Council discusses parks bond details, path forward
If the city of McMinnville proceeds with a municipal bond proposal for facility and park upgrades, residents in May will vote on a $152.5 million 20-year bond that will cost the average homeowner approximately $54 per month.
Council discussed details of the plan to build a new recreation center, upgrade the Library and Senior Center and pay for park improvements. They approved a housekeeping measure related to the bond that will allow for reimbursement of spending if the measure is approved.
“It’s important for us to get this in place now so that if we do pay any capitalizable costs between now and when we go to the market with the bonds,” Parks and Recreation Director Susan Muir said. “We can kind of claw those back and get those reimbursed.
“If you decide not to put anything forward to the voters this will not have any effect and we don’t need to worry about it.”
Council will need to decide by early 2025 whether to put the measure on the May ballot, according to Muir.
Previous estimates put the cost of a new rec center at approximately $115 million, library enhancements at $25 million, senior center renovation at $3.5 million and the remaining $9 million going to park improvements in the first five years of the 20-year Parks, Recreation and Open Space Master Plan.
Muir discussed project progress since the last update to city council in August.
The city has released a Request For Proposals for a financial services consultant to help with the bond rollout and is working on details to purchase a 27-acre parcel along Riverside Drive from McMinnville Water & Light as the future site of the rec center, Muir said.
Parks and Rec has been working alongside Library staff on public outreach; the city’s iheartmac.org website has been updated to include project details, timelines, and a history of city facilities. Information also includes frequently asked questions about the Culture, Parks & Recreation Bond. Soon to be added is a tool to calculate cost impacts of the bond on specific properties, according to Muir.
Library Director Jenny Berg recently joined Muir for a discussion with a group of citizens interested in supporting the project and Muir said she attended an outreach event at the Senior Center Tuesday and plans to hold other meetings with stakeholders and facility users.
“We’re getting around and continuing to spread the information about what we’re talking about and what’s in the proposal and a little bit more about the timeline as well,” she said.
The city will launch another community poll in November, following a May poll that saw 52% support for the bond.
Staff is working on an operating plan and budget for the new facilities that will come before City Council on Nov. 12, Muir said.
“That’s the important part of this process, which is to understand what the ongoing costs of a project like this might look like for the city of McMinnville,” she said.
Staff is also monitoring similar bond measures (such as a $60 million bond on the ballot in November for recreation center upgrades) and “nervously watching” for headlines about facility closures around the state, Muir said.
More information about the potential bond can be found at iheartmac.org/en/projects/cpr-bond.
Also at the meeting, councilors gave updates on city projects.
Councilor Kellie Menke (who also serves on the Yamhill Community Action Partnership board) said the Any Door Place Navigation Center has received final completion notice and said YCAP will likely hold soft openings due to staffing issues related to the construction timeline (which was originally scheduled for completion in May).
“They’ll open it on a cold night for maybe a couple nights or something like that and then it will not be open after that,” Menke said. “They’re testing it out with their personnel and stuff.”
Councilor Chris Chenoweth said the Innovation Campus Project is underway, with the project advisory committee holding its first meeting recently. The project will look at options for a retail center and Innovation Campus planned for 200-acres off Highway 18. The committee will look at growth scenarios, infrastructure needs, design standards and marketing for the site, according to city staff.
Mayor Remy Drabkin said city officials will meet with contracted federal lobbyists on legislative priorities next week and will conduct a meet and greet with police chief finalists on Friday.
The city also conducted final interviews with four development teams this week about the redevelopment of the former Ultimate RB property the city purchased last year, Drabkin said.
“More information on that soon,” she said.
Comments
NJINILNCCAOR
Did I read this correctly? $115 million for a recreation center?
Give me a break.
Those kinds of projects stroke the egos of city leaders, are exciting and impressive, but do little for the man on the street.
Put the money into parks, open space, playgrounds and infrastructure.
Much more “quality of life“ bang for the buck.
SandyKnoll
How about separating the bond into 4 bonds: rec center, library, senior center, & parks?
This will allow better accounting of where our tax dollars are going and when any of the 4 bond items are done, that bond would be retired early.
The park money is for the only 5 years, so make that one a 5 year bond.
I will not vote for one big bond, but would vote for 4 specific bonds.
Fiddler
I feel like I’m being manipulated into voting yes for a new rec center. The one we have is needing repairs, which are ignored, allowing rain water to infiltrate the structure. Put a new roof on the building and replenish the chinking between bricks. Also, change the lightbulbs that are out in the track area and the one over the stairs leading from the track to the racketball court.
What feels like manipulation is that these repairs are not being done, and instead, we are asked to vote for a new rec center because the current one is “so bad”. Well, fix it.
A new fire district, a new rec center, an improved senior center, a this and a that. Chemeketa College wants more money, too, even though there’s nothing available either there or at Linfield for the community, such as non-credit classes that interest and enrich the lives of adults living in the community.
If 118 passes, the “taxes” will not be paid by corporations, they will be paid by the consumers (you and me), raising the cost of their products.
After the current presidential election, we’ll likely see an increase in tariffs, which will increase the cost of goods to us, the taxpayers.
Keep going, ya’ll, and say bye-bye to the middle class and hello to the top 1% getting richer while their worker bees cannot afford to buy food (happened in the Gilded Age; brush, rinse, repeat).
"Childless Cat Lady"
Why is it every time the city or county want to do something, it's homeowners who bear the cost? The city wants homeowners to pay for a new pool and community center. Why not all landowners? Why not renters (they get a free ride--owners of their buildings don't pay for this)?
118 will put a tax on industries. Who pays the tax? Consumers of their products (you and me)!
I'm TIRED of the middle class bond/tax squeeze.