WORKSHOP ITEM- Nate Monahan, Recreation Manager and Robert Therres, Public Services Mgr. /Asst. City Manager
Title
PARKS MASTER PLAN AND PROJECT FUNDING
Background
Attached is the revised Parks Master Plan that is under consideration for adoption by the City Council. This plan includes adjustments based on comments from the City Council when the master plan was discussed at an earlier workshop. Part of the master plan lays out improvements for our current parks and includes significant capital upgrades and improvements to Happy Acres and Aquatore Parks.
The equipment replacement and routine upgrades to existing parks over the next 7 - 10 years is estimated to be around $7.7 million. A significant amount of these costs can be funded from the Park Dedication Fund and the Parks and Trails Levy the Council initiated several years ago.
The proposed Parks Master Plan also calls for significantly redesigning and upgrading Aquatore Park and Happy Acres Park. The estimated costs of these improvements are $6 million for Aquatore Park and $9 million for Happy Acres Park. While the Park Dedication Fund and the Parks and Trails Levy may finance some aspects of these proposed improvements, there are no funding sources identified to finance the total improvements.
Some options for financing park improvements include:
- Increase levy for the Parks and Trails fund so improvements may be phased in over a period of years.
- Seek bond authority for improvements through a park bond referendum
- Pursue legislation and referendum for sales tax authority to finance improvements
- Remove items from the Parks Master Plan
Recommendation
Staff is seeking feedback from the City Council on the final draft of the Parks Master Plan and discuss funding of the projects within the plan.