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Ocean Shores parks board targets North Bay upgrades in bid for state recreation grant
Summary
Ocean Shores Parks Board discussed pursuing an RCO grant (application opens Feb. 11) to fund North Bay improvements — including a hard-surface volleyball court, playground replacement, seating/bleachers, storage shed and baseball-field upgrades — but did not select a final project or approve funding.
Ocean Shores — The Ocean Shores Parks Board spent the bulk of its Nov. 12 meeting outlining priorities for a potential Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) grant application and directed staff and volunteers to assemble a prioritized project list ahead of the Feb. 11 application window.
Board leadership and staff said the application will require local matching funds. “It is 30%,” a staff member stated about the local match after earlier confusion about the requirement. Board members and staff agreed that the grant process is competitive and that the final selection is expected in April.
Participants emphasized projects at North Bay Park. The board’s “wish list” included a hard-surface volleyball court, replacement playground equipment, expanded seating or bleachers, a rebuilt storage shed, a resurfaced basketball court and upgrades to the baseball diamond; an all‑turf conversion for the full field was discussed as a long‑term possibility. The chair said that a full artificial-turf field could cost about $1 million, while an infield-only turf project was described as roughly $500,000, and that matching funds on the order of several hundred thousand dollars would be required from the city if the full vision were pursued.
Jim (role not specified in the meeting record) and parks staff said they will begin pricing out items and put together a prioritized list so the board can pare the proposal to what is realistic. “I’ve got a good list of stuff that, you know, can start trying to price out and do a list of priorities,” Jim said during the meeting.
Staff also noted ancillary costs the RCO reviewers expect: ADA improvements, more paved parking and other site amenities. “It’s not just the field itself — there’s other things that have to be improved as well,” a parks staff participant said.
The board did not vote on selecting a grant project or commit city funds during the meeting; it instructed staff to compile options and cost estimates for review. The Parks Board and staff also discussed the role of volunteer labor in reducing costs: members pointed to a prior volunteer-built playground that saved roughly $20,000 versus contracted costs.
Next steps: staff will gather cost estimates and email a draft priority list to board members; the application window opens Feb. 11 and finalists are expected to be announced in April.
Quotes used in this story were taken from the Nov. 12 meeting transcript; attributions follow the meeting record. The Parks Board meets next on Dec. 10 at 1 p.m. at the Ocean Shores Library.
