In lengthy FAQ, park district defends decision to evict Fox Island hosts. Here’s what it says

PenMet Parks on Saturday posted a lengthy “frequently asked questions” document on the district website defending its decision to “sunset” the park host program at two Fox Island parks and evict the current hosts.

Ally Bujacich, the park executive director, declined a request for an interview or to answer a detailed list of emailed questions, but pointed The Gateway to the seven-page FAQ.

The park district sent registered letters July 16 to the park hosts at the Fox Island Fishing Pier and the Demolay Sandspit Nature Preserve, ordering both to be gone by Oct. 1. Park hosts live in their own trailers or modular homes and perform duties like opening and closing the parks, picking up litter, cleaning restrooms and keeping an eye out at night. The district pays their utilities, but no salary.

The anonymous FAQ stresses that parks hosts are “camping on public land” without payment, and minimizes the duties they perform.

“Park hosts are not responsible for and do not perform landscape or maintenance tasks. Park hosts do not enforce park regulations or prevent prohibited activities. Park hosts are not security guards,” the unsigned FAQ says.

The current park hosts, Ed Lewis and Brett Marlo, have told The Gateway they do many of those things.

‘Not met expectations’

The FAQ also implies that the current hosts have fallen down on the job.

“Some of the park hosts’ decisions and interaction with the public have not met PenMet Parks’ expectations for customer service. Park hosts alone are not satisfactorily addressing property management concerns such as inconsistent closing times, parking management, off‐leash dogs, removal of items from beaches, violations of park regulations, trespassing, overflowing trash cans, and other similar issues.”

The FAQ said the district will replace the park hosts with “increased presence” of maintenance personnel and will install security cameras at the fishing pier, the sandspit, and Peninsula Gardens. The district has four full-time maintenance employees for 11 parks, augmented by student part-timers during the summer.

In addition the district “Is providing a full‐time person on site at the DeMolay Sandspit through Labor Day 2021 to educate visitors on park regulations and mitigate issues that are occurring despite the presence of a park host, such as parking, trespassing, off‐leash dogs, removing items from the beach, litter pick up, and other similar actions.”

Administrative decision

The document said the park board did not vote on the issue at a public meeting because “the park host program was developed administratively and for that reason, the decision to sunset the program was done administratively.” It did not say who made the decision.

The FAQ also noted that the current hosts have been at their parks longer than intended. Lewis has been at the fishing pier six years, Marlo at the sandspit for four

“When the District began offering park host opportunities, it solicited applications from the public and generally a park host volunteered for a limited duration, usually a period of several months or less,” the FAQ said. “Regularly rotating park hosts and an open application process ensured the program was accessible to anyone wishing to participate. Current park hosts have remained at their locations for a number of years, which effectively removed the park host opportunities for other members of the public.”

Some the “frequently asked questions,” were pointed.

‘Camping on public lands’

“How much do park hosts pay to camp on public lands?” read one. Another asked, “Wouldn’t the program provide more public benefit if park hosts paid market rate rent for their camp sites?”

The answers: ““Park hosts do not pay to camp on public land. The District provides to the park hosts all of their utilities, including power, water, septic, high speed internet and cable television.” The FAQ gave no actual cost figures.

“Private citizens occupying public land for any length of time impacts the community’s ability to enjoy full access to these properties,” the FAQ said. “A campsite rental program is not currently being considered and would require more evaluation.”

While the FAQ concedes there will be some increased cost in having full-time employees take over the hosts duties, in the long run the parks will be better off.

Preventing problems

“Although the District will now incur a cost to have an employee open and close the gates, that employee will have the added responsibility of inspecting the park to determine if there are any conditions that require attention, including maintenance and repair issues, but importantly also any public safety issues.

“The park hosts do not perform those inspections and are neither trained nor qualified to do so. During a recent inspection, we discovered pest infestations, safety issues, and property damage at several of the properties despite the presence of the park hosts. These problems become very costly to later repair or remedy during which time they present an added risk to the public. Going forward, the employee can identify these issues and perform or contract for the performance of any work necessary to correct the problem or make the park”

The FAQ said neighbors concerned about an issue at any of PenMet’s parks can call the district office at 253-858-3400. For trespassing and partying, it suggests the Sheriff’s department non-emergency number, 253-858-3400, and for illegal poaching or harvesting, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, at 877-933-9847

The complete FAQ can be read at https://penmetparks.org/penmet-parks-park-host-program-frequently-asked-questions

This story was originally published July 26, 2021 at 5:30 AM.