Commissioners tap fund intended to hook up park with Cheney water
By BECKY THOMAS
Staff Reporter
This summer, outdoor enthusiasts at Fish Lake County Park won't have to cut their day short just because nature calls. The bathrooms will be open.
There will also be garbage pickup and a dumpster at the park this summer, thanks to local volunteers and area leaders. The county will not provide these basic amenities as they have in the past. Spokane County slashed its parks and recreation budget and the department announced earlier this spring that they wouldn't be providing the services at outlying parks, including Fish Lake.
The services will be provided, it was revealed last week, after Spokane County Commissioners decided to tap a $22,000 capital improvement fund that had been aimed at connecting the park to the city of Cheney's water line.
The money will now be used to fund county maintenance trucks that will pump the sewage tanks at Fish Lake. The Marshall Coalition, which has led efforts to restore services to the park, will supply county-trained volunteers to clean the bathrooms daily through October. Marshall Coalition president Bev Keating said the bathrooms opened last week.
“We're a success and people are out there using the park,” she said. “The public has been coming up thanking us. They're just very happy.”
The coalition is funding a dumpster to stay at the park this summer, and Sunshine Disposal and Recycling will donate garbage pickup services. The city of Cheney will also provide a compost receptacle for yard waste.
Keating said the services were restored thanks in part to the work of area leaders.
“I can't tell you how much we appreciate all the work that (Cheney) Mayor (Tom)Trulove and County Commissioner (Bonnie) Mager did to get this,” she said.
The services are available through October 15, when the park will close for the season.
Becky Thomas can be reached at [email protected].
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