Summary of Jan. 7 board of directors meeting
January 8, 2025
The BPRD board of directors began 2025 with a full agenda of work session topics at the Jan. 7 public meeting. A video recording is available.
BPR Foundation
The Bend Park and Recreation Foundation is a 501-c-3 tax exempt corporation that exists for the purpose of supporting the work of the Bend Park and Recreation District, ranging from accepting donation of property, to serving as a fiscal sponsor of community fundraising efforts and being the steward for financial contributions to support recreation scholarships.
Staff and Foundation board members shared information about the Foundation’s past accomplishments, funds established, recent successes related to fundraising, and the plan for 2025 activities.
Drake Park High Wheels
Over 80 years ago, the High Wheels were donated to the city of Bend by the BrooksScanlon Company and they are located at Drake Park. Decades of exposure to the elements have caused the High Wheels to deteriorate. Although maintenance and some restoration work have been performed in the past, it has not been part of a regular schedule. As a result, the structure has deteriorated and would likely require complete restoration or replacement to remain on-site.
Staff shared information about assessments and cost estimates for restoration that have been completed over the past year, and options on how to move forward.
Old Bend Gym and Boys and Girls Club
BPRD has a long-standing relationship with the Boys & Girls Club with both organizations providing crucial childcare for school-age children.
As part of a lease agreement established more than 25 years ago, BGC agreed to perform repairs and maintenance on the building and pay $1 annually in rent. The Old Bend Gym is an aging, historical building that has been a collaborative effort, including investment from the district and the foundation to fund some of the larger repairs due to the BGC’s limited financial resources for the building over the years.
The district’s priority is to take care of what it has and there has been significant growth in its capital facilities over the past two decades. Many assets need financial investment to remain operationally viable and safe for use by district taxpayers.
Staff shared information about the lease with the board of directors and discussed options for working with the BGC moving forward. The board provided direction for staff to pursue amending the lease with further discussions.
Riverfront Street project
BPRD and the City of Bend are partnering on a project to redevelop Riverfront Street to enhance trail connectivity between Miller’s Landing Park and Drake Park along Riverfront Street, which functions as a segment of the Deschutes River Trail.
During this presentation, city and district staff reviewed two preliminary design concepts, provided a summary of the public input that has been gathered to date, and solicited feedback from the board on each of the preliminary design concepts.
Juniper pool cover project
As the district considers a future project to replace the structure over the 50M pool at Juniper Swim & Fitness Center, a patron survey was conducted and results were shared with the board of directors.
- The majority of respondents (62%) were satisfied with this summer’s environment with the roof panels on and the side and end panels removed; however, a significant number of people missed the direct sunlight.
- The majority of respondents (65%) favor shade, filtered sunlight or combination of the two but over one-third prefer some direct sunlight.
- The highest preference for openings was a combination of roof and walls/gable ends (45%) followed by walls/gable ends only (35%) and roof opening (20%).
- A strong majority of respondents indicated they would trade off some level of opening during the summer in order to have a better year-round environment (78%) and the flexibility to open and close to the outdoors depending on weather conditions (75%). There were a number of comments about smoky air conditions and the desire to have more natural light year-round.
The topic will be discussed at the upcoming board workshop and a staff recommendation on a solution will follow later this spring.
Level of service and comprehensive plan update
Each year, district staff calculates our current levels of service in order to evaluate how well we are meeting the community’s park and recreation needs. The district’s comprehensive plan identifies new park and trail projects to ensure we maintain adequate levels of service as the district’s population increases.
The next meeting is Jan. 21.
