Park Bonds Help Parks Grow

In 1988, 68% of voters in the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) approved Measure AA, a $225 million bond initiative. Funds were earmarked according to the EBRPD Master Plan for protection of open space, wildlife, shoreline, and the expansion of park properties and trails for use by the general public.

Bond issues, in increments of $45 million each at three-year intervals, began in 1989. The final issue will be in 2001. Each bond has a lifetime of 25 years. (A taxpayer with property assessed at $200,000 currently pays $16.20 per year for the Measure AA bonds.)

The District recently issued a "10-Year Report Card" showing "straight A's" for how Measure AA monies have been invested, managed and leveraged throughout Alameda and Contra Costa counties. Accomplishments include:

• Acquisition of 22,000 acres of new park lands, which expanded the District from 48 parks encompassing 66,000 acres in 1988 to 55 parks covering 88,000 acres today. A dozen existing parks doubled in size.
• Addition of more than 100 miles of new trails for walking, running, riding and biking, including key links in the San Francisco Bay Trail and the Bay Area Ridge Trail. This brings the EBRPD total to more than 1,000 trail miles.

Based on the District's performance to date, the goal of 27,500 acquisition acres set out in the original Master Plan will not only be met, but exceeded.

Of further significance are the matching grants acquired from federal, state and local sources. "Because of the existence of the AA funding source, we were able to attract matching funds from grants totaling nearly $80 million at no additional costs to taxpayers," according to EBRPD assistant general manager of public affairs Rosemary Cameron.

As outlined in the Master Plan, Measure AA's total $225 million authorization was allocated to two goals. Seventy-five percent ($168 million) was earmarked for regional park projects, of which $126 million was for park and trail acquisition, and $42 million was for facility construction and renovation. The remaining 25% ($56 million) was to be granted to East Bay cities and recreation agencies on a per capita basis for local park and recreation facility acquisition, development and rehabilitation.

The Report Card shows:

• Appropriation of over $86 million in AA funds for land acquisition, while attracting an additional $60 million in matching funds and commitments from other public agencies and private donors. This is a 41% increase in funding for property acquisition leveraged by Measure AA bond funds.
• Appropriation of $25 million in capital funds for park improvements, of which $19 million, or 43%, was from grant-related funding sources other than Measure AA.
• Appropriation of $56 million in funds for Local Grant Program projects. In all, 235 Local Grant Program projects have been funded and 166 projects have been completed. Projects have included playing field development and renovation, park development, rehabilitation of historic buildings, shoreline erosion repair, and improvements at the Oakland Zoo.
• Refinancing of the existing Measure AA bonds at a lower interest rate, saving taxpayers $14 million over the life of the bonds (over $8.5 million in present value savings). This year EBRPD has been given a Double A rating by Standard and Poor's, as well as the equivalent Aa2 rating from Moody's Investors Service.

"It's clear that the EBRPD's Directors have given voters of Alameda and Contra Costa Counties an extremely impressive return on their investment," said District General Manager Pat O'Brien.

At issue now is the District's need for an additional $7 million, which could come from a parcel tax on the November, 1998 ballot. Revenues would help pay for operations and maintenance of existing parks, enable the opening of new parklands, and permit hiring of additional park rangers and police to enhance public safety. "We need to preserve our investment," Cameron said.

Opening thousands of acres of new park property to public access may create further funding needs. An extension of Measure AA may appear on a future ballot.

Rosemary Cameron, EBRPD, 510-635-0138 Ext. 2003, 250 Peralta Oaks Court, Oakland, CA 94605-0381, http://www.ebparks.org

Report Card facts were confirmed in a June, 1998 audit by Walnut Creek CPA firm Maze & Associates.