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Parks and Recreation Advisory Board

BEL-PRB-2025-06-11 June 11, 2025 Parks & Recreation Committee City of Bellingham
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The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board received a comprehensive presentation on the Civic Athletic Complex Master Plan, marking a significant milestone in the city's largest recreational development project. Landscape architect Bryce Merriman and architect Neil McCarthy presented a detailed framework plan that reimagines Civic as an "eco-athletic campus" rather than a complex, featuring underground parking, elevated playing fields, and potential housing development in partnership with the Bellingham School District. The meeting also addressed ongoing concerns about habitat protection in Cornwall Park, with public testimony highlighting the departure of great horned owls due to increased bicycle traffic on natural trails. Staff presented updates on playground renovations, including accelerated construction at Bowdoin Donovan Park for 2025, and a comprehensive cost recovery analysis showing the recreation division currently operates at a 77% subsidy rate. Staff announced significant personnel changes, including the retirement of two key supervisors who will be replaced by three new supervisory positions. The board also heard from BTC students proposing a solar-powered phone charging station for Taylor Dock.

**No formal votes were taken at this meeting.** This was primarily an informational session with presentations and public input. Key informational items included: **Civic Athletic Complex Master Plan Framework**: Staff presented the preferred concept featuring a land swap with Bellingham School District, underground parking structure with recreational amenities above, and repositioning Orleans as a pedestrian promenade. The plan advances to community recreation center design phase with 12-14 months of additional…

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**Civic Complex Reimagining**: The master plan represents a fundamental shift from treating Civic as an athletic facility to positioning it as a comprehensive community campus. Key features include 200 underground parking spaces with recreational amenities above, interpretive wetland area, disc golf in existing forest, and a pedestrian-only Orleans corridor. The plan assumes a land swap with the school district to relocate Carl Cozier Elementary to the north end of the site, freeing southern areas for community recreation center development. Staff emphasized this is a long-term vision requiring voter-approved funding, likely through bonds or levies. The mayor has indicated any community recreation center expansion would require voter approval. Implementation would occur in phases over multiple years as funding becomes available. **Wildlife Habitat Protection**: Public tes…
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**Joanne (Cornwall Park resident)**: Strongly advocated for habitat protection, reporting departure of great horned owls and requesting prohibition of bicycle events during breeding season. Emphasized community's responsibility to protect voiceless wildlife and preserve wooded areas identified as priority in PROS plan. **Brian Armstrong (online public comment)**: Supported habitat restoration funding, citing Greenways levy language about protecting and enhancing habitat. Criticized staff shortages preventing Park Stewards program expansion with over 150 applications…
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**Bryce Merriman, on Civic's potential:** "This really is a place that the entire community comes together, and it is no surprise... it's the premier destination for sports... with over 72,000 visitors per month, which is almost twice of Lake Padden or Boulevard parks combined." **Joanne, on Cornwall Park habitat loss:** "The great horned owls have left Cornwall Park. This is the first season that they have not had a nesting box filled with their little owlets... Can you imagine if you had so…
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**July-August 2025**: Board meetings relocate to PSOC Room 114 due to facility renovations, meetings at 7:30 AM with limited parking requiring early arrival. **September 2025**: Bowdoin Donovan Park playground construction begins with three-week closure, completion by September 30th for Lake Whatcom watershed compliance. **Next 12-14 months**: Community recreation center study phase begins with market analysis, programming assessment, business case development, and extensive communi…

