Steve Bloom/The Olympian
Planner Peter Herzog glances back at the historic barn at the Environmental Learning Center in Millersylvania State Park on Thursday.

State seeks public input on park plan

Millersylvania State Park could get a facelift

N.S. NOKKENTVED, THE OLYMPIAN

Originally published Saturday, February 9, 2002

THURSTON COUNTY -- State parks officials want to know what people think of proposed plans for Millersylvania State Park.

The agency has been assessing the needs and future of the popular park that gets about half a million visitors annually.

The 842-acre camping park south of Tumwater sits on the shore of Deep Lake and has many old-growth cedar and fir trees.

The Civilian Conservation Corps built the park almost entirely by hand in 1935, not long after the family of homesteader John H. Miller donated it to the state, according to the Washington State Parks Web site.

"There's a lot of good things in there," Scott Lake resident Orville Helm said of plans to redesign the park. There also are proposals that aren't so good, he said.

Deep Lake affected

Parts of the proposal could affect the levels of Deep Lake and nearby Scott Lake, he said.

His main concern, however, is that the public isn't sufficiently aware of the plans and that Washington State Parks will make a decision before people have a chance to comment.

That's also a concern for the project's lead planner, Peter Herzog.

"Everything we do has to have public support, or we're just not going to get anywhere," Herzog said.

Four themes are being considered for the park:

- A natural resource conservation theme would stress protection and restoration of its natural areas, such as the woodlands, wetlands and lake.

- A cultural resource conservation theme stresses preservation of the park's historic features, and re-creation of a CCC-era walkway around the lake.

- Interpretation and education would provide more opportunities for learning about the park's natural environment.

- Recreation opportunities would focus on improving camping and other public-use facilities.

The final plan would take the best of each of the themes in response to public comments, Herzog said.

Agency staff will present a report to the Washington Parks and Recreation Commission at its March meeting in Spokane.

After the meeting, Herzog and his staff will draft a proposal to take to the public in late April or early May. They'll take additional public comments to help shape the final proposal, which will be presented to the commission in the summer.

Helm, who said he's neither for nor against park improvement plans, is concerned about spending a lot of money on buildings and other changes when state budget cuts are looming and the parks maintenance backlog is growing.

"If they don't have the money, leave it alone and let people enjoy it the way it is," Helm said.

However, some of the park's buildings are falling apart, and the agency wants to consider whether repairing them is the most effective use of money over the long term.

"Is there something else that makes sense for the long term?" Herzog said.

Washington State Parks doesn't want to spend money repairing a building that doesn't fit into the park's long-term plans or isn't something people want, Herzog said.

Some buildings have outlived their usefulness, and others might be more suitable in another location.

"We absolutely need public input to make these decisions," Herzog said.

Some options would displace users, he said. "We don't want to do that in a vacuum."

To comment

For more information, to comment or to be notified of public workshops and meetings, call planner Peter Herzog at 360-902-8652 or visit www.parks.wa.gov/ millplan.asp.

The Olympian Copyright 2002

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