Parks district OKs concept for changing skatepark to multiuse area

The Point Roberts Park and Recreation District discussed newly discovered financial errors, approved a conceptual plan to convert the skatepark into a multiuse recreation area, and considered new forest management guidelines during its July 7 meeting.
Financial review reveals levy errors
During the financial report, Parks Administrator Dee Gough said a review of the district's finances uncovered errors in levy paperwork filed several years ago that resulted in thousands of dollars in lost tax revenue. She said a general obligation bond levy was mistakenly omitted from the 2022 levy paperwork for taxes collected in 2023, preventing the district from collecting about $10,900 needed for the bond's final payment. As a result, the district covered the cost from its general fund. Gough also said incorrect levy paperwork filed in 2021 reduced annual property tax collections by about $6,700, plus allowable annual increases, for several years.
Officials said the errors underscored the need to carefully review levy and budget documents before they are filed.
"It cannot be wash, rinse, repeat. It has to actually be highly thought out. It actually has to be read. We have to make sure every ‘I’ is dotted, ‘T’ is crossed, because it can make a huge difference financially," Commissioner Allison Calder said.
Board approves multiuse skatepark concept
The board also approved a conceptual layout converting the center of the skatepark into a multiuse recreation space while retaining the existing ramps along the edges and portable rails in the middle. Commissioners said the area could accommodate pickleball, basketball, street hockey and beginner cycling while preserving space for skateboarding. The board also agreed to work with local skateboarder Hayden Kelly to help select portable skate features, though no similar collaboration with local pickleball, basketball or street hockey players was discussed. The vote came despite a unanimous motion approved by the Point Roberts Taxpayers Association in June urging the district to reconsider the plan.
Before the vote, Gough said she had fulfilled a public records request by scanning approximately 26 years of skatepark records and sending hundreds of pages of documents to commissioners the day before the meeting. Commissioner Bronwyn Glor said she had not had enough time to review the material before voting.
"... We got all those documents late yesterday, and you know, hundreds of pages, and I worked all day today ... (and) didn’t have a chance to look at any of them," Glor said. Glor later moved to postpone the vote so commissioners could review the records, including past maintenance agreements, but the motion failed 2-3.
During public comment, one resident echoed that concern, saying, "The disappointing part for me ... (is that) not all members of the board have had a chance to read those 460 pages yet, and I just wish that we would have allowed everybody on the board to read those documents before making any final decisions."
Commissioners said the proposal was intended to address longstanding maintenance and liability concerns.
"This is an agonizing decision," Commissioner Jen Kurcz said. "Do not think we’re taking this lightly."
Kurcz said board minutes dating back to 2009 documented recurring concerns about the park's condition and safety.
"As it currently exists, it's not consistently taken care of, and it's not consistently safe, and that is my concern," she said.
The conceptual layout showed the existing ramps remaining along the west edge, with the easterly space designated for one pickleball court, the center space for basketball and the west side for street hockey using removable skateboard equipment in the center of the slab.
Skater Spencer Millar criticized the idea of removable rails. "Those are terrible rails. The rails that are at the skatepark right now are safer, better. Spend money and destroy the skate park. I can't even believe they're doing this," he said.
Kelly argued that removing the existing center obstacles would fundamentally change the facility. "The flat bars are actually ... the only obstacles that are really meant for skateboarding," he said. "So taking those away, you’re really now taking away the skate park."
DNR recommends forest management changes
Commissioners also heard recommendations from the Washington Department of Natural Resources following a June assessment of the district's trail system. DNR staff found the forest showed signs of long-term deferred management, including dense underbrush, fallen trees, limited emergency access and elevated wildfire risk. Recommendations included clearing vegetation 30 to 50 feet on either side of trails, widening some trails for ATV access, removing brush and trees under 8 inches in diameter to reduce "fuel ladders," cutting suspended fallen trees so they can decompose, and removing some excess downed logs while leaving others for habitat.
Commissioner Kurcz moved to formally adopt the Washington DNR Forest Action Plan and Comprehensive Western Washington Forest Health Strategic Plan as district policy, saying the district was already required to follow the state's forest management standards. Commissioner Calder urged immediate approval, saying it would be "disrespectful" to delay adopting guidance the district was already required to follow.
Commissioner Glor, however, said she had learned of the proposal only shortly before the meeting and wanted time to review the documents.
"I feel like I want to have a chance to look at those," she said. "I feel a little caught off guard."
Commissioners ultimately voted 4-1 to postpone the decision until a future meeting, giving members time to review the plans before taking formal action.

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