Voters to consider parks referendum
October 7, 2008
By J.B. Wogan
Bond and levy would pay for new park projects
If approved the park bond would cost $25.2 million over 20 years. Map by Dona Mokin.
Amid troubled economic times, local voters will have to size up two parks ballot measures Nov. 4 and determine whether they’re worth $25.2 million.
“Going into summer, we really felt that we had a good package that represented a good first step for the city,” said Parks Director Jessi Richardson. “The economy certainly hasn’t done us any favors.”
The parks bond and levy will appear on ballots as “Proposition 1: Park, Recreation and Athletic Facilities Bonds” and “Proposition 2: Levy Lid Lift for Park Programs and Operations.” If one passes and the other does not, they both fail.
The combined measures call for the construction and upkeep of a youth center, an athletic field, a new park, land for another park, upgrades to trails and a playground, all for the price of $25.2 million.
The first measure is a $19 million bond with a 20-year term that would pay for six parks projects. The second is an annual tax hike added to the city’s existing property taxes.
While the bond will be paid off in 20 years, the levy will be permanent.
If voters pass both propositions, the owner of a $600,000 house will increase his taxes by $108 per year. That number could gradually increase.
The amount that goes toward paying off the bond, $84 per year, will remain fixed. The other $24 per year — from the new levy — could increase by up to 1 percent annually.
The six projects in the bond proposition include:
- A recreation center for youths, teenagers and seniors, which would occupy the current King County Library at the intersection of 228th Avenue North and Inglewood Hill Road. The Boys and Girls Club has agreed to operate the space.
- A waterfront park at the northwest corner of the city along a 3,000-foot strip of shoreline property on Lake Sammamish.
- A series of renovations to the existing East Sammamish Park near Margaret Mead Elementary School. The city would upgrade the playground, expand the parking lot and add a trail connecting the park to the school.
- A new multi-use athletic field for Pine Lake Middle School. The field could accommodate softball, little league baseball, soccer and lacrosse games.
- A trail connecting Beaver Lake Park and Beaver Lake Preserve to the Hazel Wolf Wetlands and Soaring Eagle Park.
- The acquisition of a property for the purpose of a future park in the northeast quadrant of the city. Because voters have yet to pass final judgment on the measure, the exact size and location of that plot of land hasn’t been determined yet, according to Richardson.
There were several projects backlogged on the city’s agenda and a bond would create funding to address those projects in the next two-six years, she said.
“If we did the bond without the levy component, we couldn’t afford to operate it,” explained City Finance Director Lyman Howard. The levy would pay for operations and maintenance fees.
Some of the projects mentioned in the bond proposition represent phases of larger projects. Phase 1 of the Sammamish Landing Park would provide public lake access within city limits and might include canoe pullout areas, picnic facilities, docks and parking. But Richardson said the city intends for additional phases for Sammamish Landing Park, as well as other projects.
Richardson said the city hasn’t made any post-election plans for the projects. If the measures fail, she and the City Council will re-evaluate the situation.
She added that the annual parks and recreation budget for the next five years would be $2-3 million, not enough to fund six projects for completion in the near future. Ebright Creek Park, a city project completed last year, cost $3.2 million by itself. The city estimates show similar costs for both Sammamish Landing Park and East Sammamish Park.
The voter’s guide will feature statements in favor of passing the bond and levy measures, but no statements against them.
“We did everything we could,” said Melonie Anderson, city clerk. “But there was no known organized group that was not in favor of the parks bond.”
Anderson said the city advertised for a statement against the bond and levy in local newspapers and on the city Web site. No one came forward.
At least one person against the measures is Scott Nazarino, a private business owner and City Council candidate in the 2007 election.
“I’m not against doing something for the parks, but I’m not for putting our city $19 million in debt for parks right now,” he said.
Nazarino said the city’s priorities were out of whack. It should be conserving its resources in tough economic times, he said. To pay for the parks projects, he would work to entice new businesses to move to Sammamish, where the city could build up new revenue streams.
Nazarino said he believed there were many quiet dissenters who would vote against the measures in November.
“I think what you have in this situation, the outspoken people are the ones that you’ll hear. There’s a whole group of people who aren’t comfortable with it,” he said.
On the opposite end of the spectrum is John James, vice president of the Sammamish Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Sammamish Parks Bond Steering Committee.
“For the dollars it’s going to cost each family, or each resident on the plateau, it pays itself back in several fold,” James said.
James framed the cost issue in these terms: For the typical household, the monthly cost is $9, slightly less than the cost of three gallons of gas. He argued families that drive off the plateau for sporting events and recreation enough times are paying more than $9 per month for the same services and facilities that the bond and levy would provide within city limits.
“I think it is nothing but a win win win,” he said.
Reporter J.B. Wogan can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 247, or jbwogan@isspress.com.
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