I'm not sure what to make of the BPRD. The district itself, not the various parks and facilities…read more(which are better reviewed individually on Yelp, IMO).
BPRD is a tax district created in the mid-70's to manage the city of Bend parks and various facilities, which include the Juniper Swim & Fitness Center, The Pavilion (an ice rink) and the Bend Senior Center. Major parks include Shevlin, Drake, Pine Nursery and several on the river. The District has taxation authority - the citizens of Bend vote on and pay into bonds to fund the operation.
It's the tax part I'm not sure I like. By creating a separate tax district, management and funding was taken away from the city of Bend and the Bend City Council. The result is that parks and recreation have a guaranteed source of revenue (if approved by voters) that the city can't divert to other uses. The flip side is that to work well, BPRD and the city council must work together to ensure Bendites have a thriving, livable city. Conflicts in vision can arise.
As for the parks themselves, BPRD seems to be doing a good job. Bend has great parks. Moreover, BPRD has its priorities for future projects right, in my opinion. These include ensuring (or working towards) equal access to parks for all neighborhoods, and equal thought to preservation of the environment, particularly the Deschutes River (which, as a river, falls under the purview of other agencies as well).
The BPRD board of directors (comprising five elected members) seems to conduct it's business openly from what I can see attending meetings, and they seem to have a good working relationship with the professional staff.
So, nothing much to complain about. I'm just not sure if the whole thing might be better off being overseen by the city council.