By Dennis Box, The Courier Herald

A gathering of neighbors near Bonney Lake Elementary School are voicing their concern about a 13-acre parcel of property the Sumner School District is considering selling.

The neighbors came to the Feb. 10 City Council meeting and one after another during the citizen comment period stated their issues about how the district should handle the land.

Debbie Eastman collected 31 signatures on a petition requesting the area be converted into a park and kept for public use.

"We don't want to see this area turned into another housing development," Eastman said.

The district is seeking to have the property rezoned to public facility and residential. Its plan is to use 9.3 acres as a soccer and baseball field and expanded parking lot and to sell the remaining land to help pay for the fields.

"All of this has been a very open process," said William Noland, the deputy superintendent of the Sumner School District. "We want to be a good neighbor and at the same time to be a good steward of the taxpayers' money."

Shirley Atwell feels the land is a valuable resource for trees and forest vegetation inside the city.

"We live right next door," Atwell said. "I'd like to see the city look into it buying it, clearing out some trees and turning it into a park."

Atwell also stated the school contends the area harbors dangerous activities, but she sees no evidence.

"If they can prove to me this is a real bad area then fine," Atwell said. "But I've lived here 14 years and I've never seen the proof of drugs or sex in the woods. I think the school is brainwashing the people about this area."

Barbara Bledsoe, a senior citizen who uses the trail for exercise would also like a park atmosphere with walking trails.

"For a senior citizen it would be very nice to have a park to walk in," Bledsoe said. "When we first moved out here to Bonney Lake in April we thought it was a calmer area. The growth I've seen since April is amazing."

Councilman Neil Johnson noted the difficulty with parks is money.

"I'm all for parks. Bonney Lake needs parks," Johnson said. "I'm not against part of that land being turned into a park. But the problem with parks is no one wants to pay for them."

Money may well be the rub when it comes to the property. The school district is in the process of having the land appraised.

"What we have said is if the city is interested in buying the land we would work with them," Noland said. "Right now we don't know if it is going to be of interest to anyone. There is no deal."

Dennis Box can be reached at dbox@courierherald.com