OAK HARBOR: Feb. 9, 2026 Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission [VIDEO]

Summary by Perplexity AI

Here is a concise summary of the February 9, 2026 City of Oak Harbor Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission meeting.

Administrative actions

• Roll call showed one vacant position and several absences; a quorum was present including Ex Officio Councilmember Eric Marshall (remote).
• The agenda and the December 8, 2025 minutes were approved unanimously without changes.
• The commission unanimously reappointed student representative Callie Boyer for September 2025–August 2026 (non‑voting).
• The commission confirmed continuing its regular meeting schedule: second Monday of each month, 10:00–11:30 a.m., and approved this by motion.
• Elections for 2026 were held: Eric Dipzinski was elected chair and Vicki (last name not stated in transcript) was elected vice‑chair, both unanimously.

Public comment

1. Oak Harbor Garden Club – projects and bench placement
   • Kathy Chalant, Oak Harbor Garden Club leadership, reported about 100 active members and upcoming events: a booth at the Whidbey Gardener Workshop on March 21, a plant sale on May 9 (Mother’s Day weekend), and the return of the “tour and tea” event with ACE as starting point and Mallards as ending location.
   • The club is again accepting beautification grant applications from nonprofits, small businesses, and schools for storefront and civic improvement projects; three applications have already been received, and the program is open until April 1.
   • The club continues planting annuals in blue pots on Pioneer Way, at the Marina Overlook, and at the SE 8th triangle, and maintains areas at the Autumn Leaf sculpture and the southeast corner of Smith Park with a 100‑year plaque.
   • She described their Trex plastic‑recycling effort: they achieved enough weight previously for one bench (now stored and proposed for placement near the windmill at Neil/ Holland Park, with additional daffodils and beautification), but Trex has since changed its national program; future plastics may yield smaller items or prize drawings rather than additional benches.
2. North Whidbey Little League – fields, restrooms, and fee structure
   • Barry Matson, local resident and North Whidbey Little League board member, raised three issues: capital improvements at Volunteer Park and Fort Nugent Field, bathroom access, and the master fee schedule.
   • He noted Volunteer Park and Fort Nugent are school district–owned but leased to the city and leagues, and said there have been no significant capital improvements in years, leading to safety concerns; the league is working with Parks on Volunteer Park upgrades but sees “significant issues” remaining at Fort Nugent and wants to participate in long‑term planning.
   • On bathrooms, he said the city will provide one portable unit at Volunteer Park and one at CWP/Koetje Park, but expects the league to pay for units at Windjammer; he argued permanent Windjammer restrooms are too distant and out of sight (300–600 feet from fields), making them impractical and raising supervision and game‑interruption concerns.
   • He also objected to the new per‑game, per‑hour fee structure, calling it complex and hard to plan for, and asked to return to a simpler per‑registrant model that lets the league more easily adjust registration fees.
   • One written public comment from Britt Craver, regarding advisory committee appointments and nepotism, was received and noted for commissioners’ review but not discussed in detail during the meeting.

Department reports and project updates

Property and equipment inventory

• Parks staff completed the annual “small and attractive” inventory audit (items between 500 and 45,000 dollars that are portable, such as Honda generators, weed‑eaters, chainsaws, and power tool batteries) and reported no missing items.
• Staff requested removing two items from this list because they no longer qualify as easily portable:
  • A large Gerber sign cutter (approximately 5×8 feet).
  • A Honda engine now mounted on a compressor skid unit.
    These items would move into a different capital/minor‑equipment inventory category while still remaining city property.

Urban Forestry Master Plan (UFMP) and Freedom Park

• Staff are internally reviewing public‑facing materials, preliminary tree‑canopy analysis, and canopy coverage data as part of the Urban Forestry Master Plan update, and coordinating with administration on the language of a public survey.
• A meeting later that week is expected to clear the survey language, after which a public survey will run 3–4 weeks, promoted on the Parks website and social media; survey results and draft materials will be shared with the commission by email for review.
• Staff confirmed the UFMP is meant to integrate with the city’s broader comprehensive/master planning framework and will include suggested policy/code revisions.

