Drafter
Clerk 05/29/2003
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A MOTION authorizing the county executive to implement a permanent parking system at Marymoor park.
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WHEREAS, the county's current expense fund faces significant challenges as revenue growth has slowed dramatically at the same time as the cost to deliver mandated county services continue to escalate, and
WHEREAS, the county, as a result of current and ongoing fiscal crisis, has taken action to ensure both short-term and long-term viability of its parks and recreation services, and
WHEREAS, the metropolitan parks task force ("MPTF") was established in the spring of 2002 to find ways to keep the county parks and recreation system open in 2003 and thereafter, and to restore stability to the park system by removing it from dependence on the current expense fund, and
WHEREAS, the MPTF issued its recommendations in June 2002, and
WHEREAS, one of the recommendations of the MPTF was that the park and recreation division carries out its refocused mission by aggressively implementing a broad variety of new entrepreneurial strategies that will help raise revenues to support park operations, and
WHEREAS, one of the new entrepreneurial strategies being implemented is pay for parking at Marymoor park, and
WHEREAS, the county, as part of its entrepreneurial strategies, has chosen to implement capital projects that will enhance revenue generation to provide for operating funds, and
WHEREAS, one of the revenue generating capital projects is implementation of a pay for parking system at Marymoor park, and
WHEREAS, the county council adopted a budget proviso as part of the 2003 Budget Ordinance, Ordinance 14517, Section 118, stating "(n)o amount of the $287,490 appropriation for Project 316315, Marymoor Parking Fee Installation, shall be spent or encumbered until the department of natural resources and parks submits a project plan to the council and the council approves the plan by motion," and
WHEREAS, in February 2003, the parks division implemented a temporary pay for parking system at Marymoor park, which included installation of non-mechanized pay stations at several key locations within the park, and
WHEREAS, the parks and recreation division has thoroughly analyzed several pay for parking alternatives at Marymoor park, including the current honor system, locating gates within existing parking lots, and locating gates at park entryways, and
WHEREAS, the parks and recreation division recommends the current honor system be retained and mechanized, providing park patrons with more payment options and relieving park staff of time consuming collection tasks, and
WHEREAS, the parks and recreation division also recommends locating an attended pay station at the eastern park entrance from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, to address the extremely high number of vehicles that use Marymoor park as a shortcut in their daily commute to work;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT MOVED by the Council of King County:
The parks and recreation division is hereby authorized to proceed with the implementation of the pay for parking system at Marymoor park using the honor system by upgrading to a mechanized system. Further, the parks and recreation division is
authorized to install a part-time attended gate at the east entrance that would be operational between 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
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