Summary of May 6 board of directors meeting
May 7, 2025
The BPRD board of directors met on May 6 to approve the purchase for a natural area and extended the lease for the Bend Elks use of the Vince Genna Stadium. A video recording is available.
Purchase of natural area
In 2017, the district secured a parking and trail easement off NW Putnam Road to help facilitate the eventual construction of the northern extension of the Deschutes River Trail (DRT). The DRT is planned to extend to Riley Ranch Nature Reserve, once the Riley Ranch bike/pedestrian bridge is completed, and beyond to Tumalo State Park. This extension has been identified in the district’s Comprehensive Plan for decades.
Recently, the district received the opportunity to purchase approximately 47.43 acres of undeveloped land around the easement. The intent of purchasing the property is to create a natural area park with trails, benches and signage, as well as a trailhead and trailhead parking for the DRT.
District staff negotiated a draft Purchase and Sale Agreement (PSA) for the property owned by Western Rivers Conservancy. The purchase price for this property is $1.7 million, which is heavily discounted from the 2024 appraised value of $7.59 million. In addition, the district has agreed to pay WRC’s closing, legal and third-party due diligence costs. Staff are currently pursuing grant opportunities for funding.
Bend Elks lease
Vince Genna Stadium has served as a community baseball venue for decades and has been operated by several organizations over the years. Since 2014, it has been home to the Bend Elks, who have invested in tenant improvements regularly and initiated a lease extension discussion related to their intended investment of $700,000 for lighting improvements.
Beyond enhancing player and spectator safety, the new lighting system also significantly advances environmental goals. The LED fixtures are designed to reduce light pollution by more than 50%, directly supporting the community’s Dark Skies initiatives to preserve night sky visibility and minimize ecological impacts. Additionally, the more energy-efficient LED system will help reduce the stadium’s overall carbon footprint, lowering long-term operational costs and contributing to broader sustainability efforts.
The board of directors authorized the executive director to negotiate and sign the leases with the Bend Elks Baseball Club that extends the leases term through September 1, 2055.
In work session, the board of directors was updated about City of Bend housing incentive programs. They also received a report about the structural condition of the Old Bend Gym.
City of Bend TIF program
In recent months, City of Bend staff developed an implementation framework for a Tax Increment Assistance for Housing Affordability program (also known as the Site Specific TIF program) and solicited applications in early 2025. Three Site Specific TIF areas have been reviewed by city staff and Bend Urban Renewal Agency (BURA) and are now in the official consult and confer period where affected taxing districts have 45 days to review and provide comments on the applications.
Unlike the multiple unit property tax exemption (MUPTE) program, BPRD has no formal approval authority for the proposed Site Specific TIF areas. The purpose of the work session was provide information about the projects to inform if BPRD wishes to submit comment by the May 14 deadline. The board asked staff to prepare a letter draft.
This cumulative projected impact of a reduction in tax revenue by $8,163,476 to the district would occur over the next approximately 30 years, with an assumption of $2.07 to $1 in returns after the program ends.
Old Bend Gym Repair and Building Report
The Old Bend Gym (also known as Bend Amateur Athletic Club/Old Bend High School Gymnasium) is a brick masonry building located in downtown Bend. It was built in 1917-1918 and is historically significant for its architecture and association with the development of the community. The building was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in November 1983. The building has been owned by Bend Park and Recreation District since 1997. Currently, the building is operated by The Boys & Girls Club on land owned by the Bend-La Pine School District.
The structural wall supporting the exterior entry staircase is failing due to water intrusion and needs to be replaced. The scope of work includes removal of the failing portions of the masonry stair system, installation of a new wall including foundation and drainage, a new stairwell, new ramp and refurbishment and reinstallation of existing railings.
A consultant team also evaluated the condition of the building and systems to identify any other major repairs that may be needed in the future. Their findings combined with staff knowledge of other building systems were discussed to provide a holistic picture of the timing and type of repairs anticipated in the future. Additional details about the wall repair and overall building condition were also shared during the presentation to the board.
Other actions
By consent, the board of directors approved a fuel card contract and adopted Resolution No. 2025-03 Budget Appropriation Transfer from Contingency to Administration and Recreation in the Equipment Reserve Fund.
The next meeting is May 13 for consideration of the proposed budget for fiscal year 2025-26.
