South Whidbey Parks and Recreation commissioners are reconsidering expanding the available office space at the new aquatic recreation center.

During a special meeting in July, the board of commissioners initially decided to forgo including office space in the facility for additional staff, which would cost $191,488. They approved the project contract of $25.2 million.

But at the board’s August meeting, Executive Director Brian Tomisser proposed revisiting the decision. According to his memo, staff believed they did not do an adequate job outlining the expected cost of not having the office space, and no alternate funding sources were provided for this option.

As Tomisser explained, the parks and rec district currently has five administrative spaces, and staff are going to need about five more, which is separate from what will be required by employees working in the aquatic center.

With the current plan, there is enough space at the center for only two staff members, which means the district will have to find another place for at least three to four more people. Tomisser estimated this would cost about $17,000 per year. The district’s staff currently occupies office space owned by the South Whidbey School District and could potentially rent more.

Tomisser believes the extra office space at the aquatic center can be afforded without diving into the pool budget. Staff have created a draft of the 2026 budget and determined that the district can pursue a limited tax general obligation bond to pay for the rest of construction and move capital projects out a year or two to cover the cost. The budget will also be affected if a levy that will be on the November ballot passes.

“So what we did was we showed we can pay the $191,000 next year out of M&O (maintenance and operations) and not impact the pool budget and get that office space,” Tomisser told the commissioners, adding there wasn’t time to properly vet this option at the last meeting. This will also mean the district’s staff will be split between just two locations, instead of three.

Business Manager Carrie Monforte pointed out this does not mean all the current staff will fit into the new building but it will consolidate offices.

Commissioner Erik Jokinen asked if there is an option to expand the current office spaces, which are located in a former elementary school classroom in a building owned by the school district. Tomisser said they haven’t talked to them yet. Jokinen said he had trouble envisioning three different office entities scattered about for parks and rec staff.

Commissioner Jake Greve noted that rent could potentially increase to be more than $17,000 a year and said he saw adding office space to the aquatic facility as a more fiscally responsible decision.

Commissioner Krista Loercher asked which capital projects would have to be postponed, to which Monforte responded that includes replacing a mower for $130,000 in 2027 instead of 2026.

In the end, the commissioners voted unanimously to authorize the executive director to approve a change order for additional office space in the aquatic facility project.