Park board asks for $50M, five-year referendum

Meeting a community’s recreational needs doesn’t come cheap, which is why the Springfield-Greene County Park Board is asking voters to approve a 1/4-cent sales tax next month.

On Aug. 8, Greene County voters will decide the fate of the so-called park tax, which was first approved as 1/4 of a cent in November 2001.

If passed, the proposal would extend the existing 1/8-cent tax and add an 1/8-cent increase for new projects, such as a botanical center at Close Memorial Park, a family center on Springfield’s far east side and an aquatic facility at Doling Park.

Half of the tax would sunset after five years, leaving 1/8 of a cent for ongoing park operations and maintenance. Altogether, the tax is expected to raise $50 million for parks, open space and greenways during the next five years.

Parks Director Jodie Adams said the improvements are in line with the city’s Vision 20/20 Plan, which recommends a balance of passive parks, open spaces and active recreation.

Volunteers who helped develop the plan also emphasized the importance of preserving natural resources amid growth and promoting health and wellness through school parks and athletic facilities.

“We have to offer a real variety of stuff,” said Bill Smillie, a local businessman who chairs the park board. “And we have a great track record to show the voters.”

In 2000, the Springfield-Greene County park system won the National Recreation and Parks Association Gold Medal Award. Three years later, Springfield was named a Missouri Sportstown USA by Sports Illustrated magazine.

And last week, the National Park Service dedicated the 35-mile Frisco Highline Trail between Springfield and Bolivar as a National Recreation Trail – one of more than 900 in the country.

The sales tax proposal earmarks almost $7.3 million for trails and greenways. Continued development of the South Dry Sac and Wilson Creek trails are top priorities, said Terry Whaley, executive director of Ozark Greenways.

“We want to work to fill the gaps,” he said.

Additional tax revenue, which Whaley said is a plus when applying for matching grants, also will go toward the upkeep of trails and greenways.

Revenue from the existing tax furthered several park projects and enabled the city to purchase additional land for trails and green space, Smillie said, specifically mentioning Lost Hill and Rutledge-Wilson parks.

Both parks are expected to open to the public next year. Lost Hill Park – a 143-acre natural reserve about a mile north of Hillcrest High School – will serve as a trailhead for the South Dry Sac Trail, which connects Ritter Springs to Valley Water Mill Park.

Rutledge-Wilson Park is a “metropolitan community park” spanning 209 acres on Springfield’s west side that will include outdoor classrooms and a working farm.

Another park project relying heavily on future tax revenue is the Botanical Center in southwest Springfield. The $4.3 million multipurpose facility would house master gardeners from the parks department and University of Missouri Extension, said Bob Childress, president of Friends of the Garden.

The tax would generate $3 million for the 19,000-square-foot center, which would include classrooms and a reference library.

“We hope that will be an anchor point for soliciting more donations,” Childress said. “Some people are hesitant to give money to something that might not happen.”

Smillie said park projects have been “completed as promised” much in the same way the city has revamped major intersections with revenue from a capital improvement sales tax renewed five times by city voters.

Adams agreed. “I do think it is definitely an accountable plan, because you can see and touch and use all the results of the 2001 tax,” she said.

More than 20 organizations, including the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau and Home Builders Association of Greater Springfield, have endorsed the N-cent tax initiative.

Greene County Clerk Richard Struckhoff said he doesn’t expect more than 20 percent of registered voters to participate in the Aug. 8 election.

Less than 10 percent of the electorate turned out to vote on the parks tax in 2001, when the proposal passed 8,358 to 5,603. Voters in Springfield and Republic largely supported the tax, but the measure failed at numerous polling places throughout the county.

Where the money would go:

Lakes, Streams and Waterways

Renovation and preservation: Sequiota, Fassnight Park and Creek, Doling, Close, Jordan Creek and Dickerson Park Zoo. $7.5 million

Acquisition, maintenance and beautification. $9.125 million

Doling Aquatics Center and Aquatic Facilities

Construction of indoor/outdoor aquatic facility: Doling Park. $3.25 million

Pool and bathhouse renovations: Westport, Silver Springs, Fassnight and Grant Beach parks. $5 million

Trails, Greenways and Linear Parks

Acquisition and development: Galloway/Sequiota Trail, Wilson Creek Phase II, James River Trail and South Dry Sac Phase II. $7.275 million

Sports Complexes and Gillenwaters Tennis Complex

Renovations/improvements: Ewing Softball Complex, Meador Sports Complex and Killian Softball Complex. $5 million

Renovation of 12 existing courts, parking and lighting: Gillenwaters Tennis Complex. $1 million

Greene County municipalities appropriation

Ash Grove, Battlefield, Fair Grove, Republic, Rogersville, Strafford, Walnut Grove and Willard will receive a portion of the sales tax based on population for park and waterway projects. $4.2 million

Botanical Center

Botanical center in Nathanael Greene/Close Memorial Park. $3 million

Dickerson Park Zoo

Exhibit upgrades and facility improvements: African primate exhibit, tortoise building and additional public restrooms. $2 million

School Parks

Continued development: Carver, Cowden, Delaware, Disney, Field, Fremont, Holland, Robberson, Weaver/Grant Beach and Westport schools. $1 million

East Side Park and Future Family Center

Land acquisition and design for neighborhood park and Family Center East – the first park facility east of Highway 65. $1 million

Park development and infrastructure improvements

New property, historical park upgrades, playground renovations, park signage, picnic pavilions and parking improvements. $650,000[[In-content Ad]]