By Chris Thew
Chronicle staff

     PATEROS - If legislators in Olympia don't come up with funding for 33 state parks on the chopping block, Alta Lake will be closed July 1.
     According to Jim Harris, eastern region manager for the Washington Parks and Recreation Commission, some parks would close in mid- to late-April while others that accept reservations for camping would close Sept. 15. Others, like Alta Lake, would close by July 1.
     About two dozen residents met at The Homestead March 25 to discuss ways to keep the park open. Harris, who attended the meeting, offered to answer questions on the state's behalf.
     Harris said it all depends on if the agency gets an additional $23 million to keep the parks open.
     "Now is the worst time ever to close a park," Harris said. "It's a time when people need parks. It’s not something that we want to do."
     Harris said the agency is not only looking at cutting parks. He said 70 percent of state parks money goes toward field operations at parks, such as Alta Lake. About 80 percent of that money goes toward salaries.
     The remaining money goes toward administration at the agency's state office, which has sent out notices to about 30 employees that they may no longer be employed, Harris said.
     "We've eliminated entire programs. All things that were not core to operating parks are going away," Harris said.
     Harris said the Legislature is considering a donation to the parks system that residents could opt-out of during registration.
     "We are basically sitting and waiting for them," Harris said. "We're very hopeful they'll pick a revenue package that will allow us to back away from the 33 parks."
     Harris said that if Alta Lake Park were closed, the state would meet with city and county officials to see what could be done to help the state maintain the park and buy more time or take part in maintaining its mothballed state. He said they hope to keep the parks in working order and free from vandalism.
     Harris said they are not looking to sell parks, just close them in hopes a brighter economy would provide for the parks to reopen.
     "We're not going to turn them into condos or other developments," Harris said.
     Keith Stennes, owner of The Homestead, 207 Pateros Mall, said he had talked to Okanogan County Commissioner Bud Hover, who said he would be traveling to Olympia and would bring up the topic to area legislators.
     Hover suggested to Stennes that people should also contact their legislators about the issue.
     "Everyone needs to make the political process work," Harris said.
     He said the community, which has seen its share of agricultural industry dry up, relies on the revenues Alta Lake visitors bring to the area.
     "The industry in this town - there isn't any. If this state park closes down, it's going to shut down this community," Stennes said. "If there's no tourism here, we'll end up closing our doors."
     Pateros Mayor Gail Howe said the city would be sending a letter to State Parks commissioners to ask that they reconsider the closing of Alta Lake.
     "It’s out of their hands," Harris said, referring to the Washington Parks and Recreation Commission. "If not this community, then which community?"