Why we need to pass Proposition 1

Olympia is our home, and it deserves our investments in parks, trails, the arts and recreation. The passage of Proposition 1 lays the groundwork for a prosperous future and will also have a positive impact now.

With a stable, dedicated funding source for parks, Olympia can grow in the right way - offering excellent amenities like natural open spaces, neighborhood parks and playgrounds, recreational areas, athletic fields, places where people are happy and relax with their friends and family.

Who doesn’t want that? High quality of life is the best way to attract high quality companies and good paying jobs to our local economy.

Every evening my family and I enjoy walking in parks and trails all around town. We are looking forward to the addition of LBA Woods and Kaiser Heights to the park’s inventory, and to progress on the next phase of the Woodland Trail. In the spring and fall, we always enjoy Arts Walk, and would love to see such successful community events continued and expanded.

In every corner of our city there is a neighborhood park that needs installation or upgrades of playground equipment or restroom improvements. It would be nice not have to drive out of town to a full-sized soccer field.

For such benefits that make life here great, I am glad to invest to what comes out to be cents per day in property tax to fund the Olympia Metropolitan Park District.

Hands down, Yes on Proposition 1 is the wise thing to do.

This story was originally published October 9, 2015 at 2:29 PM with the headline "Why we need to pass Proposition 1."