Editor the VOiCE:
When the City’s second attempt to pass a park bond measure did not receive 60% approval in February 2017, the City Council directed the Parks & Recreation Commission to take another look at park development priorities within the City.
After three (3) separate joint meetings between the City Council and Parks & Recreation Commission to review options and to look at available funding sources, on June 14th the Council decided to move forward with the following three capital projects:
- Summit Park & Ballfields Master Plan Development
- Lake Wilderness Park Beach House Replacement
- Lake Wilderness Park Playground Upgrade
These projects represent a balance between taking care of aging infrastructure at Lake Wilderness Park and investing in the City’s future by developing a new community park to serve a wide range of interests. Each of these projects has been identified in master plan documents that date back several years.
The Council has capped the total combined cost for these projects at $10.75M and includes a variety of City funding sources including the Park Development Fund and Real Estate Excise Tax Fund. These funds will be augmented with Council approved surplus of City owned property, Councilmanic bonds (which do not require an increase in taxes), and a variety of grant sources.
Each of the project designs will be reviewed and discussed at future Parks & Recreation Commission meetings throughout summer and fall of 2017, with final designs for each project going to the City Council for approval prior to construction beginning.
Project updates will be included on the City’s website as design work progresses, and later, as construction begins. Updates on each project can be found here: http://www.maplevalleywa.gov/what-s-happening/current-projects
Sincerely,
Sean P. Kelly, Mayor
