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Parks get sparkle: $25 million bond measure pays for development and upgrades - The Rel... Page 3 of 6 <br /> In all, the upgrade program <br /> encompasses 53 separate park <br /> acquisition, development or improvement projects. <br /> "This has pretty much been our life around here for the last 3 <br /> 1/2 years," says Andrea Riner, the city's parks planning <br /> manager, whose office is awash in schematic drawings, master <br /> plans and other residue of the city's headlong plunge into <br /> parks renovation. <br /> It's telling for a couple of reasons that her staff has grown to <br /> six planners from the two who were employed before the bond <br /> measure passed - elevating parks planning, as Riner says, <br /> from "a subsection of a subsection" in the city's Public Works <br /> Department to a full section of the Parks Division. <br /> Not only does the elevated status hint at the magnitude of <br /> work expected to continue for at least the next three <br /> construction seasons, but it's an indication of the priority now <br /> given to parks planning and development within the city <br /> organization. <br /> The bond measure can be used only to pay for capital <br /> expenses - acquisition and development of park land - so the <br /> additional planning positions have had to draw from the city's <br /> overall budget, at a time of cutbacks in many service areas. <br /> "Really, what (the bond measure) recognized was 20 years of <br /> funding deficit," Riner says. "It was seen as a way to catch up <br /> with growth that had occurred to date. Fortunately, we had an <br /> excellent park system 20 years ago." <br /> Before 1998, the city's most <br /> recent bond measure to pay for <br /> general parks development and #. <br /> expansion came in 1979, and xi <br /> was for $4 million. That's why t'." <br /> the city's older neighborhoods - ! <br /> those around to benefit from the <br /> 1979 bond - have generally <br /> been in better shape than more <br /> recently developed areas. <br /> Since then, the city's systems <br /> development charge - a fee An improved Irwin Park was a <br /> earmarked for parks expansion welcome addition to the Bethel <br /> that's placed on all new-home neighborhood Amber Robbins, her <br /> building permits - has financed husband and three children moved <br /> o y . shelps <br /> any incremental additions to the herintsonfour,samuelears ago 2,downRobbinfrom helthe <br /> park system. The fees have play area. <br /> typically generated $500,000 to <br /> 416.9 $700,000 per year. <br /> Additionally, parks receive about $300,000 each year from the <br /> http://www.registerguard.com/news/2002/08/18/1 a.parkproj ects.0818.html 8/26/02 <br />