Chris Perri of the My Community Bonds campaign addresses the Town Board Tuesday.

Davidson commissioners Tuesday unanimously endorsed the proposed $250 million parks and recreation bond package on the Nov. 4 ballot. The package includes several projects that would directly benefit local residents, including $1.5 million to help build a community recreation center at Davidson IB Middle School and money for greenways and sports fields.

With early voting set to begin Thursday, the Town Board urged residents to vote in favor of the bond package.

“We are very much behind this,” Mayor John Woods said after the 4-0 vote by board members Evan Webster, Bill Johnson, Brian Jenest and Laurie Venzon. Commissioner Margo Williams was absent.

Chris Perri, a leader of the citizen-driven My Community Bonds Campaign, gave a 15-minute presentation to the board before Tuesday’s vote. He said the bonds have not received the same attention as the presidential race or local offices on this fall’s ballot. So armed with a $200,000 budget, the committee is trying to spread the word through presentations, advertising and public relations.

MEETING NEEDS

The bond package was drawn up by Mecklenburg Parks & Recreation officials, based on priorities in the county’s 10-year parks and recreation master plan. Mr. Perri said officials also met with citizens and local officials to craft a bond package that addresses needs in all parts of the county.

“Two hundred fifty million dollars for parks and recreation is a tremendous investment,” Mr. Perri said. “Having these types of resources to be spent over the next couple of years is critical to our community.

“As you know, our fields are way overplayed, our greenways are way underbuilt, our rec centers are aged out and needing renovations. Every form of investment that these bonds will make will improve the quality of life for all the Charlotte region,” he said.

LAND, GREEWAYS, FIELDS

One of the largest line items in the bond package is $60 million to buy open space for future parks, greenways or other projects. That’s needed now, Mr. Perri said, because, “we’re watching the land supply in our community vanish.”

The bond package also includes money to extend local greenways – one through the town-owned Fisher Farm, off Shearers Road, and one from the Southeast Greenway at the end of South Street to downtown Cornelius.

There’s also money for three artificial turf soccer fields at Bradford District Park on N.C. 73, which Davidson will operate jointly with Huntersville.

Town officials are also eager for help paying for the town’s $4 million share of a $7.6 million renovation at Davidson IB Middle School, on South Street. Davidson has agreed to cooperate with Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools on that project, which would include badly needed upgrades to the old school, and construction of a new recreation center and offices for Davidson Parks & Recreation.

The project is working its way through Davidson’s planning process. A followup public planning workshop is planned Thursday, Oct. 23, at Davidson Town Hall, where citizens will have a chance to see and comment on the latest site plan. (That meeting conflicts with another meeting at the same time and location hosted by the town and CMS. Town officials are currently sorting out the conflict and it’s possible the time could change.)

EFFECT ON COUNTY BUDGET?

Town Boad member Laurie Venzon asked Mr. Perri whether the bond issue would require a tax increase.

Mr. Perri said voter approval would not trigger a tax increase, and that the county would not issue all $250 million immediately. Instead, the bonds would be issued over time as projects near execution. How quickly and how much debt is issued in a given year would determine the effect on the overall budget, he said.

“As the county looks at its budget in future years, it would be hard to say this bond package would be the single source of any change in taxes,” he said.

Commissioner Evan Webster noted that the bonds are part of the county budget, not Davidson’s so they would have no effect on Davidson’s tax rate.

LINKS and PREVIOUS COVERAGE

Website of the My Community Bonds Campaign, www.mycommunitybonds.com

Sept. 3, 2008, DavidsonNews.net, “Bond package would help fund rec center, other projects.”