Walnut Creek is eagerly preparing to upgrade one of its beloved parks, with a considerable chunk of funding stemming from a voter-approved sales tax expected to yield tens of millions of dollars for the project.
The City Council has given the nod to the proposed improvement of Heather Farm Park’s swim center and community center, both of which are more than half a century old and presently located on opposite sides of the 102-acre park.
Though combining the two facilities will require reducing the size of the fishing pond to make room for the new pools, other amenities at the popular park will remain, including tennis courts, picnic areas, the equestrian center, a skate park, an off-leash dog park, bike paths, an all-ability playground, tot lots, a sand volleyball court, a nature pond, six athletic fields, restrooms and a connection to the Iron Horse Trail. The new swim center would be north of the central playground.
This sweeping project, among the most expansive of its kind in the city’s recent annals, is anticipated to cost around $77 million and will be partially bankrolled by revenue from Measure O – a half-cent sales tax sanctioned by voters in November for multiple items, including revamping of aging infrastructure, public safety and homeless initiatives.
At the Feb 7 council meeting, the staff presented a forecast of Measure O revenues over the 10 years the sales tax will be in effect. The tax, which began April 1, will bring in an estimated $12.5 million each year.
The council directed staff to reserve $9 million of Measure O revenue for the next two years, for a total of $18 million, for construction costs of the new pool and community center at Heather Farm Park.
With an estimated $12.5 million in revenue from the sales tax expected in both fiscal 2024 and 2025, $3.5 million per year from Measure O remains available for other projects.
Council member Kevin Wilk said in an interview that earmarking the money now for the Heather Farm project will allow the city “to start moving in the direction of getting it prepared to be built, which includes an architect and some of the initial planning that will have to happen.”
Kevin Safine, Walnut Creek director of arts and recreation, is presently looking for an architect for the project. Wilk said that the city anticipates devoting at least half of all the Measure O funds to the Heather Farm project, with the remainder divided among other community needs determined by a survey of residents conducted in the spring of 2022.
The survey found that the top priority for the community was public safety, followed by well-maintained parks, and the repair or replacement of deteriorating city structures and facilities. Other priorities identified in the survey include homeless intervention services, programs for seniors and youth, COVID-19 recovery and disaster preparedness improvements.
The final recommendations on how to allocate Measure O funding for the next two years will be presented by staff in May before the council completes its biennial budget in June. Staff will return to the Finance Committee and City Council with a more detailed proposed Measure O budget in May for feedback before budget adoption in June.
At its Feb. 7 meeting, the council discussed ways to fund the rest of the Heather Farm project down the road, which could include borrowing from other funds or going into debt. No decision has been made.
Source: www.mercurynews.com