The Board advises the City Council, Mayor, Director of the Department of Parks and Recreation, as well as other City departments, concerning the formulation and implementation of policy. They provide recommendations on plans and programs calculated to carry out the duties of the Department of Parks and Recreation in maintaining City parks and providing programs of recreation for the general welfare of the people of the City. A major objective of the Board shall be to develop public interest in the activities of the Park and Recreation Department and to solicit, to the fullest extent, participation of community groups, the general public, and public and private agencies.
The Board recommends plans for facility development and makes decisions regarding planning priorities on an annual and five-year basis. It reviews development plans of individual parks and develops a task force to come up with individual park plans. The Board makes decisions regarding programming priorities and fee structures of Bellingham parks. The Board also attends hearings and makes decisions on controversial issues.
Meetings are held on the second Wednesday of each month at 7:00 a.m., at the Beach Pavilion at Bloedel Donovan Park. Meetings last approximately two hours. Time spent outside of meetings varies with the degree of participation in the Board.
The Board consists of ten members appointed by the Mayor. One member shall be recommended to the Mayor by the Superintendent of the Bellingham School District and eight members selected at large from the citizenry of the Bellingham area. To be eligible to serve on the Board, an individual must be:
