# New Venue, Bold Visions: Tourism Commission Embraces Waterfront Skate Park Proposal The Bellingham Tourism Commission convened in the City Council Chambers on September 23, 2025, marking their first meeting in this more formal venue after years of gathering in the Mayor's Boardroom. Commission Chair Peter Frazier, former owner of the Heliotrope Hotel and Hotel Leo, welcomed the new setting while acknowledging the adjustment to speaking into microphones for online participants. The change in venue seemed fitting for an evening that would feature ambitious presentations about Bellingham's tourism future, including a compelling proposal for a world-class waterfront skate park. The meeting brought together a diverse group of tourism stakeholders, from hotel operators to arts advocates, with several commissioners attending virtually. Mayor Kim Lund was present for the skate park presentation, underscoring the significance of the proposal. The agenda was packed with institutional updates and a budget overview that would set the stage for crucial October decisions about funding priorities. ## 2026 Budget Overview: Navigating Revenue Decline Tara Sundin, presenting the administration's proposed 2026 budget, painted a sobering picture of tourism revenues. "Revenues are down this year," she explained, attributing the decline primarily to reduced Canadian visitation. The budget assumes a 10% reduction in revenue compared to the previous year, a drop that began appearing consistently in monthly receipts. "We saw our first big month of decline in February of this year," Sundin noted, connecting the timing to early discussions about tariffs that may have deterred Canadian visitors. While the most recent month showed revenue on par with the previous year, this was attributed to increased hotel pricing rather than more visitors. The proposed budget totals $2.9 million in expenses against $2.2 million in projected revenue, resulting in a deficit that would be covered by the commission's multi-million dollar reserve fund. "The Commission has been carrying a very multi-million dollar balance for a few years, saving up funds for projects that kind of fall into that tourism-related facility category," Sundin explained. Key budget elements include maintaining flat funding for Bellingham-Whatcom County Tourism at $500,000, keeping the annual grant program at $700,000 despite $1.2 million in requests, and proposing a significant new allocation: $450,000 for the Waterfront Skate Park as a tourism-related facility. The Mount Baker Theater and Whatcom Museum would see flat allocations given the revenue constraints. Commissioner Mark Blake inquired about the timeline of revenue decline, while other commissioners asked about administrative cost increases. The budget reflects increased staff time on grant management and special projects, including World Cup 2026 planning, though Sundin indicated that World Cup plans were being "retooled" due to unexpectedly high equipment rental costs. ## The Waterfront Skate Park: A Vision for World-Class Recreation The evening's centerpiece was an impassioned presentation for a $3 million waterfront skate park, with the tourism commission being asked to contribute $450,000. Mayor Lund opened the presentation by framing the project as complementary to Bellingham's existing world-class action sports reputation. "We are known for Galbraith in a really, like... people hear that you're from Bellingham, and they're like, oh, I can't wait to get there," Lund said, referring to the mountain biking destination. "The same is absolutely true for Mount Baker. Mount Baker is legendary in the snowboarding world, and we see this as a skate park that just... is able to re-stamp an underutilized area of our downtown, our waterfront." James Clindensed from Grindline Skate Parks, who grew up skateboarding in Bellingham, brought professional credibility to the proposal. "I was telling everyone the last time I've been in this council room is when we couldn't skateboard downtown, and we came to this council," he said, highlighting how far the city had come in embracing skateboarding. Grindline has designed over 350 skate parks worldwide and would bring their expertise to creating what presenters called a "world-class facility." The presentation emphasized skateboarding's evolution since its inclusion in the 2020 Olympics. "In 2025, skateboarding is very different," said Devin Tormy from the Northwest Skate Collective. "With the introduction of skateboarding in the 2020 Olympics, it's kind of become less of this side subculture thing and more in the forefront. It is an action sport." He cited projections showing the global skateboarding market growing from $3.5 billion in 2024 to $5 billion by 2032-2034. The location under the Rotary Street Bridge was touted as ideal, providing natural coverage that eliminates weather concerns. "Of all the sites we've ever been given for a skate park, this is ideal, because it already has the