Why A Parks and Recreation District for Tonasket
Published 7:32 am Friday, October 30, 2015
Dear Editor,
I began swimming at the Tonasket pool when it was first opened and always considered it to be my pool. However, I’ve not lived within Tonasket City limits, never paid city taxes and thus never supported the operation and maintenance of “my” pool with anything more than a family season pass. This I suspect is true for the majority of Tonasket Pool swimmers over the past 60 years. The burden of support has fallen on those who live within Tonasket’s City limits.
The Tonasket City Council, when approving our new pool proposal advised us that if the new pool could not support itself, the city was no longer able to provide $45,000 annually for its operation and maintenance. If we are to have a new pool it will be up to the Greater Tonasket Community to provide these funds. A Parks and Recreation District emerged as the best option to provide this support spreading the cost of maintenance and operation to the wider community.
On Nov 3, Tonasket area voters will be asked to create a Parks and Recreation District to provide for the operation and maintenance of both a new pool and some support for city parks. It takes both your yes vote and donated funds ($623,000 thus far) to build this Pool in Tonasket.
Please do your part, say yes to the new Tonasket Parks and Recreation District. Help build a pool for our community.
Norm Weddle,
President, TSPA
Tonasket
About Gary DeVon
Gary DeVon is the managing editor of the Okanogan Valley Gazette-Tribune and celebrated his 25th year at the newspaper in August 2012. He graduated from Gonzaga University with a degree in Communications - Print Journalism, with an emphasis in photojournalism. He is a proud alumnus of Oroville High School. His family first settled in Okanogan County in the late 1800s. His parents are Judy DeVon and the late Larry DeVon and he has two younger brothers - Dante and Michael. Many family members still call Oroville home. He has a grown daughter, Segornae Douglas and a young granddaughter, Erin.
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