I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t have a degree in business administration or finance or that I’m up to date on all the laws we have on our books today BUT…it sure is sad that the Memorial Field is in jeopardy because of budget cuts. I know things are tough in this country of ours right now and things are probably going to get worse before they get better. Be that as it may, with all the clever people among us, there has to be a solution that hasn’t been brought to the table yet.

I was sad to see the Lincoln Building closed down years ago. Still depresses me to see it sitting up there on the hill. Was kind of sad to lose the roller rink and bowling alley too. And then the Rec Center. I realize that nothing stays the same and all towns go through their own evolution of change, but it doesn’t make watching these changes any easier. I think a lot of people long to see their hometown look and feel like the hometown of their youth, but we all know we can’t put it back the way it used to be.

I don’t even live in Port Townsend anymore. Circumstances and family issues sent me over to Port Angeles to live out my days. I miss my town but thankfully, I’m close enough to get back there whenever I want to. I subscribe to the paper and gossip with friends about what’s going on in Jefferson County.

An article in the paper this week talked about Memorial Field having a $70,000 a year budget. That’s $5800 a month. How can that be? The article also said adoption of the field wasn’t a good idea because of safety purposes. It talked about rust on the steel supports needing to be fixed because sheet metal could blow off if a storm blew in during a game. Mother Nature is always going to be a force to be reckoned with, no matter where you live. An earthquake could hit during any of the local festival events and lots of people could be hurt with falling bricks or windows blowing out.

I couldn’t do the labor because I’m old and everything hurts, but surely there’s some young people (guys and gals) who could organize to maintain that field with grass cutting, litter pick up, and such. When I was in high school, the fellows in the Service Squad helped at football games with ticket sales and maintenance. Or am I just way behind the times and locals running the show is outdated?

If Chimacum and Quilcene and youth sports and car clubs and rhody festival people all want that field open, you’ve already got a number of volunteers to pull help from. And don’t forget the local clubs, scout troops, church groups, and high school seniors needing a project. You can always find somebody willing to sell hot dogs, turn on the lights, and lock up afterwards. Start a campaign to “Save Memorial Field.” Ask alumni from the three high schools to toss $10 in the pot. They wouldn’t think twice about it.