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The 105-acre marine day park is one of several that Washington State Parks is seeking a new owner and operator for, state parks spokeswoman Virginia Painter confirmed.
The county has had several discussions with tribal officials on a plan to co-manage the park, Thurston County manager Don Krupp said.
“Our goal is to make sure the park stays open to the public,” he said. “It’s a real gem.”
“The county and tribe are fairly serious about this,” tribal attorney Thor Hoyte said. “But we don’t have any details on how it would work.”
Negotiations with the tribe are moving slowly, Thurston County Commissioner Sandra Romero said.
“Talks are ongoing, and the tribe is interested in a long-term relationship with the county,” Hoyte said. “But the tribe works at its own speed.”
Language in the House capital budget calls on the three parties to start sharing operating and maintenance costs for the park while the county and tribe continue work on their park-management plan.
Under the House budget proposal, Washington State Parks would transfer the park to the county and tribe by the end of this fiscal biennium, which is June 30, 2011.
“This particular language in the House budget buys us some time,” Krupp said.
Romero, a former state lawmaker, said the Legislature doesn’t have the authority to require the Nisqually tribe to participate in some sort of temporary arrangement to share operation and maintenance costs with the state and county.
“It wasn’t our language, and it wasn’t our deal,” Hoyte said of the House capital budget proviso.
However, he said, the county and tribe should know by the end of the biennium if they will be park partners.
The state spends slightly more than $100,000 a year to keep the park open, Painter said.
“We still have money to manage the park until we get things settled with the county,” she said.
Last year, the park was on a list of 40 state parks at risk of closure because of state parks budget cuts. But the parks received a reprieve when the Legislature approved a $5 opt-out donation from drivers renewing their license tabs, requiring them to pay the fee unless they mark a box stating they don’t want to do so.
That fee raised about $1.4 million in the first full month in September, exceeding budget projections of $1.2 million a month. But revenue from the fee has been in decline, dropping to about $800,000 in February, according to an e-mail forwarded to House members March 5 by Washington State Parks administrator Brian Hovis.
“We are controlling expenses, keeping parks open and safe, and squeaking by,” Hovis told House members.
State parks officials long have considered Tolmie the type of park more appropriate for a county, city or nonprofit group to operate. Most park visits – there were 182,500 in 2008, figures show – are by local people, and the park lacks a campground to help raise fees to offset management costs.
John Dodge: 360-754-5444
jdodge@theolympian.com
