Bend Parks and Recreation hosts tour of parks

The Bend Park and Recreation District took board members and the budget committee on a tour of several parks on Wednesday.

The idea was to allow for the decision-makers within Bend Parks and Rec to see first-hand just how their budget is being used.

One of the stops was Eagle Park in northeast Bend, a new park that sits in the middle of a raidly growin g neighborhood.

Resident Julianne Reynolds said the park was a draw for her and her family when they moved to their house just a few months ago.

“It was definitely a draw,” she said. “We looked at a few neighborhoods and picked this one based on it being so near to a park.”

Reynolds added that just being able to step out her front door and have a place for her 2-year-old to play has been an added plus to living in the neighborhood.

And that is exactly what Bend Parks and Rec is hoping to accomplish, in terms of where they place new parks.

Park district spokeswoman Julie Brown said the district is not only looking at parks and how to best shape them for the community, but also trails to better connect the city of Bend.

Brown added that it’s a good opportunity to see just how the district’s budget can best be utilized.

“Our board members and our budget committee members have some really big decisions to make about what amenities we are going to move forward with building for this community,” Brown said. “And nothing really drives it home like being able to actually come to the site and see exactly what we are talking about.”

Brown added that budget meetings are about a month away, and that is when decisions will be made about funding for parks.

Alpenglow Park is a new park set to go in on the southeast side of Bend.

The 37-acre park is going to have many uses, including trails, picnic areas, a dog park, rock and bouldering areas and a splash pad.

Ian Isaacson, the project manager, said the idea is to create a place where the entire community can enjoy the outdoors.

“No matter where you live, you are able to come and enjoy these spaces,” Isaacson said. “And it just creates a sense of community for folks to come out here, and their neighbors and folks like that.”

Right now, Alpenglow Park is still in the design phase.

Isaacson said they plan to break ground on the park by this time next year. They hope to have the park open by the end of 2019 or early 2020, if everything goes smoothly.