Covington City Council Passes Proclamation
Asking
Congress to Support National Parks
Statement recognizes the economic
impact visitors have on the local economy
Covington,
WA —
The Covington City Council is the first in Washington State to recognize the
national parks with a proclamation recognizing the cultural, educational, recreational,
and economic benefits they provide and asking Congress to provide dedicated funding
to fix our parks.
“As
we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, we
should give rangers the resources they need to protect our parks for the next
100 years,” said Covington Mayor Pro Tem and former National Park Ranger Sean
Smith.
In
light of a history of congressional underfunding, the proclamation calls on
members of Congress to create a reliable and predictable stream of resources to
help the National Park Service (NPS) address deferred maintenance at its more
than 400 sites across the country. It is
estimated that the current backlog of overdue park repairs—include crumbling
roads, rotting historic buildings, eroding trails, outdated public buildings,
and safety hazards such as deteriorating water and electrical systems—totals
$12 billion nationwide and over $500 million in Washington state, including
$285 million at Mount Rainer National Park.
Fixing
our parks will help support an important economic engine for our state. NPS
reports that during 2015, here in Washington, park visitors spent an estimated
$470 million in local gateway communities like Covington while visiting NPS sites,
helping to support 6,400 jobs and providing our state an economic boost of
$631.7 million in economic output.