Freedom Park

• Freedom Park is described as a 75‑acre city property being developed for walking trails and an 18‑hole disc golf course (11‑hole southern half, 7‑hole northern half).
• Approximately 40% of the disc‑golf holes are ready for the disc golf working group to do final checks and minor line‑of‑play adjustments and debris cleanup.
• The entire southern half perimeter trail (about 6 feet wide) is in place and essentially usable now, with some additional surfacing and improvements still planned.
• Staff are also creating internal “single‑track” walking paths (from narrow to about 3 feet wide) branching off the main loop to increase trail mileage and variety.
• On the northern half, all holes have been flagged and work is underway to open access trails from a primary access route to each hole; the perimeter trail is roughed in but needs more work before opening.
• Staff emphasized extensive chipping and careful vegetation management to reduce trip hazards and create a level surface, while also controlling blackberries and other unwanted species; they noted surprisingly low regrowth of undesired vegetation so far.
• Some unauthorized use has occurred (off‑leash dogs and at least one tent, which was reported to police and removed), but staff expect increased legitimate use after opening to discourage encampments.
• A guided “arborist walk” Freedom Trail tour is scheduled for May 30, as advertised in the Parks and Recreation activity guide.
• Commissioners praised the forestry and trail work as careful, restorative management that preserves canopy and high‑value trees, improves forest health on a heavily logged site, and avoids indiscriminate clearing.

Subcommittees and general updates

• Staff reported that no subcommittees met since the last meeting and announced that all subcommittees are being canceled “moving forward” for now.
• Pickleball: staff will bring two options to City Council the next day—a four‑court option at Sumner and a two‑court option at Fort Nugent—emphasizing low‑impact approaches; an update is expected at a future commission meeting.
• Activity guide: work on the next Parks and Recreation activity guide is underway; a first draft will be emailed to commissioners for review, and the target distribution window is April 20–24.

Budget process briefing

• Finance Director/Deputy City Administrator Dave Goldman provided an overview of the 2027–2028 biennial budget process, noting that it launched at the recent council retreat with broad goals and objectives.
• To improve council engagement, staff are replacing long in‑person “financial primers” with short (5–6 minute) online videos hosted on the city website under Finance → “Let’s Talk Finance.”
• From July–September, staff will separate capital planning from operating budgets:
  • A six‑year capital plan will be built (first two years align with the biennial budget; outer four are planning years).
  • Departments will work with boards/commissions on project priorities and potential grant strategies to match available or anticipated revenues.
• A September mid‑year financial update will cover preliminary 2025 results (as submitted for audit) and a mid‑2026 revenue status (property tax, sales tax, etc.).
• Operating budgets will use a “base budget” model (current service levels plus inflation) plus optional “decision packages” for enhancements, which must identify costs, staffing/technology needs, and proposed funding sources; limited revenues will determine which can be funded.
• Statutory milestones were outlined: mayor’s preliminary budget by October 1, department presentations in September–October, filing of the final preliminary budget to council by November 2, multiple public hearings (including one on property taxes), and final budget adoption by early December so it can take effect January 1.
• Goldman said commissions’ input (meeting comments, coordination with staff, and discussions with councilmembers) can inform decision packages and council priorities but emphasized that council ultimately adopts and may amend the budget.

Member comments and future agenda items

• A commissioner raised concern about the “human–natural interface,” using Scenic Heights as an example where efforts to deter camping by allowing dense vegetation (including blackberries) conflict with habitat needs of species like Virginia rail; the member requested development of a citywide policy or plan for balancing encampment management with natural‑resource protection across parks and trails.
• Councilmember Marshall apologized to commissioners whose appointments or reappointments were delayed, stating this was an unintended side effect of earlier council discussion and reaffirming his desire to continue working with the commission.
• Commissioners and staff discussed rescheduling a previously planned joint workshop with City Council; recognizing council’s heavy meeting load and a new monthly workshop, they suggested coordinating after the mayor conducts planned training on advisory board roles and responsibilities.
• It was noted that the mayor intends to attend the next commission meeting to address roles, responsibilities, and expectations for advisory boards.

Future agenda items identified:

• Pickleball update after City Council’s consideration of court‑location options.
• Status update on the community garden initiative.
• Initial discussion on a policy/plan for managing human encroachment (camping, access) while preserving natural habitat in parks and along trails, supported by any existing departmental documentation staff can provide in advance.

The meeting adjourned after confirming the next regular meeting date: March 9, 2026, from 10:00–11:30 a.m.