhill County Parks System Plan, which is nearing completion, tells a similar story we’ve been covering for decades: great potential, but without a semblance of funding mechanisms to fulfill it.

Included in the plan is a comparison of parkland and budget with peer counties. Yamhill County has 1.1 acres per 1,000 population; for Benton, Lane and Josephine counties, the total is 8.3, 10.2 and 10.2 respectively. It’s no surprise a budget comparison yields similar results. Yamhill County last year spent $6,150 per 1,000 population — $653,000. Of the three counties in the comparison, Josephine was lowest at $31,251 per 1,000 ($2,795.400); Linn and Benton both spent a little more than $52,000 per 1,000 population — nearly $7 million and about $5 million, respectively.

Of the 272 acres of land within the Yamhill County system, more than half (151.1) remains undeveloped. An assessment by consultants of the developed land determined just one park, Ed Grenfell, is in excellent condition; two are in good condition, Deer Creek and Menefee; 50% of developed parks are listed as fair condition; while Crabtree, Ediger and Stuart Grenfell (representing 25% of the land) were determined to be poor. (The analysis does note Yamhill County is served well by municipal park systems and the Chehalem Park & Recreation District.)

There is obviously much work to be done for locals to enjoy a county parks system worth celebrating. As usual, the first hurdle is finances.

County commissioners discussed various funding options last week when reviewing the plan and talking with consultants.

Selling parkland is one option. There is some sense in using proceeds from the sale of undeveloped land to fund improvements to current parks, or development on other lands. However, when land is sold, its potential within the parks system is gone forever.

Commissioner Bubba King used the opportunity to again advocate for a Transient Lodging Tax, the revenue of which 100% could go to park development, as long as it can be considered tourism-related. Given the abundance of county TLTs around the state, that seems like low-hanging fruit.

Commissioner Kit Johnston advocated more for revenue-generating, which could include campgrounds and fees associated with park usage.

There is plenty to be encouraged about, starting with a strong desire from both locals and the county ranks to begin turning discussions into boots on the ground, dreams into realities. For the first time in a long time, or perhaps ever, improving the county’s park system is a major priority.

The plan also notes the availability of partners to work with, and previous plans to draw from. Those include the Willamette River Water Trail and the recently created Yamhill Rivers Access Project.

And the plan itself is a key aspect of it all. Once finalized, it will help guide development opportunities and assist in applying for grants.

On the ground, the county’s woefully inadequate parks program is the same as it ever was. But at least there is momentum in correcting that.