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Real Briefings

Parks and Recreation Advisory Board

BEL-PRB-2024-10-09 October 09, 2024 Parks & Recreation Committee City of Bellingham
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The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board met for their October meeting, which included significant presentations on proposed developments, budget cuts, and ongoing facility improvements. The meeting featured three main presentations: Dave Christensen's proposal for an urban park space at the Fairhaven Center development, an update on the Civic Athletic Complex master planning process, and Parks Department budget reduction proposals totaling $700,000-$800,000 in response to citywide budget constraints. Public comments addressed three major topics: continued advocacy for a skate park under the Roeder Street bridge, proposals for expanding small watercraft facilities at Salish Landing Park, and concerns about the Civic Athletic Complex master plan potentially reducing baseball field capacity. The board also received updates on facility improvements at Civic Stadium, upcoming Halloween events at Woodstock Park, and the planned phasing out of the Park Ambassador program as part of budget reductions. Technical difficulties prevented the showing of a planned video presentation about the Civic Athletic Complex master planning process, which staff committed to sharing via the city's YouTube page following the meeting.

No formal votes were taken during this meeting. The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board serves in an advisory capacity and primarily received presentations and updates during this session. Key action items established included: - Board member Ray volunteered to attend the October 29th Civic Athletic Complex consortium meeting at Cordata …

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**Civic Athletic Complex Master Planning**: The most substantial policy discussion centered on the ongoing master planning process for the Civic Athletic Complex. Staff emphasized that no high-impact development decisions have been made and that they're conducting an inclusive public engagement process. Public commenter Cindy Scott raised concerns about potentially reducing baseball field capacity and questioned the wisdom of relocating Carl Cozier Elementary School to the center of the complex, arguing it would create barriers to public access. **Budget Reductions and Service Impacts**: Parks staff presented their approach to meeting the city's directive for 5% general fund budget cuts. Rather than laying off …
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**Pedro and Zack (Skate Park Advocates)**: Continued pushing for their skate park project under the Roeder Street bridge, reporting two failed grant applications through the tourism department despite receiving letters of approval from the Port. They're seeking guidance on getting onto the parks master plan and dealing with property transfer delays from the Port to the City. **Salish Landing Advocate**: Expressed interest in expanding Salish Landing Park to include more facilities for small watercraft like paddleboards and kayaks, envisioning a regatta center that could host regional events. They noted the Community Boating Center is at cap…
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**Staff on Civic Athletic Complex planning:** "Nothing has been pre-decided or preordained. So if you all have any questions leading up to it, I can send you the link to the project planning page." **Cindy Scott on the master plan complexity:** "It's very, very, very long, and I feel like that might be sort of a barrier for people to get involved in the process. I don't know if there's a way you can sort of dumb down the information and give sort of a high level executive summary." **Cindy S…
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- October 29, 4 PM: Civic Athletic Complex consortium meeting at Cordata Community Park (Ray attending for Parks Board) - November 1: Blodell Community Room Building reopening for programs and reservations - November 6, 6 PM: Public meeting on Civic Athletic Complex at Blodell Donovan Community Building - November or December: Fee increase proposal…

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Following this meeting, the Parks Board now has representation committed for upcoming Civic Athletic Complex planning meetings, with Ray designated to attend the October 29 consortium meeting. The board received detailed information about pending budget cuts that will eliminate the Park Ambassador program and reduce some services, representing the most significant operational changes in recent years. The Fair Haven Center urban park proposal gained conceptu…
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# Skating Forward and Building Up: Parks Board Tackles Projects and Budget Cuts The Bellingham Parks and Recreation Advisory Board convened on the evening of October 9th, 2024, for what would prove to be a substantive meeting covering ambitious new development, community requests for recreational facilities, and the reality of budget constraints. With board members both present and joining remotely from scenic locations, the gathering addressed everything from innovative urban park concepts to the practical challenges of maintaining services amid citywide budget reductions. ## Meeting Overview The meeting began with acknowledgment of the traditional homelands of the Lakmi, Lummi, Nooksack, and other Coast Salish peoples, setting a tone of respect for the region's indigenous heritage. Board members were present in person and virtually, with one member notably joining from the "Nepali coast" — a moment of levity that highlighted the hybrid nature of post-pandemic civic engagement. The agenda included several significant items: updates on the Fairhaven Center project's creative urban park proposal, comprehensive planning for the Civic Athletic Complex, and sobering details about necessary budget reductions for the Parks Department. Public comment would prove particularly engaging, with advocates for both skateboarding facilities and expanded boating access making their cases to the board. ## The Fairhaven Center: Creating Place from Possibility Dave Christensen, architect and Historic Preservation Commission member with 24 years of service, presented an ambitious vision for transforming underutilized space in Fairhaven into a vibrant urban park. The project, part of a larger residential development, represents what Christensen called "the last place in Fairhaven to develop." The development site, located behind familiar Fairhaven businesses like Village Books and Fairhaven Cycle, presents unique challenges due to extensive sewer easements that severely constrain where buildings can be placed. "It can't move an inch one way or the other," Christensen explained, describing the precise placement required for the first phase building. However, these constraints also create opportunity. Between the new building and existing structures lies a 60-70 foot corridor where nothing can be built due to utility easements. Rather than leaving this as dead space, the development team — working with planning staff Elaine and Nicole — envisioned an innovative urban par…
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Parks & Recreation Budget & Finance Land Use & Planning Government Operations Carl Cozier Elementary City Council Civic Athletic Complex Community Boating Center Fairhaven Center Parks Department Parks Recreation Advisory Board Port Bellingham Brian Boardmember Cindy Scott Dave Christensen Holly Boardmember Laine Potter Lauren Woodmansee Maggie Kriger Melissa Parks Pedro Advocate Ray Boardmember Baseball Fields Budget Cuts Budget Finance Budget Reductions Civic Athletic Complex Community Engagement Facility Management Fairhaven Development Fee Increases Parks Recreation Skate Park South Bay Trail Trail Infrastructure Urban Park Development Watercraft Facilities Youth Sports