lid on it," Clindensed explained. The covered, lighted facility would be usable over 200 days a year, setting it apart from other regional skate parks. John Aguilar spoke from personal experience as the father of Nina, an 18-year-old Olympic skateboarding representative for Mexico. "Having to go to California, other places, because there's not a facility... it's been an awesome adventure, but just by having a training facility here, you can breathe the next national champion, your next Olympian," he testified. The economic case was compelling. Dr. Kemp's economic analysis suggested that with 30 users per day averaging $70 in local spending, the facility could generate significant return on investment. Even cutting that spending assumption in half to $35 per day would yield a return-on-investment period of just over five years. ## Tourism Commission Response and Concerns Commissioners asked probing questions about the tourism impact. Sarah Holliday from Best Western Plus Bellingham wanted specifics about how the skate park would drive hotel stays and restaurant visits, not just local recreation. "What are we thinking about as far as actually bringing in tourism from out of our community, staying in our hotels, eating in our restaurants?" she asked. The presenters cited examples like the Jackalope Block Party, a 3-day touring event that could potentially bring significant economic impact, and pointed to successful facilities in Boise, Idaho, that host X Games qualifiers and attract regional visitors. "People will come from all over the country and the world to come to this," Colin Whalen from the collective asserted. "Look at Orcas Island, for instance... there's a whole contingency of people that travel there every year from around the whole country." Stephanie Morrell raised practical questions about ongoing management, asking whether the Northwest Skate Collective would play a role similar to WMBC's stewardship of Galbraith Mountain. The answer was yes, with the collective committed to ongoing programming and maintenance partnerships. Commissioner Kevin Coleman asked about tribal involvement and ensuring inclusivity, receiving assurances that tribal consultation and community art integration would be part of the design process. The most pointed question came regarding the economic model's assumptions about hotel stays versus day-trip spending. Presenters acknowledged that the $70 daily spending figure represented an average that included both day visitors and overnight guests, with the park's unique covered, lighted design expected to draw visitors from beyond typical day-trip distances. ## Mount Baker Theater: Steady Growth and Community Impact Lauren O'Grady from Mount Baker Theater delivered a concise report on the theater's impressive 2024-2025 season. The theater served 116,309 people through 135 ticketed events, with 16% of visitors coming from more than 50 miles away—a 14% increase from the previous year. "Last year was the first year that we actually brought in two Broadway shows, so it was a calculated risk, but it paid off really well. Both nights were sold out," O'Grady reported. The theater's education programming reached 11,859 students from 78 schools across 15 districts and 4 counties, demonstrating regional impact. The economic impact figures were substantial: the theater estimates its programming generates $3.48 million in local economic activity beyond admission fees, based on research showing average audience spending of $35 per visit. The theater directly creates 162 local jobs with an additional 47 jobs stemming from visitor spending. O'Grady highlighted growing business partnerships, noting that Red Light Café owner Logan McQuaig specifically moved to Grand Avenue to be near the theater and sees "a significant increase in foot traffic and business" on show nights. The theater now alerts 50+ local businesses monthly about upcoming shows and projected attendance. Looking ahead to the theater's 100th anniversary in 2027, O'Grady outlined ambitious plans including seat and carpet replacement, roof work completion, and restoration of the historic Wurlitzer organ. The milestone anniversary season promises even bigger Broadway shows and headliners. ## Whatcom Museum: Bold Programming and Historic Expansion Maria Coltharp, serving as acting executive director since May, brought infectious enthusiasm for the museum's recent innovations. Her presentation emphasized bold experimentation and renewed community partnerships, particularly around downtown activation. "We want to be bold, we want to experiment with what we offer and how we communicate that out to our community," Coltharp declared. The numbers backed up her confidence: out-of-area visitation hit 24.76% year-to-date, approaching their ambitious 25% goal for 2025. The museum's Free First Friday program, funded by a three-year, $250,000 Art Bridges grant, has become a phenomenon. Originally projected to draw 300 attendees based on past events, the