I represent the Panhandle on the State Parks Board and although Ms. Puckett left my name out, she did contact me some months ago about the missing beachfront bench at the Farragut boat launch. Normally dealing with management policies at the upper end of IDPR, I do research constituency issues around the Panhandle as diligently as I can for speedy resolution when possible - we are a department of government for the people of Idaho.

So, when Ms. Puckett contacted me about the missing park bench at Farragut State Park, I contacted the manager, Randall Butt, to see what the big deal was about having a park bench replaced near the boat launch. The bench needed replacing, but in an effort to separate user groups more effectively a viewing bench was placed in another location to reduce user conflicts between motorized boaters and swimmers. The boat docks have inadequate parking on busy days and are designated as a non-swimming area. Not replacing the bench at the beach’s edge seemed consistent with management of this area in Randall’s opinion and I tend to concur with a park manager’s daily best management practices.

Several ironies include the bench being relocated elsewhere for a number of months before anyone seemed to notice the change, so maybe there has been less historic use than alleged. Somewhat more ironic to me if someone walking near the beach wants to sit down to enjoy the scenery, a number of large boulders separate the vehicle areas at the edge of hard surface and are quite comfortable to sit on.

I took the time to respond to Ms. Puckett personally and explained Randall’s management practices for Farragut State Park. Obviously she does not agree with Randall and did not prevail with her issue, but I do not think a professional management disagreement makes anyone an arrogant state and public employee. The state park system has taken a tremendous budget reduction in the past two years and I can only commend the state park staff for the consistently committed effort they have all made.

Steve Klatt serves on the Idaho Parks and Recreation Board and represents Region 1. He is a resident of Sagle.