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Parks seeks $185 million bond, emphasizes equity-zone investments and deferred maintenance
Summary
Parks & Recreation presented a $231 million two-year portfolio (about $170M operating, $60M capital), described equity-zone targeting and deferred-maintenance priorities, and outlined a proposed $185 million bond expected on the November 2019 ballot to fund major park renovations.
Phil Ginsberg, director of the Recreation and Park Department, told the Budget & Finance Committee the department—udget is $231,000,000 across operations and capital and that capital needs are "lumpy" depending on bond timing and grant timing.
Ginsberg said the department prioritizes investments using an equity zone approach that targets the top 20% of census tracts by seven vulnerable population characteristics; he told supervisors San Francisco remains one of the top five park systems nationally and that all residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park. "We are the first city in The United States where 100% of our residents live within a 10 minute walk of a park," he said.
He reviewed the department—apital wish list nd identified $185,000,000 as the current allocation in the city's 10-year capital plan for a parks bond scheduled for the November 2019 ballot, noting large projects such as India Basin, Portsmouth Square and Gene Friend Rec Center would be costly and likely phased. Ginsberg told the committee the department plans to dedicate an additional $15,000,000 per year from Proposition B to deferred maintenance.
Supervisors asked about bond timing, selection and life-cycle scoring used to prioritize projects; Ginsberg described a facility condition index and a life-cycle database that will help rank preventative maintenance, deferred maintenance and renewal needs. He also said the department has pilot programs and recurring service investments such as expanded park rangers, free Zumba classes and apprenticeship programs.
Ginsberg said the department intends to expand "Peace Parks" and other programs but that some planned expansions did not fully receive soda-tax advisory committee funding and would therefore need complementary sources to avoid supplanting existing services.
