Happy and Healthy New Year to all! Snoqualmie Valley is an incredible community and we are honored to be part of it. We have been reminded time and time again of the critical role that parks and open spaces play in our physical and mental health, and how much stronger we are when we work together as a community. We look forward to the New Year and new ways of serving our residents.

Our Recreation Program Plan project is now in progress and will be one of the tools we'll use to map recreation program needs and plan for future services for the community. We invite you to participate and provide input over the coming months through our survey platform. You can learn more about this project online, and look for more information to come soon!

We are also working hard on money matters. District’s Bond rating was recently re-affirmed at “AA”, which is a great accomplishment for the District and its taxpayers. This rating of AA reflects that the District is well-managed and has strong financial policies and practices in place for the benefit of our citizens. The higher the rating, the lower the interest cost.

Thank you for all your input on the recent pool re-opening survey, we received nearly 250 responses! Our team will use this information to determine how and when to resume aquatic programming. Stay tuned for details.

With re-opening phases locally on hold at least until January 11th, our programs are either paused or operating virtually, except for child care. We'll update our website as the situation evolves, and look forward to resuming additional in-person programs just as soon as possible. In the meantime, stay healthy and recreate responsibly in our local parks!

Our Family Fun Events have moved outdoors! Join us for a great time and a healthy dose of fresh air. This is a great opportunity to explore our local parks with the whole family and engage in fun activities, in a safe, socially distant way.

Our January event at Tollgate will offer options for walking or running together as a family with fitness stations along the way that move your body in different ways! Dress for the weather, bring a water bottle, and get ready for fun. Extended event hours are intended to provide families flexibility to arrive on their preferred schedule and complete the self-directed course without crowding.

Family Fun Events are free, but require pre-registration. Only one registration per family is necessary. Donations are optional, and can be made online during registration. Your donations support our community event series - thank you. Sign up today!

Our school care program for K-5 students continues to operate on all school days. The home base for this program has been Two Rivers School in North Bend which is well suited to support students remote learning. Until students return to in-person learning, we offer two options for daily registration: Full Day including before and after care 6:30am-6:30pm, and School Day care that is open 8:30am-3:00pm. Si View School Care operates in accordance with COVID-19 guidelines including daily wellness screens, wearing of face coverings, frequent hand washing, and social distancing procedures. This is a great, flexible option for families needing support a few days a week. For registration and more details, please see our website. Financial need-based scholarships are available. Program hours and structure subject to change once schools resume in-person learning. 

What about school breaks and no-school days? We got you covered. Si View's no-school day camp is open at the Community Center for K-5 students on MLK Day January 18 and Professional Development Day January 25. Register here.

The infrastructure improvements and addition of open space with funds from the 2018 Connect and Protect Capital Bond are making a visible impact in our growing community, enhancing the quality of life for residents. Projects include acquisitions of land for future community parks, improvements to existing parks, and new trail connections linking neighborhoods to open spaces. The District scheduled the associated bond sales in two series to generate the revenue needed for the projects. The first round of bond sales in the amount of $8.9M was completed in January 2019, and the second round in the amount of $5.8M will be completed this month. Given the current low interest rates, the District was able to refinance the first series bonds in the process, resulting in cost savings to our tax payers. The estimated bond levy rate was reduced from 19 cents to 14 cents per $100,000 assessed value. Staggering the projects and bond sales has also allowed us the time necessary to provide high quality projects and strategically time project implementation for the best opportunity to match the capital revenue with available grants, collaborative partners, or adjacent development to stretch each bond dollar as far as possible. To-date, over $1M in grants have been secured towards these projects.

Due to the pandemic, we haven’t had an opportunity to celebrate some of the project milestones with the community. We hope to do so in 2021, stay tuned for more information for ribbon cutting and grand opening celebrations of the Torguson Skatepark, Tollgate Farmhouse and the Tanner Trail. And more projects are still ahead: those scheduled to break ground in 2021 include construction of a separated pedestrian pathway from Tollgate Farm Park to downtown North Bend along North Bend Way, and the first phase of the agricultural infrastructure improvements near Tollgate Farmhouse. Thank you for your ongoing support of your local park District!

Mental Health Survey Open: KC Behavioral Health Recovery Division is assessing available mental health services and unmet needs of those living with mental illness in rural King County. A community survey is open through January 2021 to provide input on what mental health services are needed in our area.

In accordance with current Washington State’s COVID-19 Reopening Guidance for Businesses and Workers, Si View Metro Parks operations have been modified until January 11. All indoor programs, except for K-5 childcare, are either paused or operating on a virtual platform. Check our website for latest updates.

Check for latest updates here.