Finance Committee sets $185 million bond cap for parks; Friends of Camp Mather say project was excluded

The Finance Committee forwarded a resolution of necessity that sets a $185 million cap for a proposed general obligation bond to fund park, recreation and open space projects.

Dawn Kamala Notham, planning director for the Recreation and Park Department, told supervisors the resolution establishes a cap of $185,000,000 and that the department is still finalizing project lists and budgets. She said the full proposal and the bond ordinance are targeted to return to the Finance Committee on September 26.

Committee members and the budget analyst clarified that the future ordinance to determine bond details will require an eight‑vote supermajority on the full Board. Supervisor Duffy asked whether Camp Mather was included; Kamala Notham said it was "regrettably" not in the current mix and that stakeholder outreach prioritized neighborhood parks.

Tony Patch, vice president of the Friends of Camp Mather, testified that the February bond proposal includes no money for Camp Mather and that the camp's operating receipts are swept to the general fund so the facility cannot self‑support capital needs. Patch said Friends of Camp Mather raise funds through a raffle drawing an estimated 14,000 summer visitors and netting roughly $40,000 over the last two years, and urged the department to find a way to include Mather. "We are very concerned that there's no privatization on the horizon... Number 2, we'd like to see something in the bond issue," Patch told the committee, adding he did not intend it as a threat but as a discussion point.

Supervisor Tom Ammiano urged conciliation and said discussions should continue to avoid splitting public support; he emphasized the practical need to secure eight votes on the full Board.

The committee, without objection, forwarded the resolution of necessity to the full Board with recommendation.