But the land was condemned, and the county desperately needed a spot.
What the county needs now is not additional programs or more government but new thinking.
Now analysts are saying that the county will need to cut costs and increase revenues if it is to balance its budget.
Whatever happens, the county will need to look at new sources of revenue.
The county needs to decide where it wants to go, and how best to get there.
The island is accessible only by water, so the county will need to devise some way for the public to get to the park.
What the county really needs, they say, is more taxpayers and more jobs.
Not all environmentalists say the county needs such a department.
By then, they think, the county will need more than 53,000 new housing units.
"It seemed that the county needed to do some outreach for kids," she said.