PenMet Parks proposes $20 million bond

Anticipated growth, surveys motivate ballot measure

Paige Richmond

of the Gateway

The Peninsula Metropolitan Park District hopes voters will help fund $20 million this November to improve current parks and buy land for more.

Resolution No. R2008-015, which authorizes the purchase of a multi-million dollar bond to be paid back by increasing property taxes, will be placed on November’s ballot for voter approval.

The decision to submit the bond proposal came after nearly two years of community surveys and discussion among parks commissioners, said PenMet Executive Director Marc Connelly.

In 2006, PenMet Parks held two dozen community workshops, asking members of the parks district — which includes residents from the Gig Harbor peninsula and Fox Island, excluding those within city limits — what open space and recreation opportunities they would like to see.

The district also conducted an online survey last month. People had “strong opinions” about wanting an off-leash dog park, trails and waterfront access, Connelly said.

“The PenMet Parks commissioners and myself believe that there’s enough demand for recreation facilities now on the peninsula, based on prior growth and lack of facilities for people who already live here and the people who are coming,” he said. “Now is the time to ask the voters.”

If passed, the bond would create funds to improve Harbor Family Community Park, to construct a dog park and to acquire tracts of land, among other projects.

“Anecdotal” evidence of growth in the area, Connelly said, is part of the current motivation to plan for more parkss He cites changes in the City of Gig Harbor’s comprehensive plan and the Peninsula School District’s property plans as examples of how other local agencies are anticipating growth.

“We’ve all seen change out here. Sometimes it happens overnight,” Connelly said. “Sometimes parks (are) one way to mitigate or slow down the appearance of growth.”

Making sure there are funds to acquire land is one way to do just that. An acquisition fund allows PenMet to buy land as soon as it is available, and before it’s purchased by developers.

Different acquisitions allow PenMet to serve the needs of different citizens, as well.

“As more of us continue to live here, we see the desire to have more services, and those services also will include parks and recreation,” Connelly said, adding that some people will want more environmental protection, while others want places for a family picnic or to play sports.

It’s difficult to predict how the bond will fair with voters, since this is the first time PenMet Parks has proposed this sort of measure. The district was formed in 2005.

PenMet’s predecessor, the Peninsula Park and Recreation District, proposed two bond issues for Sehmel Homestead Park, one each for construction and maintenance. The maintenance bond was not approved by voters; only the $6.53 million construction bond passed.

PenMet also has the property tax increase issue to deal with. If passed, the bond would raise property taxes in the parks district by 18 cents per $1,000 in property value. On a $400,000 home, that’s about $72 per year.

In the past week, though, PenMet has received one clue that the bond might pass: The parks commissioners were required by law to appoint two committees to draft “for” and “against” statements for the voters’ pamphlet for the November general election. While a few people came forward to write a positive statement, no one offered to represent the negative.

Bond money spending

If approved, the $20 million bond for the Peninsula Metropolitan Parks District would pay for:

Improvements to Harbor Family Community Park

Renovating Hales Pass Neighborhood Park

Constructing a spray park; a trail link from Cushman Trail to Narrows bridges; an off-leash dog park; a picnic pavilion at Sehmel Homestead Park

Acquiring property for new neighborhood park and trail access; for public shoreline access; Madrona Links Golf Course and portions of the Tacoma Narrows Airport for recreational use

Creating a parks/open space land acquisition opportunity fund