Minneapolis Park Board Wants to Ask Taxpayers for at Least $210 Million

The following article by Steve Brandt was published in the November 6, 2015 edition of the Star Tribune.

Minneapolis Park Board Wants to Ask Taxpayers for at Least $210 Million

 

Improvements for a number of Minneapolis parks, including Matthews, have been delayed. Now the Park Board is preparing to ask taxpayers for help.

Photo: Glen Stubbe

Improvements for a number of Minneapolis parks, including Matthews, have been delayed. Now the Park Board is preparing to ask taxpayers for help.

Minneapolis Park Superintendent Jayne Miller wants to ask city taxpayers for at least $210 million over the next 15 to 20 years, money that would be used for improving some of the most worn-out and outdated park amenities.

Park commissioners said Wednesday they want to make a request to voters next year for $14 million annually in new money, but they directed Miller to craft a detailed list of projects that would happen in the first five years if the measure passed.

It is the park system’s largest request for tax money in at least a generation, serving as a high-stakes test of voters’ commitment to city parks and recreation areas.

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