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Bow Park director presents new pool, ice arena and park upgrades; council prioritizes year‑round restrooms and accessibility
Summary
Bow Park Director Greg Travinsky presented completed and planned projects — including a new Merilla pool complex, an upgraded ice arena and a large Lower Merilla redevelopment — and council discussed making public restrooms year-round, improving pedestrian connectivity, and advancing arts and maker-space concepts.
Greg Travinsky, recently appointed director of Bow Park, told City Council on May 26 that the city’s parks system has undergone a rapid period of upgrades and highlighted both large, visible projects and smaller maintenance investments that together aim to broaden access and extend seasons.
"This is one of our crown jewels now," Travinsky said of the Merilla pool complex, which the department described as a new, accessible destination with a lazy river, slides and zero‑grade entry. He also reviewed the renovated ice arena, which now hosts winter ice programming and is converted to turf in summer to expand camps and sport offerings.
Travinsky outlined systemwide improvements since 2020: playground replacements and safer surfacing, roof and maintenance‑building repairs, field fencing and turf work, new picnic tables and more durable dog‑waste stations, and upgraded restroom and pavilion designs. Key work in progress includes the large Lower Merilla project — six pickleball courts, six tennis courts, a state‑of‑the‑art action sports park with pump track and skate amenities, a turf event field, expanded parking, and new all‑season restroom facilities — and renovation of the Merilla Center and pavilion.
During Q&A, council members asked which projects were bonded. Travinsky said only the pool and the main Lower Merilla project involve bonds; most other upgrades have been managed as pay‑as‑you‑go or maintenance investments. He also described a small, multi‑year capital approach the parks department prefers — steady one‑to‑two major projects per year rather than a single multi‑project catch‑up year.
Councilmembers used the presentation to surface priorities for the broader enhanced‑amenities agenda: making downtown public restrooms open year‑round and delegating maintenance across departments or a business‑improvement partnership; installing more bottle‑fill stations and water fountains; avoiding "hostile architecture" (bench arm dividers or spikes) in new city projects; improving pedestrian crossings and wayfinding to better link the riverfront, rail trail and downtown; and exploring arts infrastructure, an indoor maker‑market or pop‑up marketplace to support local artisans.
What’s next: council asked staff to study feasible staffing and funding approaches for year‑round public restrooms, to return with budget estimates for indexed or phased municipal‑service‑fee changes linked to specific service outcomes, and to set up initial stakeholder meetings to explore library and museum facilities funding options and a potential maker/market partnership.
No votes were taken; the council closed the workshop after directing staff to pursue the requested follow-ups.
