RAP tax committee urges dog park, shade canopies and a 20% annual rollover

The Clinton City Council heard a detailed report Aug. 26 from the newly formed Recreation, Arts and Parks (RAP) tax committee, which recommended prioritizing smaller, visible park improvements while setting aside money each year for larger projects.

Terry Tremea, who presented the committee’s findings, said the group collected more than 130 public suggestions and recommends quick projects such as shade canopies, benches and targeted recreation programming alongside a $75,000 allocation to help advance the Clinton Pond pump-track project. “I was pleasantly surprised when I saw 132 suggestions,” Tremea said, summarizing the committee’s community outreach. The committee’s recommended package of items and initial allocations totals about $231,000.

Why it matters: The committee proposed a dual approach — fund immediate, visible projects so residents can see RAP-tax dollars at work, and concurrently set aside 20% of annual RAP revenue as a rollover to accumulate seed funding for larger projects such as a rec center or a splash pad. Committee members told the council they did not expect the city’s RAP receipts alone to pay for multi‑million‑dollar facilities without external grants or interlocal partnerships.

Council members pressed the committee on timelines and scale. Councilmember Gary Tyler cautioned that full recreation centers are expensive and carry ongoing maintenance costs: “They are money pits,” he said, urging realistic planning. Committee members responded that a rec center would be decades away if funded only by RAP revenue and that the 20% rollover is intended to start conversations and build leverage for grants and partnerships.

Key details and proposals presented by the committee include: - A recommendation to set aside 20% of yearly RAP receipts as a rollover to seed larger projects while retaining funding for small, high‑visibility projects. - A proposed $75,000 contribution toward the Pawn/Pond Park pump‑track effort rather than trying to fund that project entirely from the committee’s budget. - Shade apparatus and canopy options with vendor bids discussed (a full‑park canopy quote cited at about $217,000; smaller canopy options for benches and playground shade were discussed at lower price points, and a canopy package for Civic Center benches was cited at roughly $51,000). - Dog‑park site options that reuse existing park footprints (Kestrel Park and Civic Center sites were highlighted), recommended fencing and amenities, and an inventory note that a resident has donated dog‑park equipment that the city could install once a location is approved.

Next steps: Councilmembers suggested continuing the conversation in a Sept. work session to review more detailed cost breakdowns, splash‑pad estimates and how RAP funds might be phased between quick wins and longer‑term projects. The committee offered to meet regularly with staff and provide further cost estimates and grant‑search assistance.

The council expressed broad support for the committee’s outreach and the idea of delivering near‑term, visible projects while preserving funds for future, larger opportunities.