Friends - As you are probably tired of hearing, the election is just around the corner. I am very passionate about the Parks & Trails bond on the ballot and am campaigning hard to educate anyone interested on what the ballot really is and what it will really fund when passed. In campaigns it is important to stay on message and have thick skin...that can be very difficult, especially for me. In the past week, opponents of the bond have basically been grasping at anything to make it sound like a bad thing, even an evil thing to consider. So indulge me while I stray slightly from message to set the record straight (and please help me spread this to all of Missoula County). There are about 8 of us on the committee that proposed this idea to the County Commissioners. We are Dads and Moms, historians and doctors, conservationists and salesmen, small business owners and healthcare administrators. We worked for over a year to come up with a plan we truly believe provides something for as many people as possible, regardless of where you live in the County. We used the Countys own data and added research before suggesting we create a County Trails program. We used transactions and County employee advice to determine the amount to ask the public to support. The new Trails program will create the types of trails County residents say they want most and will provide greater access to public lands.The County feels they can make the $3M fund grow to $15M or more with grants. That is not an after thought, that is an awesome new plan for the County. We used the Citys Parks Asset Management plan to identify the 10 oldest (poorest shape) parks and added them to the bond so that all kids would get access to safe places to play close to their homes. We used the master parks plan for Fort Missoula Regional Park that has been worked on since 2002 to determine the amount to ask for that component. Fort Missoula Park, as it exists now with its loop trail, picnic shelter, softball fields, soccer fields, and tennis courts will be transformed into a beautiful facility with access for all. The park currently sits entirely on County land but will be a mix of County and City land when completed. Those who are trying to say this is just a ball field bond have not looked into the plans or are simply trying to mislead the public. The new park will contain improvements over the fields that are already there and so much more. It will be a public facility and run just like other parks like Playfair...groups can reserve, leagues can form, tournaments can happen, public can use freely. Missoula Parks & Recreation and the Greater Missoula YMCA offer leagues with scholarships at the Fort currently and no one is denied access because of financial hardships. That will continue. Great cities invest int infrastructure and amenities. This bond is a great investment in our present and future. Please vote YES for Parks & Trails and encourage your friends to do the same. Finally, the bottom line is if you dont vote, if everyone who supports this doesnt vote, it will fail and that would be terrible for our City, our County, and our kids.
Posted on: Fri, 31 Oct 2014 19:46:28 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015