Parks Commission to meet in Winthrop

The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission will hold its regular hybrid commission meeting on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023, at the Sun Mountain Lodge in Winthrop. 

The public is welcome to attend in-person or online.  

Agenda items include: 

• Request for approval to enter into a management agreement for Scooteney Park in Franklin County,
• Request for approval to update the long-term boundary of Pearrygin Lake State Park, 
• Development of recreation and Conservation Office grants for the 2025-2027 biennium,
• Financial update, including the 2021-23 biennium final financial report, the status of the 2023-25 biennium operating and capital budget expenditures, Parks Renewal and Stewardship Account (PRSA) revenue, 2023-25 Budget Climate Accounts Funding and the 2025-27 Budget Development,
• Operations update, including highlights from the summer busy season and an update on the new Operations program leadership structure.

A work session is scheduled the day before the regular meeting, on Wednesday, Oct. 18. Work sessions are open to the public, however, there will be no opportunity for the public to comment and no formal action will be taken.  

Full work session and commission meeting agendas and presentations are available online.  

On Tuesday, Oct. 17, the commission will tour local parks, including Pearrygin State Park and the Winthrop National Fish Hatchery Visitor Center. The commission will leave from Sun Mountain Lodge at 9 a.m. and return by 4:30 p.m. The public is welcome to attend the tours but must provide their own transportation. 

Public comment 

In-person oral public comment will be accepted at the regular meeting. If you wish to comment at a meeting, please fill out a comment card and provide it to staff at the sign-in table. The Chair will call you up to the front at the appropriate time.  

Written public comment may be submitted by mail or email. All comments must be received by 5 p.m. on Oct. 13. Please email written comments to commission@parks.wa.gov, or mail them to: 

WSPRC 

Attn: Becki Ellison 

PO Box 42650 

Olympia, WA 98504 

Virtual public comment will also be accepted at the meeting, and pre-registration is required. Instructions on providing virtual and other forms of public comment at the commission meeting is available here.  

WHAT 

Bi-monthly commission meeting 

WHO 

Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission 

WHEN 

Work session 

9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 18  

Regular meeting 

9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 19  

WHERE 

Sun Mountain Lodge 

604 Patterson Lake Rd. 

Winthrop, WA 98862 

Watch the work session on TVW: 

https://www.tvw.org/watch/?clientID=9375922947&eventID=2023101008 

Watch the regular meeting in TVW: 

https://www.tvw.org/watch/?clientID=9375922947&eventID=2023101009 

BACKGROUND 

The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission holds four regular meetings in pre-determined locations around the state, four virtual meetings and one planning meeting a year. Time for public comment is provided at all regular meetings and may be virtual, written or in person, depending on the meeting. Time for public comment is provided at all regular meetings and may be virtual, written or in person depending on the meeting. A full agenda, including information about available opportunities for public comment, is available on the Parks website. 

The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission is made up of seven citizen volunteers appointed by the governor to staggered six-year terms. The commission is charged with providing policy direction for the agency.