Skagit County commissioners place Fidalgo-area Metropolitan Park District proposition on ballot

Skagit County commissioners voted 3-0 on Aug. 4 to approve a resolution placing a proposition to form a Metropolitan Park District — a special taxing district that would include parts of the Anacortes School District — before voters.

The measure, which commissioners approved as consent agenda item 4 after a public discussion, would allow voters in the proposed district to decide whether to form the park district and set an initial levy for park services that supporters say would stabilize funding for the Fidalgo Pool and Fitness Center. Mr. Dolan, the executive director of the Fidalgo Pool and Fitness Center, and several island residents spoke during the discussion.

Supporters say the district aims to create a steady funding source to eventually replace the pool’s 50-year-old facility, which Mr. Dolan said is out of code in several ways and not ADA compliant. Mr. Dolan told commissioners the item had been on the ballot previously and failed by only a handful…