Got a problem? Fix it yourself.

We’ve all heard about how there’s way less money in parks, and how maintenance is sure to fall by the wayside. Now that we’re in the sunny season, residents from Joe citizen to the offspring of city councilors are learning just what that means.

And what they’re having to do to solve the problem, besides see if voters will fork over some tax money this November.

I got this email from Steve Smith this morning about the levy story I wrote:

“Good article as you are just reporting the facts of the council but you should write another article about reality. Now that the city has kicked the can down the road until November when this issue will be defeated the summer weeds will be dying and the city commissioners can wait until the weeds come back in the spring.”

Smith continued to say that he went as far to email the city’s volunteer coordinator to see what he could do about the overgrowth situation near the Water Resources Center.

But Smith isn’t the only one taking arms — Councilor Bart Hansen’s son learned last week that he was the master of his own skateboarding destiny:

His proud pops posted the picture above on his Facebook wall (complete with younger daughter Caroline so not helping in the background), and wrote: “Lou said he didn’t want to skate in the park because there was a bunch of bark dust on the trail. I introduced him to volunteering in the Parks department.”

Interested in helping out? Call volunteer coordinator Hailey Heath at 487-8316 or email hailey.heath@cityofvancouver.us