Si View Metropolitan Park District, a parks and recreation service provider operating in North Bend, has completed the design of a new administration building slated for property across the street from Si View Park.

The park district’s main campus, located at Si View Park, is home to a community center, an indoor pool, multi-use sports fields, picnic shelters and playgrounds. According to its website, Si View Metropolitan Parks operates nearly 900 acres of parks, trails, and open space in the Valley and supports a range of activities and recreation experiences.

The soon-to-be-built single-story 3,800 square foot building is designed to have a minimal footprint and preserve as much of the landscape and tree canopy as possible — and “is pretty modest as far as administration buildings go, but we think it will be a suitable office space for the next 30 years and longer,” said Travis Stombaugh, the executive director of Si View Metropolitan Parks. “It will allow for staff to be centrally located with the tools they need to effectively perform their responsibilities.”

The park district operates out of a renovated home, the “caretaker’s cottage,” at Si View Park, but has outgrown the space.

“We have staff that are doubled up in rooms, not actual offices,” Stombaugh said. “For storage space, we use an old shower, the attic and a lean-to that was built as a work shed off the building a long time ago. If the public wants to come meet with staff, we have to book a room at the community center, which doesn’t always work because we have programs running there.”

The parks district purchased the undeveloped, 4-acre forested property between Orchard Drive SE and Cedar Falls Way from the state in 2020. Stombaugh said its proximity to the original administration building, the neighboring fire department, and North Bend City Hall made it the ideal location for expansion.

A portion of the property was owned by the city until a July 16 North Bend City Council meeting, at which members voted to vacate the right of way in exchange for ownership of Torguson Park.

“The exchange is so that the city is compensated for vacating the right of way,” Stombaugh said. “Since the city and the park district both represent the same residents, we felt this was a fair exchange. The exchange won’t alter the park’s operations in any way.”

By vacating the “caretaker’s cottage,” the park district will free up space for additional recreation programming and public use.

Weather permitting, construction will begin this fall and will take around a year, Stombaugh said.

The new building will be located across the street from Si View Park in North Bend. (Google Maps)