4
The Columbia Press
February 5, 2021
Parks: Board works on plans to raise money
Continued from Page 1
cide which ones should be pur-
sued.
• Memorial benches: Res-
idents or businesses could
purchase benches in honor of
loved ones with an added fee
to help pay for parks.
• Park sponsorships: Busi-
nesses could pay a fee to
sponsor a park, which would
include a small sign with the
business name.
• Fence signs: Businesses
could pay a fee to post a sign
or banner on the fence at one
of the parks. A design standard
would be needed for uniformi-
ty.
• Park rentals: People could
rent the parks for public and
private events.
• Tournaments: The city
could organize tournaments
for various sports.
• Carnivals and fairs: The
parks could host fund-raising
events, such as holiday-in-
spired fairs that include ven-
dors or performers. Guests
and vendors would pay a fee.
• Adult sports leagues: The
city could manage an adult
league in which players are
charged a fee. Concessions
sold during the events would
also benefit the parks.
• Yard sales: Unused or re-
purposed materials, such as
old fencing, wood from fallen
trees or compost from mainte-
Cindy Yingst/The Columbia Press
A memorial bench sits beside the Warrenton Waterfront Trail
south of the bridge on Harbor Drive.
nance, could be sold.
• Donation boxes: Coin box-
es could be placed at local
businesses, trailheads, and at
parks during heavy-use times.
• Kayak and bicycle rentals:
Space could be leased to a ven-
dor who would provide equip-
ment for rent to tourists and
residents.
• Food carts and stands:
Food trucks could augment
the concession stands or pro-
vide options at other parks
with the vendor paying a fee
for the privilege.
• Nonprofit options: Groups
may be interested in helping
the city maintain its parks or
could obtain grants for park
activities.
“An example of low-hanging
fruit is the kayak concession
at Skipanon Park,” Balensifer
said. “We have a kayak dock
built in accordance with the
2000 Vision Plan, yet we’ve
never really marketed it as a
kayak facility.
“We could provide an en-
trepreneurial opportunity for
someone in the community
or an existing business to rent
kayaks there. The city makes
money, the business makes
money and people can still use
the park for free. But if they
don’t own a kayak, they can
now access one on site.”
Other proposals, especially
those requiring staff oversight,
will be a harder discussion.
“Warrenton has grown much
faster than the staff to support
that growth,” Balensifer said.
“Nevertheless, I believe they
are worth discussing to see
if we can eek out some staff
time to make it happen. I’m
not afraid to say we may need
to contract some help out, too.
The important part is to move
forward.”
Many of the city’s parks and
park amenities have come
through an endowment left
by the late Quincy and Bessie
Robinson.
The privately run trust built
the soccer fields and commu-
nity gardens, paid for new
playground equipment and
built the city’s main park,
which bears their name.