Council approves MOU with Humboldt State Collective to manage volunteer work on Blue Lake bike and skate park

The Blue Lake City Council on July 28 approved Resolution 12‑68 authorizing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Humboldt State Collective to formalize volunteer participation in the city’s bike and skate park corrective-action work.

Anthony Wood, the city’s parks and recreation director, described the draft MOU as modeled on prior agreements with local biking groups and said the MOU establishes volunteer liability waivers, insurance minimums and city approval authority over designs. "City retains final authority over all project planning and design," Wood said while walking council through the MOU’s key provisions: biannual donation and expenditure reports, commercial‑general liability insurance with the city as an additional insured, and the city’s ability to halt work for safety or compliance reasons.

Council members and public speakers questioned how the 0.5 pipe feature came to be incorporated and moved during the design process, and several urged that conceptual drawings and cost estimates be shown to council before design or construction proceeds. Tony Caldwell, a presenter with the collective, said the 0.5 pipe was part of early drawings and that the MOU allows the organization to provide more accurate cost estimates and engineering documents for council review.

Napier moved to approve Resolution 12‑68 and direct the city manager to sign the MOU; the measure was seconded and approved by voice vote. Council emphasized the MOU is a framework—not a contract—and that design approvals, expenditures and any binding commitments would return to council for approval as required.