Eugene council receives parks bond and levy update; staff warn of maintenance funding gap as projects come online

City staff gave the Eugene City Council an annual report on the 2018 parks and recreation capital bond and the 2023 five‑year operating levy at the April 27 work session, highlighting completed projects, increased recreation use and an emerging maintenance funding gap.

Craig Carnegie, parks and open space division manager, said the 2018 bond funded a portion of a 30‑year system plan and that staff have spent approximately $34,000,000 in bond funds to date while leveraging grants, system development charges and other capital funding to build about $74,000,000 worth of projects. "The levy has been vital to keep up the maintenance, for new amenities as they're built, as well as existing assets in the system," Carnegie said.

Staff reported 35 of the 38 bond projects are complete (about 92% of the original list) and pointed to recent work including the downtown riverfront park and plaza, the Delta Ponds Loop Trail, renovations at Echo Hollow and Sheldon pools, and the reopening of Martin Luther King Jr. Park. A brief video and a participant from the MLK public‑involvement process underscored community engagement in those projects.

On services, recreation staff said Sheldon and Echo Hollow pools recorded more than 285,000 visits in fiscal 2025 and that about 34% of that attendance is attributed to levy‑funded services. Peter Chavon, recreation division manager, said the levy also helped expand programmable space at community centers, fund 618 general fitness classes across 17 locations (just over 4,300 attendances) and support about 1,800 facility reservations in FY25.

Staff outlined the levy’s operational impact: reopening six previously closed restrooms, increasing daily maintenance (litter pickup, restroom cleaning, graffiti abatement), strengthening trails and habitat maintenance, and funding a park safety program. Carnegie described the park safety team composition as including park ambassadors, cleanup staff, Eugene Police Department park resource officers, overnight park security and camera trailers.

But staff warned that the 2023 levy did not fully close a long‑standing maintenance gap for the expanding system. They said staff forecast that the shortfall will begin to appear in late 2026–27 and listed options to manage the gap: lowering some maintenance standards, seeking greater efficiency, delaying projects, shifting eligible stormwater funds, or proposing a renewed levy in 2028.

Councilors praised the work but pressed staff on operational details. Councilor Evans asked whether smaller safety and lighting projects at State Street and Irwin Park are covered by bond or levy funds; staff replied those are routine capital or operating projects (not bond funded) while levy dollars subsidize park safety patrols and other maintenance. Councilor Leach asked about Scoburg Garden; Emily Proudfoot, principal landscape architect, said it is not a bond project, archaeological work has delayed construction, and staff are pursuing grants with construction expected to be well underway next year.

Staff and councilors also discussed volunteer engagement: staff reported about 25,000 annual volunteer hours across the system to supplement maintenance and restoration work, and outlined training and coordination with law enforcement and state safety programs for volunteers.

The presentation closed with staff emphasizing the levy’s role in keeping parks "cleaner, greener, and safer" while flagging that the current levy level will not fully cover the longer‑term maintenance needs as more assets come online. The council did not take formal action on the bond or levy during the work session.