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Resident urges bipartisan support for long‑planned Anderson Park bond during county meeting
Summary
A Clay Township resident urged commissioners to support a bond for Anderson Park in North County, saying redevelopment commission money has already been spent and that the bond would replace a retiring bond rather than raise taxes.
At the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, resident Steve Francis urged commissioners to support a proposed bond issue to develop Anderson Park in the county’s northeast corner, saying the project has been sought for about 25 years.
Francis, who gave his address as Judea Lake Drive in Clay Township, told the board the Redevelopment Commission had already spent design and preliminary engineering funds — he cited $300,000 to $400,000 — with the expectation of reimbursement once the bond is issued. He said the bond would replace a retiring bond and “does not add to taxes in any way.”
“I hope that it is a nonpartisan or bipartisan issue that we can move forward with this park after 25 years of waiting,” Francis said. He urged county leaders to work with municipal officials and to avoid politicizing the project amid recent public opposition at other hearings.
Francis asked commissioners — particularly the commissioner whose district includes the park site — to play a role in advancing the project and to let the public know what steps they took to support it. The remarks were delivered during the public-comment portion of the meeting; commissioners did not take action on the bond at the June 10 session.
