Si View Metropolitan Park District is facing a critical time. Two measures on your November ballot will determine the direction and fate of our park district.

Residing in the Snoqualmie Valley for approximately 30 years, I can reflect on the importance of this community park in the lives of so many. Having had the opportunity to serve our community as president of the Snoqualmie Valley Youth Soccer Association, it is easy to review the numbers of young players who use the park to participate in soccer programs.

More than 2,000 youths register to play soccer each year. That means that over the 23 years I have served as president, 46,000 youth have used the fields at Si View Park!

The association struggles each year to find fields to accommodate the number of youth participating in soccer, and Si View Park has indeed met the majority of our needs for soccer fields.

Aside from soccer needs met by Si View Park, I also consider the tremendous programs Si View provides to include all ages. Along with you, my family has had the privilege of using Si View for recreational basketball, swimming lessons and extensive pool programs, dance and exercise classes, family fun night, teen night, farmer’s markets and much more.

It would be easy to take this facility and the vital service it provides our community and youth for granted. I am afraid I would be guilty of this right along with you. However, understanding what the loss of Si View Park would mean to our community, I encourage you to most definitely mark your ballot in November with a heartfelt “yes” of support on both measures.

You can be sure the importance of the Si View facility trickles down to real estate values, when families are viewing our Valley as a potential area to reside in. It is simply critical to maintain a community park in our Valley.

Bud Raisio, North Bend

President, Snoqualmie Valley Youth Soccer Association