Voters in November narrowly passed a $49 million bond levy that allows the Redmond Area Parks and Recreation District to build a brand-new recreation center.

This year, numerous candidates are vying for seats on the board that will design, build and open that center by 2025 and help the district build on the momentum of a new facility.

Only one incumbent is running for re-election, while four challengers are looking to win a seat on the board for the first time.

Position 4

Two candidates are challenging incumbent Zack Harmon for a four-year term representing Position 4. Those challengers are David Rouse and BJ Soper.

Zack Harmon

Zack Harmon is the incumbent candidate for Position 4. He is RAPRD’s longest serving board member, having been appointed in 2014 before winning two subsequent elections.

Harmon became involved in RAPRD when his oldest son dove into youth swim lessons. As his kids grew up, Harmon grew into coaching district Little League teams.

A certified public accountant, Harmon said his financial stewardship has proven useful on the board, and if re-elected will be especially helpful during design, budgeting and construction oversight of the new center. He said volunteer boards often lack financial expertise, which is a gap he likes to fill.

“Numbers are something that excites me,” he said. “Analysis drives me.”

Harmon said that number-oriented thinking is more critical than ever. In the past, he said that financial stewardship of the RAPRD board meant overseeing “small dollars … but now we’re dealing with millions of dollars.”

He argued an operations levy, the last attempt of which failed in 2022, will be necessary to adequately staff and maintain the new center one it’s built. He said balancing costs between users and taxpayers will be crucial to find long-term sustainability for the expanding district.

“It’s super cool and exciting,” said Harmon. “We have one chance at this.”

David Rouse

David Rouse, 73, is running for public office for the first time, though he spent much of his career in public employment.

Rouse is a retired public works director who spent most of his career with the city of Gresham. He oversaw the city’s parks for 12 years.

Rouse moved to Central Oregon three years ago and said his initial impression is that the district is “doing very well” at providing a wide range of youth and adult programming.

He said there are challenges before the board, however. He expects that oversight of rec center construction will be a large part of board business in the next term.

“That fits right into my background,” he said.

Rouse agreed that it will be critical for voters to pass an operating levy to staff the center once construction is finished. He believes staffing the center and finding teachers to lead classes will require a constant effort.

Rouse said his experience in civil engineering, parks master planning and capital planning will be helpful if he wins a seat on the board. He said he would also like to lead a master plan committee so the district can have a 20-year plan to deal with future growth.

“There’s nothing like that now,” he said.

BJ Soper

BJ Soper is running for the parks district for the first time.

Soper is a founder and member of People’s Rights in Central Oregon, a group of roughly 4,000 that has made a concerted effort toward putting forward candidates for the May election throughout Deschutes County. The group formed about three years ago, mainly to oppose state-mandated COVID shutdowns. Now that those mandates have lifted, Soper said that People’s Rights is refocusing.

“We quickly realized that causes come and go,” said Soper. “When causes come and go, so do people.”

Soper said he and the group decided to “break the narrative” and “start rallying around community.”

He sees the parks district as a place to build that community.

Soper said government is known for being “notoriously slow” and “notoriously over budget.” He said his background in facilities maintenance and construction would be useful in keeping major projects on track.

“I want that rec center done right,” said Soper. “I want it done on time and I want it done on budget.”

He agreed that passing a operations levy will be key to cementing the longterm success of the district and said he would work with people of different backgrounds and beliefs, both on the board and on staff.

Position 5

Two new faces are vying for a four-year term to represent Position 5 on the RPARD. Louie Arzaga is a business systems engineer with Choice Plus. Lena Berry is community organizer with Redmond Collective Action.

Louie Arzaga

Originally from Southern California, Louie Arzaga, 55, moved to Redmond in 2020. He said his experience finding efficiencies in business and bureaucracy would make him a smart fit for the board.

Arzaga calls his new town “Shredmond,” and noted that the city is already a destination for recreational enthusiasts, from skier to snowboarders, and from climbers to bikers. He said capitalizing on those assets can bring economic benefit to the district. He also argued passage of an operations levy may not be necessary if user numbers increase with the new center.

He has lived in California, Hawaii and even a stint in Tokyo, Japan.

He said he would like Redmond Area Parks and Rec to dovetail with the city of Redmond’s 40-year comprehensive plan.

He and his wife have two homeschooled children who frequent area parks, especially the Redmond pump track. Like Soper, he is endorsed by Deschutes Citizens for Law & Order.

Lena Berry

Lena Berry is running for a seat on the parks and rec district board with the goal of increasing community spaces that are safe and accessible for Redmond residents.

Berry said she is especially interested in adding multi-generational classes at the district — everything from cooking to swimming to getaways into area parks and public lands.

Berry said that as a community organizer, her skills at securing grants and community benefit dollars can benefit the district. Berry said outside funds can both reduce the cost for taxpayers and increase the district’s offerings and accessibility. Berry also said she would support selling naming rights to the rec center in order to raise additional funds. She noted that it will likely be necessary to pass a future operations levy in order to staff and run the facility once it is built.

Berry said that, if elected, she would take a keen interest in design of the new center, making sure the building is accessible and easy to use for those with strollers, walkers and canes. Berry said that signage should reflect the multiple languages spoken in Redmond and art should reflect the city’s varied cultures.

Berry said she is willing to work with different kinds of people to improve the district. She noted the race is nonpartisan, and that having diverse backgrounds on the board will help it work together.

Election details

The election is May 16.

Voters have until April 25 to register to vote. Starting April 28, Deschutes County drop boxes will accept ballots.

Since the Redmond library has been demolished and is currently under reconstruction, the drop box has been temporarily moved to the north end of the city parking lot, 716 NE Evergreen. A second drop box in Redmond is located at the Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center.

The deadline to leave your ballot in a drop box is 8 p.m. on Election Day. To be counted, all mailed ballots must be postmarked by Election Day.