BBBPRD2 receives grant for outdoor obstacle course, additional funding still needed

Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation District 2 (BBBPRD2) announced it was awarded a $40,000 grant to build an outdoor obstacle course based off of the hit T.V. show “American Ninja Warrior” but more funding is needed to make the course a reality.

While construction and potential locations for the 1,800 to 2,300 square foot, “X-Treme Ninja” obstacle course are still up in the air, the $40,000 grant provides an opportunity for BBBPRD2 to add more recreation opportunities for older children and younger adults, groups not often served by traditional playgrounds, district commissioner Sheli Moore said. Outdoor exercise equipment company Greenfields Outdoor Fitness awarded the grant to the parks district.

“We didn’t really have any playground equipment that was handy for this age group in our community,” Moore said. “We do have the skate park and the disc golf course, but every other park equipment is pretty much geared toward younger kids.”

Moore said that while official talks with the city of Blaine still need to take place, an easement on 7th Street, between F and G streets near the Grace Lutheran Church, has been earmarked as a potential location. Moore said the proximity to the schools, along with the ample parking provided by the church, means that location would be ideal for the park’s target demographic.

The $40,000 grant will jumpstart the funding, but Moore expects construction and acquisition costs to start at roughly $180,000. Now that BBBPRD2 has received the grant, it has until the end of 2025 to purchase the equipment, and until July 2026 to begin construction.

Funding sources are still unclear, and dependent on how the city’s 2025 operating budget shakes out, but will likely come from both the parks district and the city of Blaine. The fate of the new obstacle course depends on the outcome of the February 13 special election, when voters decide on BBBPRD2’s levy renewal, Moore said.

Without the levy, Moore said, priorities will be forced to change.