Charles Niedzialkowski wants to make one thing clear about his position: “I’m not a pool person. I’m an ‘other sports’ and tennis person.”

He believes that the Park and Recreation district needs to broaden its focus and move away from the pool and out into other “lifetime” sports. Rather than micromanaging the pool, Niedzialkowski said board members should be concerned about supporting other activities in the community. He cited the park district on South Whidbey as an example that North Whidbey could follow.

Niedzialkowski also said that the park district should consider finding and conserving more land for park and recreational purposes.

One way to accomplish that, he said, is to coordinate with other organizations that have a stake in community recreation — organizations such as the city of Oak Harbor and the Navy. He believes a coordinated effort could allow for better communication, as well as prevent any duplication of research or studies into recreational areas or activities.

One project Niedzialkowski has worked on lately has been the Whidbey Island Tennis Association’s indoor tennis facility. So far, WITA has raised two-thirds of the money needed to construct the facility, and it hopes to break ground on the project early next year. Upon completion, the facility will be turned over to the parks and recreation district.

As a single parent, Niedzialkowski has always been interested in recreational resources for kids in the community.

He was involved in the project that brought the Boys & Girls Club to Oak Harbor. Seeing the need for a site-based youth center, he wrote the grant application that resulted in the $600,000 grant from the Department of Defense and allowed for the purchase of the Roller Barn.

Niedzialkowski was also a founding board member of the Big Brother & Big Sisters program and served on the board until last year.