As the year comes to a close, I want to extend a heartfelt thank-you to our community for your continued engagement and support.
One long-awaited milestone is finally within reach: the Vincent to Gazzam trail connection is nearing completion. This project represents another important link in the downtown-to-Gazzam trail system and reflects years of planning, collaboration, and community input. We’re thrilled to see it coming together and moving closer to reality. It’s anticipated to open in January.
Behind the scenes, we’ve also been busy wrapping up year-end financials, completing our budget, and working on our drafts of our Comprehensive Plan. Throughout this process, your participation has been essential. From one-on-one conversations to meetings with community partners, we worked closely with residents and expert consultants to test priorities and ensure our programs, facilities, and services reflect how you want to be served. Thank you for taking the time to share your perspectives.
This year brought several meaningful milestones. The Bainbridge Island Parks & Trails Foundation and the Bainbridge Island Land Trust worked together with the Park District, successfully uniting the Bainbridge Island community, raising over $2.2 million through hundreds of donations and a major private gift to allow the Park District to purchase and permanently protect 39 acres of Grand Forest East as public parkland and conserved forest for recreation and wildlife habitat.
The Strawberry Hill Bike Park opened in partnership with the Bainbridge Island Parks & Trails Foundation.
We’re also excited to be settling into our new office space, named in recognition of Terry Lande, whose leadership helped shape the District. In addition, our Sounds of Summer concert series—also named in recognition—saw record attendance, highlighting the community’s enthusiasm for shared experiences in our parks.
Looking ahead to next year, we’re making a few changes in fun and exciting ways. This February, we’ll launch a new Winter Concert Series, featuring ticketed performances, and unveil a brand-new website designed to better serve our community. This spring, instead of our traditional Earth Day event, we’ll be hosting a Spring Carnival. You’ll hear more about these exciting offerings—and more—very soon.
Thank you for being an active part of our parks and recreation system. Your involvement makes our work stronger, and we look forward to another year of connection, recreation, and community.