As Good as Sehmel

Comment: Pen Met Parks should maintain all the properties as well as they do Sehmel Homestead Park.

Response: We couldn’t agree with you more! The disparity between the Fox Island properties and some off the island is striking to say the least. One thing that PenMet told us about our flyer is that it doesn’t reflect all that PenMet does for everyone, including Fox Islanders, meaning, of course, all of the programs PenMet puts on. Our comment to this is very simple: If you look at PenMet’s catalog of programs they are conducting this year, there is not one program being conducted on Fox Island. To us, that’s telling. PenMet makes money on its programs (and we have no issue with that), but it’s clear to us that PenMet does not consider any of the Fox Island properties potential money-makers. This has to influence its decisions on how much time and effort they want to spend on Fox Island and why so much deferred maintenance exists on PenMet’s Fox Island properties.

Improved Communication

Question: Applaud effort but mailer left me head scratching. Web site letter helped. Success comes from clear, concise communications. Thanks and you can count on our signatures.

Response: Sorry to hear your head itches! We have a mountain of information that we can and will share with everyone as we move forward. We tried to keep the flyer short and sweet and as concise as possible. The photos and the graph were the main points we wanted to get across. We are being taxed at about $1,000,000 per year for the last two years and the three PenMet properties are receiving very little attention in terms of expenditures and in terms of staff time. We will be offering more details in this regard with regular updates on our website. We will also be sending out emails with more information to all of those who’ve signed up. Those updates and emails will concentrate on a single issue at a time and will also provide whatever information we have been able to obtain from PenMet through Public Record Requests. A few have posted on Facebook that the Public Record Requests are a waste of time and money, but PenMet has instructed us, on more than occasion, that if we want any information we need to file Public Record Requests. We are just following their instructions. You’ll also see from the few responses we’ve received that there is some concerning information. It’s possible that our first update will concentrate on what Public Record Requests we’ve filed and the responses or lack of responses we’ve received. You’ll easily see from that information that PenMet has not been the most communicative organization.

Boat Launches

Question: Let’s not forget about Cedrona Boat Launch (PenMet owned) and Tow Head (maybe not PenMet)

Response: We definitely are not forgetting the Cedrona Boat Launch on 13th. That property was donated to PenMet by Pierce County and PenMet has done nothing with it since it obtained ownership. One of the first things we’d do is investigate the feasibility of making that property a usable boat launch. Amanda Babich laughingly referred to that property as the “portable boat launch,” and we think it’s telling that this property does not even show up on PenMet’s official park map.

The Tow Head boat launch is owned by the Bureau of Land Management so it’s outside the scope of our efforts. That property will also undoubtedly be impacted in some manner by whatever final decision is made with regard to the Fox Island Bridge repair/replacement.