By a wide margin Tuesday, Mecklenburg County voters approved a $250 million parks & recreation bond package that includes money for the proposed community recreation center at Davidson IB Middle School on South Street, sports fields at the new Bradford District Park east of town, and for extending local greenways.

Mayor John Woods and Vidalia showed support for the bond package at the Davidson Farmers Market last weekend. (David Boraks photo)

The unofficial tally was 231,410 (61.7 percent) in favor of the bonds, 143,947 (38.3 percent) against, according to the Mecklenburg Board of Elections. Voters in Davidson’s two precincts supported the bonds by a 66 percent to 34 percent margin.

Davidson’s Town Board had urged a vote in favor of the project, and Mayor John Woods had joined mayors of all Mecklenburg County’s cities and towns in endorsing the bonds.

The $7.6 million IB Middle School/Community Center project is a joint project of Davidson and Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools. It would include badly needed renovations at the IB School and construction of a gymnasium and offices and classrooms for the town Parks & Recreation Department. County bonds would pay for $1.5 million. The school system has about $3.6 million from a previously approved bond package. Davidson United Methodist Church has pledged $1 million in exchange for shared use of the facility. And town officials say they will assemble the remaining funding from various undisclosed sources and town funds.

The vote authorizes county leaders to borrow money for parks, land acquisition, greenways and large regional projects. The money would not be spent immediately; instead county parks leaders would issue the bonds when needed as projects proceed.

LOCAL PROJECTS IN THE BONDS

• $1.5 million for the proposed Davidson community recreation center at Davidson IB Middle School.
• Money to extend local greenways: $1.4 million to extend through the town-owned Fisher Farm, off Shearer Road. $1.03 million extend the Southeast Greenway at the end of South Street to downtown Cornelius.
• $23 million for a regional recreation center serving north Mecklenburg.
• $2.95 million for three artificial turf soccer fields, restrooms and parking at Bradford District Park on N.C. 73, which Davidson will operate jointly with Huntersville.