program now averages nearly 1,000 visitors monthly, with a record 1,663 attendees in August for an immersive art installation by Heather Sparks. "When my colleagues Adrian Dawson and Amy Kaluvka wrote the grant application, they anticipated we would see 300 people at this event based on past free events at the museum. But instead, we see an average of almost 1,000 visitors every time," Coltharp explained. Using State of Washington Tourism data, the museum calculated that their 7,177 out-of-area visitors in 2025 could contribute over $1.5 million to the local economy, based on average visitor spending of $222.32 per person. The most exciting announcement was the museum's secured funding to reopen the historic first fire station, closed for years. "I was wondering why a third of the museum campus has been closed for so many years, and it's actually a huge reason why I wanted this interim position, was to solve this problem. So we're doing it," Coltharp declared to applause. The fire station will become an exhibition hall for "quirky local history that never gets brought out from these vaults," with open-access collection storage guided by beloved historian Jeff Jewell. The reopening is planned for 2028. Future exhibitions sound equally ambitious, including partnerships with Seattle superstar Barbara Earl Thomas and a national touring exhibition from Art Bridges featuring James Lavador's landscapes, bringing $70,000 in educational programming funding. ## Grant Applications Overview: Record-Breaking Demand Taylor Littrell presented staggering numbers for the 2026 grant cycle: 54 applications requesting $1.2 million in funding, more than double the requests from 2024. With 40 standard grants and 14 startup grants, the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee faces difficult decisions with only $700,000 available. "I don't envy LTAC for having to make these decisions," Littrell acknowledged. The October 28 meeting would require all LTAC members to review every application thoroughly, with rankings due by October 22 under strict deadlines. A significant discussion emerged about whether non-LTAC commission members should participate in the ranking process. After debate about fairness and workload, the commission decided that all members could participate in rankings if they committed to reading every application, but LTAC rankings would be kept separate as the official recommendation body. Commissioner Stephanie Morrell emphasized the importance of judging applications on their merits alone: "We need to be careful... bringing information to the table that you might know, but it's not in the application." This reflected ongoing concerns about maintaining fairness in the competitive process. The comparison with Whatcom County's LTAC process highlighted Bellingham's robust program—the county received only 10 applications for their events and festivals category, with 9 also applying for Bellingham funds, showing significant regional overlap. ## Public Comment and Future Planning The brief public comment period featured Natalie Wagler from Downtown Bellingham Partnership expressing excitement about the museum's Free First Friday success and continued collaboration on Arts District events. The meeting's compressed timeline left no room for other announcements, though commissioners noted the challenging but exciting work ahead in October. The World Cup 2026 planning, downtown activation grants, and potential new partnerships with Downtown and Fairhaven districts all await further development. ## Looking Ahead: October Decisions As the meeting adjourned after nearly two hours, the magnitude of October's decisions was clear. The Lodging Tax Advisory Committee must weigh a $450,000 skate park investment against dozens of competing grant applications, all while operating under reduced revenue projections. The skate park proposal represents the kind of bold tourism infrastructure investment Bellingham has made before with downtown activation grants. If approved, it would create the region's premier covered skate facility, potentially drawing visitors from across the Pacific Northwest and beyond while serving as a catalyst for waterfront development. The commission's willingness to embrace new venues—both literally in their choice of meeting space and figuratively in considering a major skate park investment—reflects Bellingham's ongoing evolution as a tourism destination. Whether the community's action sports reputation can support another world-class facility will be decided when commissioners return to deliberate in October. The evening showcased Bellingham's tourism assets at their finest: a historic theater preparing for its centennial, a museum boldly reimagining community engagement, and a collective vision for waterfront activation that could cement the city's reputation as the Pacific Northwest's action sports capital. The October meeting will determine which of these visions receive funding to become reality.