Thursday, July 31,2014 -Mason County Journal- Page A-3
Volunteers helping out
with maintenance
By GORDON WEEKS
gordon@masoncounty com
Grass is turning brown
in Shelton's 13 city parks.
Peeling shelters aren't being
painted.
This year, the Shelton
Parks and Recreation De-
partment had hoped to help
create an off-leash dog park
and make improvements
at Johnson Park, Callanan
Park and the Shelton Creek
Trail•
Instead, a budget shortfall
is preventing the department
from completing any capital
projects while it struggles to
maintain its existing facili-
ties, said Mark Ziegler, direc-
tor of the Parks and Recre-
ation Department•
The summer seasonal staff
has been cut from three full-
time employees to two half-
time employees, Ziegler said.
They have 13 parks to main-
tain, from the largest (Cal-
lanan Park at 6.9 acres) to
the smallest (Brewer Park at
one-third of an acre).
The department anticipat-
ed receiving about $415,000
el of service we had before,"
Ziegler said.
The city is cutting costs
by watering less at parks,
Ziegler said. That also slows
the growth of the grass, thus
requiring less mowing, he
said.
City landscapes are not
being weeded, and irriga-
tion projects have been put
on hold, Ziegler said. But the
department remains commit-
ted to properly maintaining
the ball fields at the parks,
he said.
A survey included in city
utility bills a few years ago
shows residents want more
trails, and an off-leash dog
park, said Marilyn Vogler, a
member of the city of Shelton
Parks and Recreation De-
partment Advisory Commit-
tee. Others suggest extend-
ing the Huff 'n' Puff Trail to
Brockdale Road, she said.
"None of (these projects)
cost a lot of money, but we
have no b'u~lget now ... People
come out ~vith ideas, and they
get excited, then you can't do
anything," she said.
But some residents are
stepping forward to volunteer
their time to help maintain
city parks.
A neighborhood group has
adopted the Shelton Creek
Trail behind the Shelton Tim-
through property taxes for berland Library, Next month,
2014, Ziegler said. Instead, an aspiring Eagle Scout will
it will get about $286,900, he spruce up Johnson Park at
said. 325 East Poplar in the Capi-
"You don't provide the lev- tol Hills neighborhood.
The parks department also
benefits from United Way of
Mason County's annual Day
of Caring, Ziegler said.
On the sixth annual event
June 17, members of the Shel-
ton Kiwanis Club cleaned and
painted picnic tables at Loop
Field in downtown Shelton.
Up the hill, members of
the Kristmastown Kiwanis
brightened the town's en-
tryway at Overlook Park by
planting flowers at the log
monument sign. Garbage
was cleared from the Shelton
Creek Trail.
Vogler picks up trash on
her walks on the Huff 'n'
Puff Trail, which celebrates
its 35th anniversary Aug.
13. Dr. Douglas Larson won
$25 in a contest to name the
park. Among the losing en-
trees: Spirit Dance Trail, the
Jolly Joggers Trail, Sweat-
sock Way, Gunshot Exercise
Trails and the Earth, Wind
and Tires Trail.
Vogler said she used to
.pick up bottles, Band-Aids,
water bottles, cigarette butts
and condoms on he/, Huff 'n'
Puff walks, but users have
gotten tidier in recent years.
The rare debris she sees are
wrappers, plastic bags and
receipts, likely blown in by
the wind.
Vogler stressed that neigh-
borhoods and other groups
can adopt a park to help
maintain.
For more information, call
Ziegler at 432-5194.
Journal photo by Gordon Weeks
Norm and Kois de Waalmalefy of Shelton walk the city of
Shelton's Huff 'n' Puff Trail on Monday. The trail celebrates
its 35th anniversary Aug. 13.
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