By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Bowling Green Parks and Recreation Department has no grand expansions planned if its levy passes on Nov. 8. It just hopes to maintain the pretty grand properties and programs already in place.
The city has 11 parks covering 373 acres – well above the national average for a community this size. Those public parks were one of the biggest factors in Bowling Green recently being ranked one of the top 10 places in the nation to raise a family.
The parks offer a variety of settings: Garden, nature, athletic and passive.
“That’s very rare,” said Kristin Otley, director of the city parks and recreation department. “It really is truly amazing what we have here.”
But in order to maintain that, Otley explained the citizens are being asked to pass a 2-mill, five-year property tax levy to support the parks. It will take place of the 1.4-mill levy that expired last year.
The levy will cost the owner of a $100,000 home in the city $61.25 a year. That is $18.25 more a year than the previous levy.
Otley has complete confidence that Bowling Green residents get their money’s worth out of the city’s parks and recreation programs.
“It’s a quality of life issue,” she said. “I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we make a difference in people’s lives every day.”
Those differences can be seen in the swimming lessons offered in City Park, the colorful flowerbeds at Simpson Garden Park, the rambling trails at Wintergarden Park, and the beginning T-ball classes for kids.
“That’s pure joy and learning,” Otley said of the T-ball classes. “It really is pretty phenomenal.” This past summer, 565 children participated in swimming lessons and 625 joined in summer camp programs.
The parks and recreation department has not asked for increased levy millage for 16 years. But during those 16 years, the parks have done a lot of growing, with additions such as Simpson Building and Garden Park, City Pool and Waterpark, Community Center, Ridge Park, Skatepark, Dunbridge Soccer Fields, BG Athletic Fields, Black Swamp Preserve, more trails at Wintergarden, and expanded programming for fitness, aquatics and other events.
The new millage will allow the city to maintain the parks and buildings it already has, Otley explained. “So we can keep up with the quality our residents expect and deserve,” she said.
“We think it’s a good value,” Otley said.
At the previous amount, the levy revenue made up about 30 percent of the park and recreation department’s budget. Fees and charges brought in about 44 percent, followed by city income tax at 21 percent, and donations at 4 percent.
The parks and recreation department has worked hard to keep costs down, Otley said, by partnering with non-profits and local businesses to underwrite more than $30,000 each year for special events and youth sports. The department also uses a lot of volunteer labor and relies on the park foundation and donors to fill in some gaps.
“We are nothing if not thrifty,” Otley said.
Failure of the levy could result in a cut in hours, a cut in programs, or a cut in staffing – none of which Otley wants to see. The department has 18 year-round employees and about 200 seasonal staff.
Otley also wants to keep fees the same for city residents, keep facility rentals at reasonable costs, and continue to waive fees for some children who can’t afford swimming or recreational programs.
Several community input sessions were held earlier this year to gather citizen comments about the parks and recreation programs. Though some of the grander ideas won’t be undertaken anytime soon – like an indoor pool or another East Side park possibly at the old South Main School – those goals may be worked on in the future.
“It’s a great problem to have when people love our parks so much that they want more,” Otley said.
But right now, Otley is just hoping to pass this levy to maintain what the city offers currently. “Bowling Green has always supported the parks,” she said, hoping that support shows up again this year at the polls.
