Commissioners pause on $1.2M RCO grant for MCRA fields amid concerns about local match

Mason County administrators briefed the board on an RCO grant application to resurface athletic fields at MCRA, a project with a total grant request of $1.2 million that would require an approximate Mason County match of $480,000 (about 40%).

Travis Adams, the county administrator, said John Taylor (parks staff) had prepared the application and that the county historically enters into a $5,000 annual contract with the City of Shelton to support a local skate park. Adams said he understood Shelton plans a structural analysis of the skate park later this year and noted the resurfacing quote for restoring park land to natural habitat had been estimated at roughly $127,000 if the skate park were removed.

Commissioners pressed staff on why MCRA was selected for the RCO application rather than other county fields such as Sand Hill or North Mason, with one commissioner asking whether staff had considered field usage, prior investments, lighting (which affects tournament opportunities), and the incremental benefit of the match. Commissioners also noted the grant deadline was tight (application due at end of April) and asked staff to confirm whether parallel grant efforts existed for Sand Hill.

No decision was made; commissioners asked staff to halt or pause further pursuit of match obligations until they could evaluate priorities and feasibility and requested a fuller briefing from parks staff when available.