07:13 PM PST on Monday, March 20, 2006

Associated Press

OLYMPIA, Wash. - Washington is removing the $5 day-use parking fee from its 120 state parks. The much-maligned fee had caused park attendance to plummet during the past three years since it was imposed.

Bridle Trails State Park

Gov. Chris Gregoire signed the repeal bill on Monday, and state parks Director Rex Derr announced that rangers will no longer ask that day users pay the fee.

Repeal isn't official until March 31, when the governor signs a new state budget that also includes a ban on the day-use fees. The repeal bill itself takes effect April 9.

But as a practical matter, the fee is gone, and Derr said, "We want people back."

Washington returns to its status as the only state in the West without day-use fees in at least some parks.

Derr said patrons may continue to pay for the rest of the month if they wish, but rangers won't expect it. Parks will begin taking down pay-to-park signs. The agency can arrange for partial refund of the $50 annual permit that also was an option.

Derr and the citizen commission that runs the system were concerned about the repeal legislation, because of the multimillion-dollar revenue loss. But on Monday, Derr took a more optimistic tone.

"I'm happy," he said in an interview. "Parks are there for everyone and we love people being able to use their park system.

"I do expect the return of several million visitors. We estimate that it could be between three and six million additional visitor-days we're talking about."

After the fee was imposed by the state Parks and Recreation Commission, with the blessing of the Legislature, park attendance slid by about eight million, down from more than 45 million. Derr said part of that probably was due to the spike in gasoline prices, bad weather and other causes.

The fee, authorized during a recession as a way to keep the park system afloat, raised $11.5 million as of last December. It cost about $3 million to set up the collection system and to hire about 55 employees statewide.

The park agency has a two-year budget of $90 million.

During the first two years, the money was used to whittle away the park maintenance backlog. In the current budget, it has helped pay for basic operations.

House Majority Leader Lynn Kessler, D-Hoquiam, took on repeal as her personal top priority of this year's session, assisted by her former aide, citizen activist Nora Porter of Port Townsend.

Kessler called the fee "an experiment that failed," because too many average citizens simply stopped using their parks.

"This is a happy day," she said after Gregoire signed the repeal bill. "We hope those millions of people will come back to the parks."

Porter said it's laudable that lawmakers listened to the outcry of ordinary citizens.

"This just proves that citizens can fight city hall," she said. "This was the right thing to do, and the House, the Senate and the governor heard us. We have the Democrats to thank for giving the parks back to the people who own them."

Republicans also adopted free park day use as a major session goal this year.

The bill cleared both houses with strong bipartisan support, although Senate parks Chairman Ken Jacobsen, D-Seattle, temporarily derailed it. Jacobsen said the fee was an appropriate charge for visitors who account for the vast majority of park usage. He also said lawmakers don't have a workable permanent fix for the parks' budget hole.

Gregoire conceded the latter point, but said Monday she was happy to sign the bill.

"This is a long-awaited bill for our Washington families and I'm pleased to support it," she said.

"This is actually quite important because I think we instill and carry on our environmental ethic when our families, our children, are growing up and have an opportunity to go to our state parks. I did it as a kid. I took our two daughters to state parks camping."

She, Kessler and Porter all said the task won't be complete until the state figures how to find a permanent way to replace the dollars lost by repeal of the user fee.

Porter called for a parks summit this year to brainstorm ideas for the Legislature and governor.

Derr said the park system remains very nervous about the uncertain revenue picture.

"It's real worrisome," he said in an interview. "But I'm leaning on the promises legislators made to us."

This year, lawmakers dipped into the general treasury to replace most of the projected shortfall. The budget includes about $4 million for operations, including higher utility usage that higher attendance will cause, and maintenance.

The state construction budget also included $2 million for deferred minor maintenance, such as new roofs, repair of dangerous trails, replacement of picnic tables and repair of swimming areas.

"It's the most visible thing that visitors see," Derr said.

The park system has whittled a $40 million maintenance backlog down to $22 million.

The system also has a $300 million list of major renovations, and the Legislature appropriated $17 million for waste water treatment and other environmental projects in 24 state parks that front on Puget Sound or Hood Canal.

The park fee repeal bill is HB2416.