Bend park and rec, school boards hold rare joint meeting

For the first time in about five years, the Bend-La Pine School Board and the Bend Parks and Recreation Board held a joint meeting Tuesday evening. They discussed their partnerships on various efforts and what the next steps might be — and also learned the site for a new southeast Bend high school may be in place.

Both districts agreed the partnership is extremely helpful to the community. According to the Bend Park and Recreation District, close to 9,000 people are registered in extra-curricular activities.

Bend Park and Rec Director of Recreation Matt Mercer said without the partnership, this kind of participation would not be possible. The parks district relies on school gyms, fields and other facilities for their athletics programs.

The park district is working on revising its comprehensive plan, which was last updated in 2012. It will provide direction and future plans, such as building more safer trails near schools and working with the school district on field development.

“Both the school district and park and recreation district see the same trends, that kids, families, and coaches want to practice at locations that are close to home,” Mercer said. “It makes it all the more important that we locate athletic fields at schools, but also at parks close to schools.”

Mercer said it was apparent from the meeting that both districts want to pursue more planning and development options.

Schools Superintendent Shay Mikalson said the district has grown by about 340 students this year. The school district agreed with the park district that elementary school fields could be used more for sports and athletic events.

The school district also discussed the new high school that is planned for 2021. Those future fields open more opportunities for the partnership to extend into that area in southeast Bend.

The location of the new high school could be at corner of Knott Road and 15th Street under a newly announced, proposed school district land swap with the J.L. Ward Company. A middle school could also be added to the 80-acre site in future years.

The school district wants to work with parks and rec on plans that best accommodate community members, such as being able to walk to practice.

“I think it will play a key role to make sure those facilities are close even if we need to develop an additional acre or two to make that happen,” School Board Chair Andy High said. “Making sure there are more practice facilities just within the neighborhood or using facilities is going to be key.”

Over the course of a few more meetings, the two governing bodies will again discuss solidifying the partnership that dates back decades.