Bend Metro Park and Recreation
District Liason
I am your Southern Crossing Neighborhood
Association (SCNA) representative to the Bend Metro Park and
Recreation District (BMPRD). I am going to try to be brief in
presenting information, with the offer to talk more in-depth at
any time about any BMPRD-related issues with anyone
interested.
As background, I’d like to mention BMPRD
has won national awards for its overall quality. As a newcomer
to the BMPRD internal systems, I am encouraged by their open
decision process and their efforts to contact the neighborhoods
directly, getting as much feedback as possible on any project.
In the initial city-wide meeting, their directors expressed a
sincere interest in opening communication lines to hear
feedback and concerns. BMPRD backs this commitment up by having
open workshops on issues before they are decided upon by the
board.
I hope below to introduce everyone to a few
aspects of their organization and programs.
- Development is obviously a key aspect of BMPRD operations. Planning for Bend’s future means finding project funding and land, building the park or facility, maintaining all the facilities, and ensuring that the facilities are primed for residents’ regular use. A rule of thumb the director of development uses is to provide a “park in walking distance of all residences without crossing any major street.” This goal sounds utopian, but a measured look at the Bend map and its parks shows they take this goal seriously.
- Maintenance of and safety within the parks requires a full-time staff on regular rotation. There are immediate resources to contact when problems such as trash dumping or bullying kids are encountered. The primary person to contact on these occasions is Erin Stewart, the official parks steward. Her contact information, which anyone should feel welcome to use, is 388-5435 ext 30 in the office or 948-1958 for cell access.
- Programming at BMPRD is extensive for a town our size. There were nearly 800 organized activities in 2006; hopefully the active residents of Bend reading this all found some way to enjoy their town through these programs. Volunteers are vital to BMPRD’s success since BMPRD is totally separate in finances from the city. In total, 1700 volunteers gave 54,000 vital hours in 2006 to organized programs and adopt-a-park activities.
Specific to the SCNA and its parks in 2008,
there are big plans for Riverbend Park (the area across the
river from Farewell Bend Park). These activities include
revegetation of the banks, establishing a boat ramp, improving
parking areas, and finishing trail improvements. The intent
with the trail is to establish a paved loop from the Bill
Healy/Southern Crossing Bridge to the Colorado Street Bridge on
both sides of the river.
In the near future, I will be attending
workshops regarding evaluation of the whole Bend trail system
and the master plan for BMPRD in the next few years. If there
are any issues or ideas you have, please don’t hesitate
to contact me at bcaldwell@bendbroadband.com.
Thanks for your time and attention,
Brett Caldwell
