What people are saying
Let’s not abandon Sakai for the Bainbridge Athletic Club
The BI Parks District (BIMPRD) is playing a shell game with the citizens of Bainbridge Island. Instead of developing the Sakai property as promised, they’ve now agreed to purchase the Bainbridge Athletic Club (BAC) for a cost of $13.15 million. They claim this makes financial sense, saying that the Sakai Community and Sports Center (SCSC) would cost over $55 million to develop. But the 2017 Sakai Concept Plan Report that was prepared for BIMPRD estimates the cost to be $25 million. It’s unlikely the cost has increased 120% in 3.5 years.
In the June 17, 2021 BIMPRD public meeting the executive director, Terry Lande, stated the $13.15 million to buy the BAC would be financed by revenue bonds supported by BAC-only user fees. The board then passed a resolution authorizing the signing of the BAC purchase agreements. Then in a July 1st BIMPRD public meeting the board presented a commercial bank loan instead of revenue bonds.
In the July 15th BIMPRD public meeting the board authorized $13.5 million in general obligation bonds to guarantee the bank loan. General obligation bonds are paid by the taxpayers. If the BAC user fees don’t generate the revenue to pay the bank loan, the taxpayers are obligated to make up the difference.
So….the BIMPRD agreed to buy the BAC using revenue bonds, then changed to a bank loan guaranteed by the taxpayers without further discussion or authorization.
The SCSC is a central location. It’s in Winslow, near schools and the library. It’s easily accessible by car, walking, biking and public transit. The BAC isn’t in a central location. It’s near the top of NE Koura Rd. Access is through an unmanaged intersection off of Hwy 305. There’s no public transportation and it’s a slog to ride a bicycle up Koura. Walking from schools isn’t realistic.
Then there is the parking challenge. The BAC enjoys a conditional use permit that requires 100 parking spaces. It states that “No parking shall be allowed outside of the permanent marked stalls….” But overflow routinely occurs, and members park in the Meadowmeer Golf Club parking lot and along the neighborhood roads. This already violates the conditional use permit. Adding the 16 employees of the BIMPRD and even more users at BAC will make a bad situation worse.
The voters approved the purchase of the 23 acre Sakai land for $5.9 million in 2015. The SCSC is to cover only about 25% of the land with the rest left as open space, trails and picnic areas. It makes no sense to abandon this community asset to purchase a private health club. Converting the BAC from private ownership to public ownership and responsibility doesn’t add a new facility to the island. Building the SCSC does.
The BIMPRD admits that they haven’t developed their operational strategy for the BAC. They have no financial projections. In fact, the board claimed they would prepare their strategy and projections after closing the transaction. What? How can we know if it makes financial sense if they don’t have a plan?
At one public meeting they said that existing member agreements will be cancelled at closing and switched to user fees. At another public meeting they stated they changed their minds and will continue to honor the member agreements, but add user fees for the public. This presents a potential dilemma. What if the members decide that paying user fees makes better economic sense for them? Members could switch to user fees, making target revenue difficult to sustain. Isn’t having two “classes” of users, members and public users, a recipe for confusion and conflict?
In closing, there are just too many unanswered questions. We’re asking the BIMPRD to slow down the process and engage with the public. This requested delay may postpone the closing which is scheduled on or before August 31, 2021. We, the taxpayers, should have significant input on this decision. For more information, visit savesakai.com.
Submitted by David Knight and Eileen Nicol on behalf of the Save Sakai Ad Hoc Group
Does Parks purchase of the Bainbridge Athletic Club make sense?
The local Parks District wants to spend $13 million to purchase the Bainbridge Athletic Club (BAC). However, there isn’t a detailed plan available that explains the need or how it will benefit the community. There are lots of questions. As an example, much of the existing BAC space is at or near capacity. So how does this purchase increase recreational access? How does the purchase fit with the development of the $6 million Sakai property that the pubic approved a few years ago? Sakai is close to schools and much of the downtown area. BAC is not nearby and requires transportation. Many seniors are now able to participate in free “Silver Sneakers” exercise programs. Will these seniors be pushed out?
The Parks District plans to complete this purchase before the end of August without holding any public workshops to discuss their plans. The public needs to ask the Parks district to delay the purchase 90 days and hold a couple of public meetings to get the answers to our questions. A $13 million purchase without a plan is not good use of your tax dollars. Contact the Parks District now!
Keith Israel
BI
Central Park?
I’m writing this letter in response to the news that Bainbridge Parks is purchasing the Bainbridge Island Athletic Club, with the goal of making it the island’s sport and recreation facility that the voters were assured would be the Sakai property, when we approved the bond to acquire the property.
The Sakai property was sold to us as the island’s “central park”. It was centrally located, equally accessible to all residents, and walkable from nearby schools and library. My young friends with children encouraged me to support and vote for the bond for all these reasons.
