Recently, the City of Montesano has been signing use agreements with sports organizations for city parks, and that isn’t sitting well with Councilwoman Nikki Hutchinson-King.

In order to ensure appropriate park maintenance and also to reduce conflict, the city has been signing agreements with “user groups” to allow for “exclusive use” of city parks during their respective seasons. The city issues a key to those groups so representatives can access the park and lock the entrances when the parks are not in use.

User groups have said they make a considerable investment in the parks, both through their time and monetarily. In the case of baseball and softball fields, the groups prepare and maintain the mounds and they chalk lines. Without a way to secure the facility after the work has been completed during the season, residents not associated with those groups have come onto the field and have undone the work, playing in the dirt or running through the chalk lines.

Additionally, people allow their pets to run on the field off leash, not only damaging the work but also leaving pet waste behind that the user groups have to pick up.

Mayor Vini Samuel has said it’s necessary to “create a hierarchy” over the parks. The agreements do that but clarifying ownership, and that eventually will lessen conflict.

“The current fields have dog feces regularly, and stuff dug up so there are holes, and the mounds have been destroyed because kids are playing tag and whatever else — and that’s also not fair,” Samuel said. “This is the best attempt to balance out everybody’s interests.”

“We want minimal keys because of problems in the past. We want to know who has them and we want to know who is responsible,” the Mayor said. “In past years there have been fist fights, there have been locks that have been cut, and there has been minimum cooperation between users.”

Similar agreements have been signed with other user groups, including the school district. Samuel said offering the agreements to user groups would ensure consistent policy.

During the council meeting on March 28, Samuel was asking the council to approve an agreement with the Montesano Girls Softball Association for use of Crait Field.

The agreement includes an annual fee of $1,500 and guarantees exclusive use March 1 through June 30.

It wasn’t maintenance or fees or the user groups that Councilwoman Hutchinson-King took exception to, it was the exclusivity.

Simply summed up, Hutchinson-King’s argument was public should mean public.

“I have a problem with taxpayer money going to take care of a field that is going to be locked off from this time to this time and Joe Blow’s kid can’t come, but they can pay to have (the city) work on that field and take care of it,” she said.

The mayor reiterated that the fee helps ensure better quality parks throughout Montesano for everyone. Councilman Ian Cope, who has experience with youth sports organizations, also reminded Hutchinson-King about problems with pet waste left on the fields.

Hutchinson-King however did not relent in her opposition to exclusive use. She was the lone dissenting vote. The agreement was approved.

Councilman Anthony Chung was absent. He was excused by the council.