By BRIAN KELLY and KATHY KORENGEL

Herald Writers

Roy Johnson, a ranger at Camano Island State Park, reacted like other locals Wednesday to a proposal to start charging day-use fees at state parks.

"I hate to see it, but it might be time," said Johnson, who has been a ranger at the beachfront park for 19 years.

Johnson and other park employees and enthusiasts seemed resigned to the necessity of such fees, which members of the state Parks and Recreation Commission have voted to start collecting in 2002.

The state agency is working on a detailed plan for the commission to approve in March. Preliminary plans call for a $2 to $7 fee for day-use parking.

Local parks officials were unsure Wednesday how fees at their facilities might change. But many park users are hoping fees can be kept to a minimum.

Although a similar measure pushed by the parks commission several years ago was never implemented because of public opposition, many believe it may fly this time.

"Every legislative session they decide to cut the (parks) budget," Johnson said. "They’ve cut so much they can’t cut any more."

During Johnson’s years with the parks, he’s seen many changes: cuts in staffing, cutbacks in lifeguards and a growing backlog of maintenance needs.

"We have a maintenance backlog of $45 million" within the state’s system of 125 developed parks, he said.

For Camano Island, that has meant cutting back staff hours and delaying the opening of a road to a picnic area that was closed almost two years ago, among other things.

Carol Triplett, president of a volunteer group that helps the Camano Island park, said of the proposed fees, "I was hoping to never see this day come.

"A state park, in a community where the people use it all the time, like they do here, a fee is a very difficult thing to face," said Triplett, president of the Friends of Camano Island Parks.

But she also said she knows there’s a lot of work that needs to be done. She said about 20 members of her group volunteer about three days a month.

"There’s always plenty to do," Triplett said.

Others say they may support day-use fees if the funds are dedicated to state parks and not used to pay for other state services.

"Our regulars say they wouldn’t mind at all," said Verna Poore, a ranger at Fort Casey State Park since 1993. The park is one of six state parks in Island County.

"People who come here regularly say they wouldn’t mind day-use fees if they would stay in the state parks and not go into the general fund," she said. "That way they would know it would do something for the parks."

Harriet DeWolfe, volunteer coordinator for Admiralty Lighthouse at Fort Casey, said staffing is minimal at state parks and day-use fees might be beneficial.

"The parks are really scant on help. They’re so skimpily manned," DeWolfe said. "As long as (fees) are kept low, they can be a big help to keeping the parks up."

Triplett said she hopes if fees are imposed, season passes will be available for frequent users. DeWolfe said she thinks the permit system should include special considerations for seniors and low-income visitors.

DeWolfe warned, however, that while many visitors may be willing to spend a dollar or two to visit a state park, higher fees may scare away casual and short-term visitors.

As state agencies debate projected budgets, Triplett said she has her own bottom-line view of the issue.

"It’s terribly important to communities to have open space, especially with all the buildings going up so fast."