Park and Rec Gears Up for a Stupendous Season

–by Margie Doyle —

Orcas Park and Rec holds Minnor League practice in Buck Park

Orcas Island Park and Recreation District is a rambunctious six-year old with “rejiggered” programs and administration, in the words of its Director, Marcia West. New events are happening daily , plans for revitalizing Buck Park and moving the Off-leash Dog Park are moving quickly and the summer flyer announcing sports, camps and events  will be out soon.

Spring is rolling right along;

• The T-ballers’ first game was Monday April 18: “that’s always a hoot,” says West. The first interisland league (8- to 13-year olds) baseball game will be April 23.
• Spring soccer is also “going great guns” with a full complement of 40 kids. The district ran out of space and coaches for soccer, as it has for the winter basketball and 3- to 6-year old dance classes. “So it pays to pre-enroll,” West says.
• Two dance camps are coming this summer  – Fairy Tales and “Frozen” – and tumbling for the little ones. There will also be volleyball, soccer and basketball camps; and some more “exotic” sports that we don’t usually play.”  Several of the camps will include a one-day off-island adventure to such mainland recreation destinations as water parks, go-carting and trampoline
• Tennis lessons and clinics are scheduled, as are the perennial British Soccer Camp and the newer Brazilian Soccer Camp, for kids aged 3 to 16.
• The Running Club continues for two levels — grade school beginning and middle school advanced. Fridays are Pokemon days, with “a wild group of 20 kids. Parents tell us: ‘Don’t cancel Pokemon whatever you do!’”
• The summer’s big attraction “Big Top Week” is planned with a performer-instructor and a tent set up in Buck Park.
• Adult activities, many which take place in the evenings, continue. “We hope to offer more,” says West, “We’re talking with the Senior Center, and one activity we may offer is “walk in the gym” during foul-weather days.
• Adult pickup softball has now formed two “leagues:” one for the “gentlemen and ladies” and another for the “hotshots” that really like to fire off, says West. “We want to keep both groups going so all who want to are able to play without getting hurt and still have fun.” Last summer almost every night there were drop in games from 6:30 to about 8:30 at Buck Park.
• Also moving outdoors for the summer are volleyball and pickleball games and increasingly popular Ultimate Frisbee games.

Many of the athletic program occur in the Orcas Christian School (OCS) gym off Enchanted Forest Road. “They opened up all their facilities free of charge. They also allowed the use of the OCS van to take adults to the Flower and Garden Show in Seattle, in collaboration with the Senior Center.

Orcas Island School District has been supportive with gym facilities, too, West says, “Without a gym, we’re in trouble.” OIPRD oversees rental of school district facilities from its website: https://orcasparkandrec.org/events/

The Park and Rec office is on the northwest side of the Funhouse non-profit, with whom it has collaborated since Orcas Island voters established the District in 2010.

Relationship with Funhouse

Funhouse Executive Director Krista Bouchey and Marcia work to keep the separation between the OIPRD taxing district and the Funhouse non-profit missions clear. “The Funhouse has helped us a great deal as we’ve grown and was a life-saver in the first couple of years. Gradually we’ve been able to fund our own staff. Sorting out staffing is huge,” says West. “It’s taken three years to gradually step back and keep things going.

“It’s a wonderful facility and the cooperative programs are helpful for both organizations; for example, the OIPRD art and science programs take place rent-free in the Funhouse and the Funhouse kids participate without paying the fees. It’s provided a nice balance.”

In a recent development, Kim Ihlenfeldt has moved over from the Funhouse to be the Assistant Director of Parks and Rec. One of her main responsibilities is coordinating the volunteer coaches training through Positive Coaching Alliance. “By the fall we hope to have all coaches gone through that so have quality experience for parents and kids alike,” says West. The coaches training is offered in cooperation with the Booster Club, School District, and Park and Rec.

The Park and Rec District is also hiring two part-time positions: a half time program assistant to fill in as the Buck Park repairs roll into gear;  and a youth sports supervisor. For more information and to apply for these positions, go to orcasparkandrec.org

Marcia West’s Director Position is now half-time; and she also is Project Manager for the Buck Park improvements as directed by the Park and Rec board.

Volunteers help get the Buck Park fields ready this spring

Volunteers and Non-profits

“We’ve been completely dependent on volunteer coaches to this day,” says West.

“One of the concepts driving Parks and Red has been to help all non-profits so people could spend more time on their own programs.” With that in mind, OIPRD oversees and arranges for uniforms, insurance, scheduling and registration. “We’ve picked up the boring bits,” says West. “Hopefully it makes it easier to get out and participate.”

Even little groups like the Boys Choir benefit from its association with Orcas Park and Rec, which takes care of the registration, rehearsal space and transportation from Friday Harbor costs for the director, making use of the Christian School Chapel with its great acoustics.

Buck Park Improvements

Buck Park, bordered by School District and Land Bank properties, with Mt. Baker Road to the north and Mt. Baker Cemetery to the west.

Since 2011, OIPRD has been funded by a taxing levy. The district levy passed by voters this February, will begin next year, with the first payments coming in to the OIPRD in April 2017.

Before that, OIPRD plans to begin an 18-month, multi-point project for Buck Park, beginning this May. “We’re getting a start on it so there’s more field availability in conjunction with the school work that is planned, and to save on construction costs before they escalate,” says West.

One of the first areas to get attention is the  skatepark, starting this spring with a geo-tech team conducting ultrasound tests to find hollow spots under the skatepark where the ground has settled. In the fall, major repairs will be made to the cracked “coping” pieces around the edges.

Other near-term fixes include replacing the backboard at the tennis court and rebuilding the sand volleyball court between the two baseball fields on the northeast portion of the Park.

This late summer, work will begin to repair the field behind the skate park. It doesn’t drain well in wet weather and needs irrigation in dry weather so the sports teams aren’t playing in a swamp or on hard rock. The project will involve grading and putting in drainage and irrigation so that the field can be used for baseball and soccer.

The  children’s play area will be relocated in a more central location so that the younger kids can play while older siblings are playing games. Safety concerns have prompted hiring an afternoon youth supervisor who will also issue equipment; and installing video cameras. The phone booth that houses the working free phone (courtesy of Tom and Debbie Liblik) will be rebuilt.

There are too many little kids – help address behavior issues. Hopefully with addition of the dog park should activate that corner

Dog Park Relocation

The Orcas Off-Leash Association (OOLA) is working with OIPRD and the Land Bank to move the Dog Park to land owned by the Land Bank to the northeast of Buck Park. The effort is now in thefundraising and permit phases.

Orcas Park and Rec will extend water line from its field and redesign the parking lot off Mt. Baker Road to accommodate dog park users. Once the off-leash park is running, Parks and Rec will supervise and maintain the Dog Park. West says, “We’re addressing pubic safety problems,  without being heavy-handed. We’re working with the Sheriff, and asking to be notified if there are problems. The Sheriff’s deputies have been good about letting us know about it when there are.

Orcas Park and Rec is governed by an elected Board of Directors:

• Bob Egan
• Martha Farish
• Deb Jones
• Justin Paulsen
• Vicki Vandermay

“You always have a learning curve. OIPRD has been extremely lucky to have such a wonderful board of directors.They’ve been a saving grace to make us where we come from now. They work like dogs as unpaid volunteers; it’s not often that people stay on the board when actual work is involved. They look at the budget in detail to make sure we’re on good footing.

“And they are very responsive to the public.” The Park and Rec Board meets on the second Thursday in the Park and Rec conference room at 5 p.m. The public is welcome every time, says West.