Oak Harbor leaders took a step forward in bringing a long-sought recreation center in the city to reality.

At a meeting Tuesday, members of the Oak Harbor City Council unanimously approved a contract with a consultant to complete a $133,118 feasibility study for the proposed facility.

While the study will help determine exactly what the facility would offer, a proposal by the winning consultant, Berry, Dunn, McNeil & Parker, LLC of Portland, Maine, noted that a recent city survey found that residents are looking for recreational programming, particularly in the winter. The city found that people “want more meeting and event spaces, pickleball courts and other indoor recreation programming.”

During the meeting, Parks and Recreation Director Brian Smith presented details about the study. Councilmember Christopher Wiegenstein was excused from attendance, but later rejoined online.

Council members voiced clear enthusiasm for the project. Councilmember Eric Marshall opined that the community has needed a facility like this for many years.

“I’m really excited about this,” Marshall said. “I really appreciate Rep. (Clyde) Shavers and Rep. (Dave) Paul for providing us with the opportunity to fund the feasibility study. This has the potential to be a huge economic benefit to our community.”

In his presentation, Smith noted that the council-approved 2025–2026 Biennium Budget includes funding for the feasibility study, with a total allocation of $200,000. The state provided a grant for the study.

Through the request-for-proposals process, the staff identified firms qualified to conduct the study and create conceptual designs for the recreation center. From the seven firms that submitted proposals, staff selected Berry, Dunn, McNeil & Parker, LLC, which had the highest score and lowest bid at $133,118, according to Smith.

Councilmember Jim Woessner reflected that he has anticipated this project for 64 years, and he expressed confidence in the consultant’s track record. While acknowledging the high level of public interest likely to surround the effort, he underscored the importance of public outreach.

“Public engagement has always been a concern for me,” Woessner said. “I hope the consultant does try to get as much public engagement as possible.”

Communications Officer Magi Aguilar noted that although engagement is sometimes limited, she expects this project to draw participation from a wide range of community members.

According to Smith, the project will move forward in five phases: discovery and project kickoff, analysis, community engagement, visioning and final reporting.

“The expectation is to roll the feasibility study right into a funding strategy and construction documents and planning and implementation,” Smith said.