City of Bellingham Parks and Recreation Advisory Board

## MODULE S1: STUDY GUIDE **Meeting ID:** BEL-PRB-2025-04-09 ### Meeting Overview The Bellingham Parks and Recreation Advisory Board met on April 9, 2025, with Chair Steve Walker presiding remotely from Vashon Island. The meeting focused on art installation site selection, budget presentations, comprehensive planning policy review, and waterfront development agreements. ### Key Terms and Concepts **Greenways Advisory Committee:** A citizen committee that meets monthly to provide recommendations on spending the voter-approved Greenways levy funds. They evaluate property purchases and make funding recommendations across four spending categories: acquisition, development, maintenance, and climate resiliency. **Park Impact Fees:** Development fees paid by new residential construction to fund expanded park facilities serving new residents. These fees must be spent within 10 years and cannot be used for maintenance or operations. **Interlocal Agreement (ILA):** A legal agreement between government entities (in this case, the City of Bellingham and Port of Bellingham) that outlines how they will work together on shared projects and responsibilities. **Little Squalicum Pier:** A new boardwalk and pier structure that recently opened to the public, extending into Bellingham Bay from Boulevard Park near the former pulp mill site. **Due Diligence:** The process of thoroughly investigating a property before purchase, including environmental assessments, surveys, and title research to identify any potential issues or costs. **Climate Resiliency Spending:** A new category in the Greenways levy focused on projects that help parks adapt to climate change and reduce emissions, including habitat restoration and alternative transportation infrastructure. **PIF Credit:** Park Impact Fee credits given to developers in lieu of cash payments, typically when they build or dedicate park facilities as part of their development project. **Development Ready Certificate:** Documentation from the Department of Ecology confirming that a contaminated site has been cleaned up sufficiently for its intended use. ### Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | Steve Walker | Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Chair | | Holly | Board Member | | Scott | Board Member | | Asa Deane | Board Member | | Nicole | Parks and Recreation Staff | | Lane | Parks and Recreation Staff | | Peter | Parks and Recreation Staff | | Jonathan | Parks Staff (Art Installation) | | Amy | City Staff (Legal/Agreements) | | Taylor Webb | Planning and Community Development Staff | | Janet Higbee-Robinson | Stream Team Volunteer | | Brian Armstrong | Park Steward at Squalicum Creek Park | | Jed Holmes | Board Member | ### Background Context The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board serves as a citizen advisory body to help guide the city's parks department. This meeting took place during a period of significant park development activity, funded by the new Greenways Levy 5 - a 10-year property tax approved by voters to fund park acquisition, development, maintenance, and climate resiliency projects. The board was dealing with several ongoing initiatives: implementing public art in neighborhood parks, managing the new Little Squalicum Pier opening, updating the comprehensive plan's parks policies, and navigating complex agreements for waterfront development including a potential skate park. The city has been actively acquiring new parkland and developing trails while managing increasing volunteer participation in park stewardship programs. ### What Happened — The Short Version The board approved Location B for a new art installation at Storybrook Park after debate about site visibility and proximity to neighboring homes. Staff presented the annual Greenways budget report showing $9.3 million in revenue and major acquisitions including 127 acres of new parkland. The board recommended approval of updated goals and policies for the parks chapter of the city's comprehensive plan. Finally, they approved moving forward with due diligence on a potential property acquisition and supported a modified agreement with the Port of Bellingham that could enable development of a permanent skate park on the waterfront. ### What to Watch Next • Public comment period on the parks comprehensive plan policies begins April 24 • Storybrook Park Phase 1 construction starts in approximately two weeks • Little Squalicum Pier ribbon cutting ceremony scheduled for April 26 at 3 PM • Staff will work on solutions for dog/fish habitat conflicts at Little Squalicum restoration area ---