Cirque du Ka-ching

A round of applause for the five weeks Cirque du Soleil spent in King County's Marymoor Park, and we aren't referring just to the gravity-defying acts and magical forests, volcanoes and fantastical creatures.

County officials estimate that after the circus pulled up stakes, it left behind $550,000 in gross revenues. Money pouring into the anemic coffers of the county's parks system is worth a cheer. The county will net $450,000 after expenses, a tidy profit and important sign of progress as area parks grow toward self-sufficiency. The shift was a necessary one after shrinking county budgets placed parks funding in peril.

A task force convened several years ago by County Executive Ron Sims offered smart, practical long-range strategies, including the notion that parks at least partly pay for themselves.

King County's 25,000-acre park system is one of the largest in the country. Injecting a measure of efficiency and self-reliance into the system was no small challenge.

But it is happening.

The county shifted costs for some pools and parks to suburban cities in which the facilities were located. Fees are charged for parking and entrepreneurial opportunities, such as Cirque du Soleil, are plentiful.

Larger parks offer corporate-sponsored events such as summer concert series and children's camps. The parks system is expected to garner $150,000 to $200,000 in revenue from the summer concert series at Marymoor in Redmond. Nearby businesses share in the economic boost, as people flocking to a park dine and shop nearby.

The value of this kind of creativity cannot be overstated. Parks are not a mandated county service, yet no community would be complete without one. King County's meaningful development of its parks sustains funding and keeps them a treasured public amenity.