In case you’ve ever wondered, Sumner does not have its own Leslie Knope, but we do have a good story when it comes to our Recreation Program.  Parks is part of City government, and it’s separate from the Recreation Program that is a partnership we have with the City of Bonney Lake and the Sumner School District.

It’s quite a success story, actually.  Years ago, none of us could afford a recreation program.  It also occurred to us that the need for a program was shared by our neighbors.  So, we worked with then Superintendent Donald Eismann and the officials at Bonney Lake to split the costs three ways.  The School District administered the program and kept the fees, which kept the program in the black. Our City Parks Department kept up the maintenance on the Daffodil Valley Sports Complex, and all three partners provided facilities and split costs like a new roof for the Bob Miller Gym.  Although it’s a while back, I remember the importance of having the activities of a recreation program in my boyhood.  Now I’m watching the value for my grandchildren’s lives.

Even today, you’ll hear about cities struggling with hundreds of thousands of dollars invested in failing programs.  For a fraction of what other cities were spending, we enjoyed a robust program. To me that is the way government should work: partnering with others to provide better services for our citizens. The partnership agreement is up for renewal this year, and I have heard some questions if it is still providing value as it did when we started it 25 years ago.  So, I’d like to ask you–is this a nice success story in our past or is there still a demand for the Recreation Program?

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