Grand Forks Park Board candidates say next four years will be full of big projects
May 17—GRAND FORKS — Grand Forks Park Board candidates running for reelection say that not only do they have a great group of people serving on the board, but that the next four years will see important and exciting projects.
"It's been fun, and we have a great group of commissioners right now," Commissioner Cody Bartholomew said. "I'm looking forward to working with this same group, working with our current staff. I feel like I'm giving back."
This June during the municipal election, Grand Forks will vote for two commissioner seats on the Park Board. The election occurs in conjunction with the City Council, mayoral and School Board elections, the County Commission primary and the state primary. Two incumbents, Bartholomew and
commissioner Russel Kraft,
are running for second terms on the board.
Both Bartholomew and Kraft said part of the reason they're running again is because they enjoy serving on the board, and they're deeply committed to preserving Grand Forks' parks for the next generation.
"It's a great organization and (with a) mission statement I firmly believe," Kraft said. "Growing up, I participated in all the Park District activities and sports activities, and still to this day am active."
He said serving on the board is his way to "give back to the community and be part of the community."
Said Bartholomew: "I don't remember a summer where I didn't live at the Riverside Swimming Pool. That was all provided for by the Grand Forks Park Board. As a parent of two kids in town, them having the option to grow up in Grand Forks now and take advantage of the Grand Forks Parks system, I felt like it's a perfect fit."
Both Bartholomew and Kraft were elected in 2020. Some of the big projects that started in their first term and will continue are the
Kraft Field grandstand project,
planning for the new
Crary Park in the Grand Valley
development, renovations of the
Terry Paukert Tennis Complex
and planning for the new
Altru Indoor Sports and Aquatics Complex.
In November, Grand Forks residents voted
to extend and modify the sales tax that pays for the Alerus Center.
Funds for the tax now can be used for the construction of the new Altru Sports Complex. The Grand Forks Park District will operate the facility.
"We haven't built a facility like that since Choice Health and Fitness," Kraft said.
The Park District also manages the pools, Purpur Arena, Blue Line Club Arena and the parks across the city, as well as the city the forestry department, which oversees the planting and care of trees in the parks and on berms.
Bartholomew and Kraft are the only two declared candidates for the race. There is still the possibility of write-in candidates, but even so, they say they are the right candidates to help move the initiatives forward.
"When I was in college, I was working at the Purpur Arena, I was coaching youth hockey. It was easy for me to want to join the board and give back to the community," Bartholomew said.
Kraft said something similar, and added that the Park District also levies property taxes like the city, school and county, so it's important for people to vote for their representation.
"I'm a firm believer in the community and what the park district represents. I watch over the spending — very consistently conservative," Kraft said. "When people think property taxes, I think people focus on the school district, the city, the county, but (we still) have to be very mindful."
