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Camp Hawk supporters urge Harvey County to maintain disc-golf funding as county trims budget
Summary
Volunteers and former parks advisory-board members told commissioners that a large cut to Camp Hawk disc-golf funding would hobble an already community-driven project; commissioners said initial county funds were intended to seed fundraising and encouraged more community fundraising.
Community volunteers and former members of the county—s parks advisory board urged commissioners to maintain meaningful funding for a Camp Hawk disc-golf project after staff and commissioners indicated the county—s contribution was being reduced from earlier expectations.
Brandon Nelson, a long-time Camp Hawk volunteer, said the parks advisory board and county parks staff supported the project last year and that the county initially provided $30,000 in budget support split over two years. "We went out and bought 36 baskets on a $30,000 budget because that set the scope for the project," Nelson said. He said a reduction to $5,000 this year would "kneecap the project" and shift a large fundraising burden to volunteers who had already invested time and money.
Britney Welch, who said she served nine years on the parks advisory board, told the commission that amenities such as disc golf help attract young professionals and families to Harvey County. "One way that we continue to grow our tax base is by encouraging young professionals and young families to make Harvey County home," Welch said, and she urged the commissioners to consider parks projects as part of a long-term economic-development strategy.
County commissioners and staff responded that the original $15,000 county contribution had been intended as a seed and that they expected community fundraising to supplement county funds. Commissioner Breimer said the county had asked whether fundraising was under way and that the board wanted to give the community time to pursue fundraising before committing additional county dollars. "When we discussed it a year ago, it was with the understanding that the first $15,000 would be provided for and then, with hopes that the rest would be done through fundraising," a commissioner said during the hearing.
Volunteers said Camp Hawk already has sustained community contributions over decades and that the proposed cuts would hamper momentum. Commissioners asked staff to consider the comments and suggested volunteers continue fundraising and engagement with the parks advisory board; county staff said they would share contact information and remain available to help connect community fundraisers with the county.
No formal vote on park funding was taken at the hearing; commissioners said they would review public comments at a scheduled work session and consider final budget allocations when they take action on the budget the following week.
