Vashon Park District

What Vashon Park District does

Vashon Park District is a Washington State special purpose local government entity, founded in 1983, that manages public parks and recreation facilities on Vashon-Maury Island. The district operates a portfolio of 17 parks and natural areas spanning beaches, trails, athletic fields, and waterfront access points, anchored by key facilities including Ober Park (the administrative headquarters), Vashon Pool (an indoor aquatic center offering lap swim, open swim, family swim, and American Red Cross certified swim lessons and lifeguard training), BARC (Burton Adventure Recreation Center, featuring a skate park bowl, disc golf, indoor skate facility, pumptrack, and climbing boulder), Jensen Point Kayak Center (kayak and SUP rentals, May–Labor Day, Friday–Monday), and Point Robinson with its historic Keepers' Quarters lodging. Recreation programming is broad, covering youth ski bus transport, sailing, kayak and paddleboard camps, pickleball, skate programs, concerts in the park, and adult and youth activities.

The district is funded through property taxes, grants, and user fees for programs and facilities, with no disclosed revenue and a lean staff of 1-10 employees. It is governed by an elected board with publicly archived meeting packets dating back to at least 2018, reflecting institutional continuity. The district partners with King County Parks and Recreation, Vashon-Maury Island Land Trust, the Vashon Island Chamber of Commerce, Scan Design Foundation, and Vashon Center for the Arts, most notably on the Northwest Trolls: Way of the Bird King cultural installation at Point Robinson.

Service delivery is operated through a standard municipal stack: a public website (vashonparks.org), social media channels (Facebook, Instagram), RSS feeds, community bulletin boards, and the DaySmart Recreation SaaS platform for online registration, swim lesson enrollment, camp sign-ups, and facility reservations. There are no proprietary technology products, no AI/ML capabilities, no APIs, and no mobile applications. Distribution is entirely direct-to-consumer within the single geographic market of Vashon Island, with no enterprise or commercial customer base beyond facility rentals and lodging.

Name

Vashon Park District

Legal name

Vashon Park District

Website

https://vashonparks.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Vashon Park District is a Washington State special purpose local government entity, founded in 1983, that manages 17 parks, Vashon Pool, BARC adventure recreation center, and recreation programming for residents and visitors of Vashon-Maury Island.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Parks and Recreation

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219), RV (Recreational Vehicle) Parks and Campgrounds (721211), Amusement Parks and Arcades (7131)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

National/State Park Campgrounds & Public Campgrounds (THAMAJAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Whitewater & Paddle Sports Centers (Rafting, Kayak, SUP, Canoe) (THAAAKAF), Marina RV & Waterfront Campgrounds (THAMAJAH)

Keywords

• Public parks management
• Recreation facilities
• Community recreation programs
• Aquatic center services
• Facility rental services

Headquarters

HQ city

Vashon

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Vashon Park District manages public parks, beaches, trails, and natural areas on Vashon Island, and operates recreation facilities including the Vashon Pool aquatic center, BARC adventure recreation center, and Jensen Point Kayak Center. It delivers recreation programming (swim lessons, sailing, kayak camps, sports, concerts), rents meeting venues, gymnasiums and athletic fields, offers primitive camping, and provides historic lodging at Point Robinson Keepers' Quarters.

