You should vote in favor of extending the ½-cent sales tax because the city has used the money from this sales tax wisely and efficiently, and the revenues generated by the extension will allow the city to satisfy the community’s strong desire for a healthy community.
After the voters approved the ½-cent sales tax in 1999, the city used the money to build the Durango Community Recreation Center, to extend and improve the Animas River Trail and to protect greenways along the river. Having this revenue source allowed the city to use money from the general fund to improve other trails and recreational facilities as well as for playgrounds and playing fields, all of which promote the healthy lifestyle that helps make Durango such a special place in which to live and raise a family. The ½-cent tax helped build the foundation that allowed the city to earn the prestigious National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in the Field of Park and Recreation Management in 2012 from the National Recreation and Park Association, recognizing Durango as having the best park and recreation program in the country for a town of our size.
What will the money be used for? While the 1999 sales tax money was limited to building the Recreation Center and improving the Animas River Trail and greenway, the extension will authorize the city to use the money raised to expand and link trails, sidewalks and bike lanes; improve recreation facilities, including the Recreation Center, Mason Center, Lake Nighthorse and Chapman Hill; protect river habitat; improve river access; and enhance parks, playgrounds and playing fields as well as to protect and expand our community forest.
One third of the money will be used for maintenance of existing and new trails, recreational facilities, parks and playgrounds.
Why should we extend this tax? It is estimated that the extension of the ½-cent recreation sales tax may generate approximately $125 million over 20 years. The Parks, Open Space, Trails, and Recreation Master Plan that was adopted in 2010 with massive input from residents identified over $219 million in future projects that were desired in the community. These projects include upgrades to the Animas River Trail and SMART 160 Trail as well as improvements to the Mason Center gymnastics facility, Chapman Hill winter sports complex, our parks, playgrounds and playing fields as well as Animas River access points and river habitat. In addition, development of new facilities, parks, playing fields and pedestrian and bicycle connectivity projects will be needed in the future.
Even if you are not a recreational enthusiast, voting in favor of the ballot measure will still benefit you. Having a dedicated funding source for meeting many of the recreation needs of the city frees up more general fund money to be used for other projects and needs.
The residents of Durango contribute one-third of the total revenue generated by this sales tax with one third coming from the La Plata County residents and one-third from out-of-town visitors. This is a 200 percent return on our investment in recreation! In addition, having a dedicated funding source also results in more grant opportunities by providing the required matching funds. The city of Durango has been awarded more than $2.3 million in grants to leverage the revenues from the existing sales tax for construction of the Animas River Trail.
Recreation and connectivity are economic drivers for the community. This plays out in many ways, including visitors for sports tournaments, retail sales of equipment, safe and healthy programs for children of working parents, enhanced connectivity to enable people to walk and bike to their destinations without using their vehicles and healthier, happier employees who bolster our customer service oriented economy.
Please vote “Yes” on Question 1-A to Keep Durango Healthy! Look for your ballot in the mail in a few weeks, around March 23. Need more information? Visit facebook.com/KeepDurangoHealthy and www.durangogov.org/halfcent.
Sandy Burke is a member of Citizens to Keep Durango Healthy. The committee also includes Bill Zimsky, Richard Speegle, Frank Viehmann, Melissa Youssef, Ellen Stein, Matt Bradley, Rich Hoelein and AnneMarie Greenberg. Reach Burke at cyberbob_49@yahoo.com.
