On September 10th Si View Metropolitan Park District announced it will be placing a $14.7 million capital bond measure on the November 6th ballot. According to a press release, Si View stated the bond would address recreation needs of the growing community.
Called ‘Proposition 1: Connecting and Protecting Our Parks’, bond funds would facilitate purchasing land for future parks and green space; building trails to connect North Bend area neighborhoods to parks and rivers; and improvements to existing parks and facilities for expanded use.
Si View Parks Executive Director Travis Stombaugh said as part of its 2017 Comprehensive Plan, they conducted a survey to determine priorities for residents living within the District’s boundaries, which includes the city limits of North Bend and the unincorporated areas of North Bend and Snoqualmie.
From that survey they identified the top three priorities for the Comprehensive plan: a connected trail network, preservation of open space for passive and active recreation and aquatics.
The District also recently announced it will be conducting an in-depth feasibility study over the next year to address the possibility of an expanded pool or a new aquatics facility. While it studies the complexities of the pool component, the District said it will run a $14.7 capital bond measure that addresses the community’s other top priorities of connected trails and parks/preserving open spaces.
Stombaugh said some land acquisitions funded by the proposed bond might include land for a future pool and could also be used to purchase the Cascade Golf Course from the City of North Bend, if the city’s purchase of that property goes through as Cascade Golf Course (CGC) is located within one of the District’s targeted parkland acquisition areas identified in the comprehensive plan.
The City of North Bend is scheduled to close on the $2.4 million CGC purchase at the end of November, but would hold onto a property easement, worth approximately $400,000, that contains a water well (i.e. water right) that the city would use as a secondary mitigation water source to meet conditions of its water permit from the Department of Ecology. (Read earlier story HERE.)
Trails, Parks, other Improvements
Currently North Bend does not have a connected trail system and many new neighborhoods lack parks. Proposition 1 would develop trails linking green spaces, regional trails and riverfront access; acquire property for future parks; and improve and equip existing park and recreational facilities to support expanded use.
According to a press release, proposed improvements to existing parks include a parking area, multipurpose trails and mountain bike trails at Tennant Trailhead Park; facility development at Tollgate Farm Park to support educational and recreational activities; rehabilitation of the North Bend Train Depot and surrounding park; safety and facility improvements at Torguson Park and renovation of the aging skate park; and improvements at District’s other parks and facilities.
Si View Park’s last capital bond was in 2010 for $6.7 million, which passed at 64%. According to Executive Director Stombaugh, the district leveraged that money to $10 million with matching grant funding from other agencies. The 2010 bond renovated Si View Park, rehabbed Si View Community Center and built Tollgate Farm Park. The District said it has identified similar potential partners and grant sources in an attempt to once again leverage the bond proceeds to maximize the proposed projects in Proposition 1.
What will it Cost Property Owners?
Capital bond measures are paid for by property taxes and require a 60% super majority to pass. If Proposition 1 is approved, it would cost a Si View Parks District homeowner – with an average assessed home value of $500,000 – $7.87 per month or about $95 per year. [The proposed property tax increase for this capital bond is approximately .19/1000 of assessed property value.]
Since the creation of the Si View Metropolitan Parks District in 2003, the district has received strong community support, passing every bond and levy placed before voters.
See a larger version of the map image HERE.
For more info about Prop 1 visit: www.siviewpark.org/connectandprotect