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The Civic Athletic Complex planning process moved from concept testing to framework adoption, establishing the preferred development scenario featuring school district partnership and underground parking structure. This represents the first concrete master plan for Civic's future after years of assessment and community input. The recreation division transitioned from theoretical cost recovery discussions to active implementation with new pricing tools and updated fee structures. Woodstock Farm rental rates increased dramati…
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## Meeting Overview The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board convened for what would prove to be a landmark meeting on June 11, 2025, filled with ambitious visions for Bellingham's future and practical discussions about financial sustainability. The meeting featured a comprehensive presentation on the Civic Athletic Complex Master Plan—three years in the making—alongside updates on playground projects and the completion of a major cost recovery study that could reshape how the city funds recreation services. The meeting began with a land acknowledgment recognizing the territory as the traditional homeland of the Lummi and Nooksack peoples, setting a tone of stewardship that would echo through much of the evening's discussion. Board members gathered both in person and virtually, with staff presenting what Nicole described as "the first glimpse" of the reimagined Civic Athletic Complex to the advisory board before broader public release. ## Public Comment: Protecting Cornwall Park's Native Habitat The meeting's most emotionally charged moments came during public comment, as residents voiced deep concern about habitat loss at Cornwall Park. Joan, who lives across from the park, delivered a passionate plea about the disappearance of great horned owls from their traditional nesting site—marking the first season without owlets in years. "The great horned owls have left Cornwall Park," Joan told the board, her voice carrying the weight of personal observation. "This is the first season that they have not had a nesting box filled with their little owlets." She attributed this loss directly to increased mountain biking activity on what should be pedestrian-only trails, creating erosion and disturbance that has driven away both the owls and the small red squirrels that once inhabited the wooded areas. Joan's concerns extended beyond wildlife to human safety, describing a near-collision with a cyclist traveling at dangerous speeds on park paths. "I think you know, we don't have a lot in our control in the world right now," she said, "but in this little area of the world I think we do, and I think we have a duty to take care of these little creatures that I'm not hearing anymore." Brian Armstrong, joining remotely, amplified these concerns with broa…
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### Meeting Overview The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board met on June 11, 2025, with major presentations on the Civic Athletic Complex Master Plan and a comprehensive cost recovery analysis for recreation programs. The board also received updates on playground improvements and a student proposal for charging stations. ### Key Terms and Concepts **Cost Recovery:** The percentage of program expenses that the city attempts to recoup through user fees, ranging from 0% for basic park access to 100%+ for private services. **Civic Athletic Complex Master Plan:** A comprehensive redesign proposal for Bellingham's most visited park facility, potentially including a land swap with the school district and major infrastructure changes. **Beneficiary of Service:** A framework used to determine who benefits from recreation programs and how much they should reasonably pay through fees versus taxpayer subsidy. **Service Categories:** Classifications of recreation programs based on public versus individual benefit, from "common good" (0% recovery) to "individualized benefit" (100% recovery). **Tuck-Under Parking:** A proposed parking structure built into existing grade changes to minimize visual impact while providing structured parking spaces. **Consortium Meetings:** Stakeholder meetings that included parents, athletes, and community groups to provide input on the Civic Complex redesign. **ADA Requirements:** Americans with Disabilities Act standards that new playground equipment must meet for accessibility, including wheelchair-accessible ramps and transfer stations. **Internal Charges (Interfund Expenses):** City overhead costs like IT, utilities, and administrative services that are allocated to the Parks Department budget, representing about 20% of recreation expenses. ### Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | Nicole Oliver | Parks and Recreation Director | | Bryce Merriman | Landscape Architect, MxMLA (Civic Master Plan consultant) | | Neil McCarthy | Lead Consultant, RMC Architects (Civic Master Plan) | | Melissa Moeller | Recreation Manager (Cost Recovery presentation) | | Jonathan DiPrizio | Parks Operations (Playground projects) | | Jonathan Diaz | BTC Student (Charging station proposal) | | Cody Reiss | BTC Student (Charging station proposal) | | Brian Armstrong | Public commenter (habitat restoration advocate) | | Joan | Public commenter (Cornwa…
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Parks & Recreation Budget & Finance Land Use & Planning Government Operations BOWDOIN DONOVAN PLAYGROUND ROCK HILL PLAYGROUND Bellingham School District Btc Carl Cozier Elementary King County Directors Association Mxmla Park Stewards Program Parks Recreation Advisory Board Rmc Architects Brian Armstrong Bryce Merriman Cody Reiss Holly Miller Joanne Jonathan Diaz Jonathan Montoya Melissa Stevens Neil Mccarthy Nicole Richard Cellarius Bicycle Infrastructure Budget Finance Civic Athletic Complex Community Recreation Center Comprehensive Plan Cornwall Park Cost Recovery Habitat Restoration Lake Whatcom Watershed Parking Playground Equipment Public Engagement Volunteer Programs Wildlife Protection Woodstock Farm