Park fees cut

By Tara Nelson

Gov. Christine Gregoire signed a repeal bill Monday that would remove $5 day-use parking fees from all Washington state parks. The move comes after much speculation that the fee had caused park attendance to drop considerably since it was implemented three years ago.

Public relations officer Althea Cawley-Murphee for Gregoire’s office said although the governor has not completed her review of the entire budget, she has allocated money in the state budget to replace the lost revenues.
Representatives in the house passed HB 2416 96-2 and the senate passed the bill 43-4. Though the repeal isn’t official until March 31, payment enforcement will stop immediately.'

The bill was sponsored by Lynn Kessler (D-Port Angeles).