Product overview

Vashon Park District operates as a public parks and recreation management organization rather than a technology product company. The organization manages a portfolio of parks and recreational facilities across Vashon Island, Washington, including properties such as Agren Park, BARC (Burton Adventure Recreation Center), Burton Acres, Fern Cove, Fisher Pond, Jensen Point, Ober Park, Point Robinson, and Vashon Commons. The district offers recreation programming including swim lessons at Vashon Pool, sailing programs, kayak and paddleboard camps, ski school, and concerts in the park. Additional services include campgrounds, facility rentals, and the Point Robinson Keepers' Quarters lodging accommodation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BARC (Burton Adventure Recreation Center) Adventure recreation center featuring a skate park bowl, disc golf course, indoor skate facility, pumptrack, and climbing boulder, available to Vashon Island residents and visitors.
• Vashon Pool Indoor swimming facility offering lap swim, open swim, family swim, and American Red Cross certified swim lessons and lifeguard training classes for the Vashon Island community.
• Recreation Programming Diverse recreation programs including Vashon Ski School Youth Ski Bus, sailing program, kayak and paddleboard camp, BARC programs, adult and youth activities, Concerts in the Park, classes, community events, sports, drop-in programs, and pickleball camp, targeted at Vashon Island residents.
• Facilities for Reservation Rental of meeting, event, and activity venues, gymnasiums, athletic fields, and community bulletin boards for community members and organizations on Vashon Island.
• Camping Primitive campsites available at Lisabeula and Point Robinson parks, open to kayakers and bicyclists with advance registration required.
• Pt. Robinson Keepers' Quarters Historic lighthouse keeper's quarters available for lodging accommodations at Point Robinson on Vashon Island.
• Jensen Point Kayak Center Kayak and stand-up paddleboard (SUP) rental facility at Jensen Point operating Friday through Monday from May through Labor Day for Vashon Island residents and visitors.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record.

• King County Parks and RecreationOthersListed as a partner organization with website link on the Vashon Park District community links page.
• Vashon-Maury Island Land TrustStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Vashon Park District for the Northwest Trolls: Way of the Bird King series at Point Robinson Lighthouse, including Oscar the Bird King sculpture created by Thomas Dambo.
• Vashon Island Chamber of CommerceStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Vashon Park District for the Northwest Trolls: Way of the Bird King series at Point Robinson Lighthouse, including Oscar the Bird King sculpture.
• Scan Design FoundationStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Vashon Park District as presenter/sponsor for the Northwest Trolls: Way of the Bird King series at Point Robinson Lighthouse.
• Vashon Center for the ArtsStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Vashon Park District as presenter for the Northwest Trolls: Way of the Bird King series at Point Robinson Lighthouse.

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Port Townsend Parks and Recreation Department: Small Washington municipal parks operator with campgrounds, trails, and waterfront access on the Olympic Peninsula. Similar island/peninsula geography and tourism-recreation mix.
• Renton Parks and Recreation: Mid-sized Washington municipal parks operator providing pools, sports fields, and recreation programs. Useful peer for benchmarking smaller-scale programming and pricing for community pools and aquatic lessons.
• Federal Way Parks and Recreation: Washington municipal parks operator managing athletic fields, community centers, and aquatics. Comparable mid-size operating profile with similar aquatics-and-fields mix.

Broad incumbents

• Seattle Parks and Recreation: Municipal parks and recreation department for the City of Seattle, operating pools, community centers, and athletic fields. Comparable service mix at much larger scale; useful for benchmarking facility programming depth and pricing.
• King County Parks and Recreation Division: The county-level parks and recreation operator for the broader Seattle region; Vashon Park District is explicitly linked as a partner organization on its community links page. Same public-parks mission, but at vastly larger geographic and budget scale.
• Tacoma Parks and Recreation: Washington-state municipal parks operator running pools, sports fields, and community centers. Comparable offering set (aquatics, sports fields, recreation programming) at city-wide scale.

Direct peers

• Bainbridge Island Park District: Independent Washington-state park district serving Bainbridge Island, managing parks, trails, aquatic programs, and recreation facilities. Closest structural peer: island geography, special-purpose district governance, and similar mix of parks/aquatics/recreation programming.
• San Juan County Parks Department: Washington-state county parks operator serving the San Juan Islands with parks, campgrounds, and boat launches. Strong structural parallel: island geography, campgrounds, waterfront access, and visitor-oriented programming.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/vashonparks
• Instagraminstagram.com/vashonparks
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vashon-park-district

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Vashon Park District