Two new faces will take their place on the Bend Metro Park and Recreation District board of directors later this year. Don Smith and Suzanne Johannsen are stepping down, and a total of seven candidates seek to replace them. Best choices for that task are Scott Wallace and Rick McKee.

Wallace is a longtime Bend resident who would, among other things, bring a sense of the district’s history to the board. More important, however, he comes with a keen interest in assuring that the district continues to meet the needs of its rapidly growing population base. Such things as the old U.S. Forest Service Pine Nursery and the river trail are sure to continue to need attention, he notes, and a shrinking pot of money to spend on them will require careful planning. Parking at the newly remodeled Juniper Fitness Center also is an issue.

Wallace believes, as do several other candidates, that sometime in the future the district will have to build more indoor recreation facilities, including additional pools. Now is not the time, however, he says. In fact, he says, the board should spend the next several years thinking about just what it needs.

Meanwhile, Wallace long has been a supporter of a proposed district-owned ice rink, which he believes would be a strong addition to existing district facilities. A feasibility study should give the board enough information to consider next steps in the plan, if any.

The board’s second vacant seat should be filled by Rick McKee. Born in Bend, McKee was reared in Lakeview, attended the University of Oregon and returned to Bend in 1981.

Fiscal responsibility is high on McKee’s concerns for the park district; in fact, he originally had considered applying for the district’s budget committee when he decided to run for the board instead. He believes the board should be driven by a desire to serve as many people as possible in the district without promising more than limited finances will allow it to deliver.

McKee clearly believes the district has made occasional missteps when it comes to planning new facilities. He cites Big Sky Park, where, he says, fields have been designed in such a way they can be used only for a single purpose. He’d prefer designs that allow multiple uses for such facilities. Like Wallace, McKee believes parking at the Juniper center must be addressed in the near future.

Both Wallace and McKee would bring to the board a long interest in the park district and what it does. Both recognize the financial constraints facing the district in the years ahead, and both want to assure a strong future. They should be elected.