Dear Community,
On September 13, we celebrated the Grand Opening of the Strawberry Hill Bike Park. It was a beautiful late-summer day, and hundreds of people gathered to mark the culmination of years of vision and hard work.
Strawberry Hill Bike Park is the result of a strong partnership between the Bainbridge Island Metro Park & Recreation District and the Bainbridge Island Parks & Trails Foundation, as well as community groups like Gear Grinders, and the Strawberry Hill Bike Park Committee. Construction was made possible by $500,000 in private gifts to the Foundation, building on a generous $1 million gift in 2022 that allowed the purchase of 10 acres of land next to Strawberry Hill Park. This acquisition created space not only for the bike park, but also for an expanded dog park and land conservation.
A formal dedication will be held in October, when a new welcome entrance—designed and fabricated as a donation by Dissimilar Metal Design—will be unveiled.
As we celebrate new projects, we’re also moving forward with planning for the future. Our Comprehensive Plan update has now entered its review stage. Since spring, we’ve gathered valuable community input through meetings, events, surveys, and conversations with the community. Thank you to everyone who shared your ideas. This fall, we’ll begin refining and finalizing the updated plan. You’re invited to stay engaged by attending Board of Commissioners meetings on the first and third Thursdays, or by visiting our webpage at BIParks.org/Comprehensive-Planning for updates.
Fall is always a busy and exciting season at the Park District. Recreation programs are underway, and there are still plenty of opportunities to register for classes and activities. Our popular Haunted Hayride is sold out, but you can still be part of the fun by joining us as a volunteer. I’ll be there too—I hope to see you out at the park!
Warm regards,
Dan Hamlin