City of Blaine nixes proposed ninja course, considers other park ideas

The city of Blaine declined to move forward and provide funding for a proposed outdoor obstacle course despite Blaine-Birch Bay Park and Recreation District 2 (BBBPRD2) receiving a $40,000 grant to help with construction costs, citing budget constraints.

Outdoor exercise equipment company Greenfields Outdoor Fitness awarded the grant to BBBPRD2 in January to construct an obstacle course that resembles the courses from the hit T.V. show “American Ninja Warrior.” Even with the grant, BBBPRD2 commissioner Sheli Moore told The Northern Light in January that funding acquisition and initial construction costs would start at $180,000.

Despite the $40,000 grant going back to Greenfields, BBBPRD2 director Heather Lindsay said the parks district is hoping to continue to collaborate with the city to create more recreation opportunities throughout Blaine and Birch Bay.

The city and district could potentially begin work on a splash park, a small water park designed for children and adolescents, in east Blaine. Talks are in the very early days, and BBBPRD2 would need a recommendation from the city to begin work on new infrastructure, Lindsay said.

“We do have funds that we want to donate to the city and we would love to partner with the city on a park of some kind or multiple parks, we’re not quite sure,” Lindsay said. “We’re always in the process and looking towards the future of how we can partner with the city of Blaine to create more green space, more recreational areas for the citizens of Blaine.”

Lindsay said Blaine residents are always looking for more ways to recreate – especially more places to play pickleball – and that the ninja course was bookmarked as infrastructure that would cater to teens and young adults, a demographic that normally isn’t served by standard playgrounds.

“There’s a strong need for that, there’s nothing really geared towards them,” Lindsay said. “We hear about pickleball, we hear about making sure that any green space or new park equipment that comes in is accessible to those with disabilities. There’s not a blanket answer, I think there’s a lot of needs in the city of Blaine.”