Bellingham considering if recreational changes are needed at Lake Padden Park
Recreational activities at Lake Padden in Bellingham could change over the next few years as the city works to understand the impact of use at the park.
“It is an incredible park asset and it is being constrained in a lot of different ways. We want to make sure we are planning for resiliency,” Bellingham Parks and Recreation Department Director Nicole Oliver said in a telephone interview with The Bellingham Herald.
Lake Padden is facing many issues including the spread of invasive mud snails, algal blooms, beach erosion and drainage concerns, according to Oliver.
“These things are limiting our ability to recreate responsibly,” Oliver said.
Some recent updates have been made to the dog park and bathrooms near the lake.
But the Parks Department plans to request proposals for a full Lake Padden recreational assessment to help the department fully understand how the park is used and measure traffic volumes, according to Oliver.
“We’ll be looking at improvement possibilities and options for the future,” Oliver told The Herald.
This means the department may consider ways park usage can be adapted or possibly relocated to other parks in Bellingham.
Dogs that swim in the lake can carry and spread the invasive mud snails on their paws or hair, so reconsidering dog access is something the Parks Department may look at in the future, Oliver told The Herald.
“We do try not to take away or limit uses but, at the same time, we are a growing community and we have to try to preserve the environment,” Oliver said.
A full recreational assessment report is expected to be available by the fall of 2023. Potential improvements and options for mitigation will likely be made public by the winter of 2023. Changes may begin being enforced in 2024.
The Parks Department will likely ask for community engagement at some point during the process, according to Oliver.
