Here come new playgrounds, more picnic tables and park benches, and replacements for plants and trees that died from drought.
The city will invest more than $30 million in parks and trails by selling bonds that voters approved in Tuesday's elections.
Unofficial results show the measure passed by a more than 2-to-1 ratio. The bond will add about $93 worth of property tax to a home valued at $300,000.
City Finance Director Kathryn Raveling said the bonds sale will likely occur in June, and taxpayers will see the increase first on bills that arrive in November. The bonds will take about 20 years to be repaid, she said.
The revenue will be spread among parks in each of four city council districts
as well as go toward the completion of five trails that traverse the city.
The budget includes $9.1 million for citywide trails, including completion of the Rail Trail and Santa Fe River Trail; $9.2 million for regional parks; $2.1 million to $2.6 million for projects in each of four council districts; and $9.2 million for outdoor recreation projects in the city-owned Northwest Quadrant.
Citywide votes tallied 71 percent in favor of the bond, with 30 percent against it. Districts 1 and 2 showed slightly more support than that margin, but Districts 4 and 3 indicated less support, 67 and 66 percent respectively.
Voter James Parker Sparks III was among those who voted for the bond. "I want to see the trails, the Santa Fe Rail Trail and so forth, completed. I really appreciate being able to walk now almost from my backyard to ... Whole Foods without ever having a car pass by me and, for someone like myself, that's a real blessing," said Sparks, who lives in District 2.
The Rail Trail is already paved between St. Michael's Drive and Zia Road. With the bond money, it will be improved from Zia into the downtown Railyard.
Maryann Scheidler, who lives in District 4, said she was among those who voted against the bond because she said the ballot language was not clear concerning how much city taxes would increase and called it a "temporary" increase.
City Parks Division Director Fabian Chavez said community meetings will be held to hammer out details of spending in each park.
Contact Julie Ann Grimm at 986-3017 or jgrimm@sfnewmexican.com.