The athletic club is on top of a steep hill on Koura Road , near the north end of the island. It is not equally accessible to all residents. And, it was conditionally approved as a private club, with limitations. It, and the surrounding Meadowmeer neighborhood were not designed for or planned for a public facility. As a commercial Architect who has designed several public projects under conditional use approval, I know that a public accommodation requires an entirely different set of planning and design criteria than a private use, and would need to be carefully evaluated during a public approval process.
I think our Parks department needs to reconsider this irresponsible and unapproved change in direction and proceed with the ongoing development of the central park that was promised the voters and taxpayers of our island.
Rolland Reid, Architect (retired)
Keep Our Community & Sports Center in the Heart of Winslow
As a long time BI resident and taxpayer I would like to voice my concern over the purchase of the Bainbridge Athletic Club (BAC).
In 2015 the taxpayers voted to spend nearly $6 million for the purchase the Sakai parcel. This purchase was supported by a majority of Islanders, in large part because of its central location, right across from the high school & Ordway elementary, near the library, within safe walking distance, and located on the bus route.
Now, the Parks Department is taking their focus away from the tax payer approved Sakai project and is spending another $13 million to purchase The Bainbridge Athletic Club. I believe we should ask ourselves why are we giving up on 23 acres in the heart of the city to purchase a club that is already near or at capacity, 3 miles from town, located on 5 acres with no room to grow or expand?
What’s that real estate saying? Location, Location, Location… Lets keep our Community & Sports Center in the Heart of the Island where it belongs!
Lisa Wiggins
Bainbridge Island
Whoa Nellie!!!
Could someone tell me why the BI Parks District (BIMPRD) is rushing at a break neck speed to close a deal to buy the Bainbridge Athletic Club (BAC)?
They are scheduled to close on or before August 31, 2021. And this is all being done without a vote from the tax payers? Why? How?
What happened to the location at the center of the island – The Sakai Community & Sports Center? This is what was promised to the voters.
As a mom with two boys in high school, I want the Community & Sports Center to be located right next to high school, where they can safely walk across the street. Did the Parks Dept. hold public in-person meetings on this issue? Did we vote to approve this purchase? Nope.
This whole deal raises many questions – I think we should ask the BIMPRD to SLOW down and allow the tax payers to have all the facts.
Emmy Sunshine
Islander
What Happened to Tax Payer Approval?
I am a concerned citizen with valid questions about the back door
shenanigans of The Bainbridge Parks Dept. (BIMPRD), in regards to the
purchase of the Bainbridge Atheletic Club (BAC). They have failed to
examine operational cost/issues, mission fulfillment, traffic and
environmental impact studies and they have not addressed what happens to
the Sakai plans, all without community involvement.
The larger financial question is that it appears they are abandoning
their plans for Sakai Community & Sports Center, which is what they sold to the
community when the taxpayers approved the purchase of the Sakai property.
Quite frankly, Sakai is much more appropriate for the vision that was
sold to the local families in 2015: providing the best access, location,
on 22 acres, all centrally located.
The BAC has may issues that are problematic and even dangerous for the
larger BI community, i.e., an entry road that infamously has hosted
numerous accidents over the years, distance from high density corridor
and limited septic, water and parking capabilities. If the BIMPRD does not abandon BAC plans, then they are simply
duplicating something that was already planned and approved, adding another
$13 million to the tab (so now we are at $55m plus $13m without any
community involvement) is frankly a recipe for disaster.
Jacki Malitzski
Bainbridge Island
Is the Parks Department pulling a Bait & Switch?
As a life-long Bainbridge Islander I would like to raise my voice in opposition to the BI Parks District (BIMPRD) purchase of The Bainbridge Island Athletic Club (BAC).
Back in 2015, we the BI taxpayers overwhelmingly voted to develop a new Community & Sports Center at the Sakai property, passing a bond for almost $6 million dollars. At that time BIMPRD conducted numerous studies on The Sakai property and it’s viability. They collected public comments, held public meetings, conducted research and considered all of the planning and zoning issues. In short, they conducted the due diligence needed for a project of this scope.
Their conclusion---That the Sakai property located centrally on the island, with 23 acres would be THE IDEAL location for The Community & Sport Center. In fact, the Parks director, Terry Lande stated at the time 'It's huge for future generations." And that's exactly why I voted for it, why the majority of Islanders voted for it. Why then, is the Parks Department switching it up on us and purchasing the BAC instead with no voter approval? Sounds like a Bait & Switch to me.
These questions need to be answered and SOON---The Parks Department is scheduled to close on this deal August 31, 2021!
Stephanie Viele
Plant-Based Chef
Health & Wellness Coach
Chef Steph, Owner
ChefStephBainbridge.com
206-255-0618