Vancouver may share park care

Dick Sohn isn’t sure if his neighbors in the Southcliff area will be willing to pay to keep their neighborhood park tidy.

But he said that he’s glad Vancouver is working on a way for them to donate their money and time if they choose to.

Public meeting

o What: The Vancouver-Clark Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee will review draft policies for an Adopt-A-Park program and also for donations to parks maintenance.

o When: First reading at noon Friday; a second reading and possible adoption will be at noon April 15.

o Where: Both meetings will be at the Clark County Public Service Center, Training Room 679, 1300 Franklin St.

o Information: See all the policies at http://cityofvancouver.us/parks-recreation/whoweare/policy.asp. Contact Jane Tesner Kleiner at 360-487-8313 or Jane.Kleiner@cityofvancouver.us to give feedback through April 6.

“One of the beautiful things about Southcliff is our park,” said Sohn, the neighborhood association’s vice chairman. “A lot of people use it, dog walkers and families. We want to keep it green … and we’re just trying to get it nailed down on what we can and can’t do.”

The Vancouver-Clark Parks Department is close to establishing policies on Adopt-A-Park and parks donation processes, both intended to let neighbors help keep their open spaces weeded, watered, mowed and litter-free, Parks Manager Jane Tesner Kleiner said Tuesday.

In the wake of ongoing budget cuts that have seen parks maintenance staff cut by more than half since 2009 — from 30 to 14 employees — establishing ground rules for volunteering and donations became a priority, she said.

Without additional volunteer or financial support, parks will have reduced irrigation and other maintenance this summer.

“We’re obviously ramping up our opportunities for volunteers and want to create clear expectations,” Tesner Kleiner said. “We have an amazing city labor force that do great work in our parks … and this is not meant to supplant the work they do. It’s meant to support and add some polish to parks that our folks may not be able to get to.”

The Parks Advisory Committee will read the policies at its meeting Friday, and will accept public comment and make possible changes through April 6. A final reading and possible adoption could come at the committee’s meeting on April 15.

The Adopt-A-Park policy as written now requires a six-month commitment, and groups must perform their duties a minimum of twice monthly. One-time volunteer events will be under a separate policy.

Allowed volunteer work would include: litter pickup, weeding, planting, picnic and playground cleaning, spreading mulch, watering, and facility cleaning.

“Work parties could go out and clean up a park twice a month, weeding and plant flowers,” Tesner Kleiner said.

The city will provide safety training, and the policies will apply to city parks only, she said.

The city park donations-for-maintenance policy will more clearly outline how an individual or group can earmark funds for a neighborhood park.

Sohn, of the Southcliff neighborhood, said he and the neighborhood association chairman, Kevin McCann, plan to attend Friday’s meeting. Next, they will present options to their neighborhood association at its April meeting.

It will be up to a majority vote if neighbors want to hire a contractor to mow, or donate their time or money, Sohn said. He said that residents may decide they pay enough already in taxes, and let Southcliff Neighborhood Park go brown, or they may decide that another $50 to $100 is worth it to keep up the park.

“We just want to keep that little jewel green, that’s all,” he said.

Andrea Damewood: 360-735-4542 or andrea.damewood@columbian.com.