Parks and Recreation Advisory Board

**Ice Sports Capacity Crisis**: Eight community members provided compelling testimony about severe ice time constraints at the Sportsplex, revealing that Bellingham Youth Hockey turned away 50% of new players in 2024 and adult leagues have reached capacity limits. The discussion highlighted equity concerns, as families with resources can travel to Canada or Everett while others must abandon the sport. Staff clarified the city's evolving relationship with Whatcom Sports and Recreation (WSR), the Sportsplex operator, noting $3.5 million in recent city investments in building infrastructure and a new three-year lease requiring improved responsiveness to community needs. The Civic Master Plan reserves space north of the Sportsplex for potential ice expansion, but funding and implementation responsibility remains with the operator. **PROS Plan Development Strategy**: Peter Gill presented a comprehensive approach to the 20-year PROS Plan, emphasizing data-driven prioritization and realistic resource planning. The plan moves beyond simply filling geographic gaps to focus on optimizing existing f…

**Ice Sports Community**: Multiple speakers presented a unified message about critical ice time shortages. Corina Cheever (Cascade Cross) praised park partnerships while noting better turnout at bikeable venues. Julia Brim, Georgia Eiford, Tammy Dixon, and Dana Buck (Bellingham Figure Skating Club) emphasized competitive disadvantages and family hardships caused by limited ice access. Peter Vieth (youth hockey coach) provided detailed data showing decline from three teams to potentially zero over time, describing the inequity of forcing families to travel for opportunities. **Parks Volunteer Advocates**: Brian Armstrong, representing the volunteer stewardship program, praised staff support while expressing concern about program capacity limitations. He advocated for redirecting unused turf field funding toward expanding volun…

**Brian Armstrong, on volunteer program funding:** "Let's go ahead and use that $6 million that we have earmarked to try to expand the volunteer program and expand the capacity because as of right now, it's shrinking." **Peter Vieth, on hockey program decline:** "Last year in 2024, Bellingham Youth Hockey turned away 50% of new players. And you know, then also for adult, I can't get on a team anymore. Unless you know somebody on a team who's going to get you in, you're kind of just screwed, r…

The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board now meets at the Pacific Street Operations Center rather than City Hall, reflecting the department's broader consolidation planned for February. The PROS Plan received a formal state extension to April, allowing additional time for public feedback and refinement of the comprehensive 20-year planning document. Staff confirmed Hot Spot Sauna Club as the selected provider for mobile sauna services at Bloedel Donovan Park, marking the city's entry into this emerging recreation trend with revenue-generating potential. The December storm damage assessment quantified specific repair …

### Meeting Overview The Bellingham Parks and Recreation Advisory Board met on January 14, 2026, to review draft chapters of the Parks, Recreation and Open Space (PROS) Plan and hear updates on storm damage from December's atmospheric river event. The meeting featured extensive public comment from ice sports advocates requesting additional ice sheets at the Sportsplex. ### Key Terms and Concepts **PROS Plan:** Parks, Recreation and Open Space Plan - a comprehensive 20-year planning document that guides the city's parks and recreation services, facility development, and resource allocation. **WSR (Whatcom Sports and Recreation):** The nonprofit organization that operates the Bellingham Sportsplex under a lease agreement with the city. WSR manages ice scheduling, maintenance, and programming for hockey and figure skating. **Cost Recovery Program:** A strategy where recreation programs are priced differently based on their public benefit - general community programs are subsidized while specialized classes aim to recover their full costs. **Stewardship Program:** A volunteer program where community members adopt specific parks for regular maintenance and beautification work. Currently facing capacity constraints due to staff reductions. **Atmospheric River:** A weather phenomenon that brings intense rainfall and flooding, which caused significant damage to local parks in mid-December 2025. **Civic Field Master Plan:** A comprehensive planning process for redeveloping the Civic Athletic Complex and surrounding area, which includes space reserved for potential ice expansion. **Special Use Sites:** Parks with unique characteristics or purposes that don't fit standard park classifications, such as Lee Memorial Park downtown. **FTE (Full-Time Equivalent):** A measurement used to calculate staffing needs - the plan estimates 2.2 FTE needed per community park and 0.4 FTE per neighborhood park. ### Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | Scott Pratschner | PRAB Chair | | Nicole Oliver | Parks and Recreation Director | | Peter Gill | Parks Planning Manager | | Melissa Bianconi | Parks Operations Manager | | Steve Janiszewski | Parks Operations Staff | | Corina Cheever | Cascade Cross Board Member | | Julia Brim | Bellingham Figure Skating Club | | Georgia Eiford | Parent of figure skater and hockey player | | Heidi Buck | 14-year-old competitive figure skater | | Tammy Dixon | Bellingham Figure Skating Club | | Dana Buck | Adult hockey league participant | | Peter Vieth | Youth hockey coach | | Brian Armstrong | Park steward and volunteer program advocate | | Annette Bagley | Bellingham Public Library representative | ### Background Context Bellingham is in the midst of updating its Parks, Recreation and Open Space Pla…