Why did the county increase parking fees?
In January 2010, the Board of County Commissioners voted to increase parking fees at Frenchmans Bar, Vancouver Lake, Lewisville and Salmon Creek/Klineline Pond regional parks and to establish parking fees at Daybreak and Haapa boat launches. Fees were increased to help pay for regular maintenance and operations costs at these heavily used parks after $1.6 million was cut from the parks budget in 2010. Parking fees had not been increased since they were implemented in 1992. In the past 10 years, operating costs at parks have increased by 82 percent, in part because new amenities have been added.
