The front entrance of Larkspur Community Center in Bend on Wednesday, March 17, 2021. The community center located on Reed Market Road and 15th Street has been outfitted with a state-of-the-art fitness center and indoor swimming pool.

The Bend Park & Recreation District made a big change in the last several years, agreeing to reduce fees it charges on new development to help hold prices down on affordable housing.

That’s on top of scholarships to ensure lack of money won’t block children from being able to participate in the district events. Should the district do more? Or should it invest more in parks and more programs?

Layers of complication get added in when you think about the district’s future. The acres of park per person are anticipated to decline over the next five years. Miles of trails will decline, too. It’s a consequence of a growing population and the increasing cost and scarcity of land for parks.

And then there are the more, consistent refrains the district faces, such as barking over off-leash dogs. The popularity of the river grows, putting pressure on access points. And the debate over Mirror Pond’s future and the district’s role can divide a room.

Got all that? It’s just a taste of the issues the candidates running for board of the park district have to look forward to. We have interviewed the candidates and have some recommendations. Keep in mind, we don’t think there is a bad candidate in the lot. We support Nathan Hovekamp, Zavier Borja and Deb Schoen.

Hovekamp is an incumbent and current board chair. He has worked as a biology teacher at Central Oregon Community College and is Wildlife Program Director for Central Oregon LandWatch. Before serving on the park board, he also served on the Bend Planning Commission and the board of the Bend-La Pine Schools. So lots of relevant experience.

He sees the parks and the district’s programs as critical social and physical infrastructure. He does not want to see them decline. He is satisfied with the balance the district has struck with reducing SDCs, though he says keeping high quality parks and programs will be a tremendous challenge with the community’s growth. He has been impressed with the outreach park district staff do to take the community’s temperature and ensure all members of the community are served.

His opponent Lauren Nowierski-Stadnick is also a strong candidate. She is an attorney doing civil litigation and a former NCAA athlete in three sports.

Nowierski-Stadnick is downright enthusiastic about what parks and park programs can do for the community. She wants to leverage her legal background to help the district maneuver through such challenges. She points out she is a trained advocate and can use that to break down barriers to participation.

We don’t find major differences between Hovekamp and Nowierski-Stadnick on matters of policy. Our endorsement goes to Hovekamp because of the experience he has on the board.

There’s no such direct experience on the park board in the election between Zavier Borja and Robin Vora. Borja is a first-generation Mexican-American who was born in Redmond and grew up in Madras. He has worked for the Bend park district and the Boys and Girls Club of Bend. He is now the outside programs coordinator for Vamonos Outside. The organization is dedicated to connecting Latinx families to the outdoors. The park district already does significant outreach in bridging that gap. Borja would be a tremendous asset to do more.

Borja is somewhat young compared to the average age of park board members. He is 27. We see that as an asset, not a problem. The park district needs more input from younger people about its future.

Vora retired from the U.S. Forest Service and Fish and Wildlife Service after 39 years. Since then, there is a strong commitment to serve. He has served on a long list of committees in Bend — urban renewal, historic landmarks, the Orchard District Neighborhood Association and more. He has also been engaged in working with the park district on the development of Orchard Park and more.

Vora is undoubtedly a strong candidate, but Borja gives the district a voice it does not hear from enough. Vote for Borja.

Deb Schoen, who was appointed to the board, faces Elizabeth Hughes Weide for the third seat up for election. Schoen is the first to compliment Hughes Weide. Hughes Weide has an impressive wealth of experience managing numerous projects that involve the National Environmental Policy Act and the California version of same. Her expertise would be very useful for the district on such matters.

We do believe, though, that Schoen is the stronger candidate overall. She worked as a professional in park districts for 40 years, much in Tualatin. That’s a lifetime of first-hand experience in the issues parks face. It’s hard to beat that. Her experience brings a careful balance to her approach when she thinks about SDC waivers, access to the Deschutes or off-leash dogs.

There’s a learning curve to serving on a board or getting involved with a park district. We have no doubt Hughes Weide has the ability to get up to speed. It just won’t be as much as what Schoen can bring to the position.

We recommend you vote for Hovekamp, Borja and Schoen. And do please vote, no matter what you decide.