Summary of July 19 Board of Directors meeting
July 20, 2022
The BPRD Board of Directors approved a concept design for a new neighborhood park at the July 19 public meeting. A video recording of the meeting is available.
Little Fawn Park
BPRD has been actively pursuing neighborhood park properties in underserved areas to meet the 2018 Park and Recreation Comprehensive Plan goal of providing a park within one-half mile of most residents. In 2018, the district purchased 3.39 acres of property on Parrell Road to provide a neighborhood park in this currently underserved section of SE Bend. Funding is from system development charges.
The district recently completed two rounds of a public outreach effort to develop a preferred conceptual design for the property, which is named Little Fawn Park. Proposed features to develop the site include shaded and open lawn, picnic and gathering space, play area, sport court, enhanced native landscaping and topography, small parking area, paved loop path, and soft surface trail. The park is anticipated to be open in spring 2024.
Juniper Swim & Fitness Center pool renovation
The Juniper Swim & Fitness Center outdoor 50-meter and activity pools liner systems need to be replaced. A renovation provides the opportunity to use newly available technology to further reduce pool maintenance and repair costs.
Staff recommended and the board of directors approved a request to grant the Executive Director the authority to negotiate and approve a contract with the lowest responsible bidder provided it falls with the budget established of $445,000 total for installation and materials. If a contract is awarded, the plan is to complete the project this fall.
If the district does not receive acceptable bids, the project will be delayed for up to one year and a contract will not be awarded at this time.
Park Event Rentals Policy
In February, staff shared the history of district policies that address organized use and rentals of parks. The overarching goal of these policies is to strike a balance between public access to parks, protection of natural resources and the desire for events, commercial activity and private rentals in parks. Following the meeting, a draft policy revision was shared for feedback meetings with the following:
- Internal stakeholders, including park maintenance staff, steward staff, community relations and others.
- Community partners, including City of Bend, Visit Bend, Bend-La Pine Schools and Old Mill District.
- Event organizers, including Lay it Out Events, Fathers Group, Sionna Productions, Out Central Oregon, Cascade Relays, and Children’s Forest
- Neighborhood associations and general public
The board of directors approved the updated policy that guides coordination of thousands of reservations annually.
New HR system
A new Human Resources management system will reduce systems from six to one, reduce the annual cost, and will create more automation for recruiting, onboarding, payroll, training, and benefit enrollment processes, having a direct positive impact on all employees. Having a more robust and all-encompassing system will help the district be an employer of choice that reflects the needs and work experiences desired by a modern work force.
The board of directors will take a hiatus in August and will return on Sept. 6.