What is one vote worth?

$9,000.

Give or take a view bucks. You weren't expecting such a firm answer were you? I'll explain. I really think that given the time of year, the projects included and the source of money, this election will not have a big turnout. I think that 1,500 votes FOR the Parks Bond Issue will be enough to pass it. The bond issue will raise $13.5 million for parks improvements. Divide that money by 1,500 votes and you get... $9,000 per vote.

People say that one vote doesn't make a difference. That may be true when you are talking about the lesser of two evils in a political race. But this election isn't about choosing sides in an political argument. It's about real money, real projects and making a positive lasting change for Conway NOW.

It's worth your time to vote. One household could justifiably take credit for $18,000 worth of parks construction. Every person you get to go vote for the bond issue... that's another $9,000 in shared credit and benefit. Make a difference. Go vote. Vote FOR the Parks Bond Issue. It's probably the last time you will be able to contribute $9,000 towards our city's future with so little effort.

Early voting starts today (Tuesday). Please take advantage. Just go to the courthouse and vote on the bottom floor. It will literally take seconds. Early voting will last until the election on June 12.

When you come to a fork in the road...take it.

The bond issue is solid. After a joint meeting between the Parks Advisory Board and the City Council last night, we have clear direction on trails. For those of you who have been following the process, the bond election will include a proposal for $1.5 million worth of trails. The Council and Advisory Board set two priorities for this money.

Priority "A" is to begin work on a new southern trail along Stone Dam Creek. We have a loose plan/route. Now we will start retaining easements along the creek. The trail will be built to the same standards as the Tucker Creek Trail. Over time the trail could run from the UCA campus south to South German Lane.

Priority "B" is completion of the Tucker Creek Trail. We already have 90% of the easements retained. We are also a little farther along regarding engineering. This will take the trail from the Dave Ward WalMart on the west all the way to Gatling Park. (the one across of Brierwood Pool)

We are going to work on both of these projects at the same time. I think that the Parks Advisory Board and the City Council are committed to seeing a true trails system in place for Conway. This is the start. We are spreading the love. Please help.

Too Many Balls in the Air?

Have any of you ever felt this way? At first, something seems manageable then...it grows. It can be overwhelming. The parks bond discussion is growing. It's important to remember that this bond issue will guarantee parks funding from the prepared food tax for the next 20 years. Should it fail, parks funding from the prepared food tax will be cut by more than 50%. That is the wrong direction for our city to go. We have got to first play catch up and then start building for the future.

The four projects funded by the bond issue are only half of the story. The bond issue is funded by 1 cent of the 2 cent "burger tax." The other penny will help fund our other parks programs. We still have needs at the soccer park. We still need more playgrounds. We have existing parks that need a general overhaul. Trying to do those things with one penny rather than two isn't going to work. Voting yes on the bond issue isn't just voting yes to baseball, softball and trails. It's voting yes to secure funding for our entire parks program.

Everyone who has a strong opinion about our parks seem to be in agreement. We need more and better parks. That is the problem. The bond issue is part of the solution. Vote yes on June 12th.

It's official

The city council just voted to put the proposed parks bond issue on the ballot June 12th. I have a fully spelled out works program in a number of of posts below. To quickly review, the bond issue will do the following:

• Build a softball complex for our YSAC teams. This could be 4 or 5 fields depending on final budget and layout. The fields will be located on 2o acres recently purchased at Siebenmorgen and Bob Courtway.


• Build 9 youth baseball fields at the former YBMA fairgrounds. The former fairgrounds will also be the site for a proposed new Boys and Girls Club, playground/sprayground, pond and undesignated greenspace.


• Expand our trails system. The bond issue will allocate $1.5 million towards new trails. This is enough to more than double the length of the Tucker Creek trail. We are meeting with the parks advisory board this week to hammer out trail details.


• Relocate the fairgrounds.

I expect the blog to be busy in the coming days. We need your help forwarding this information to other parks advocates. Keep checking the blog for up-to-date info.

Sorry for the longish break between posts. That's a killer for all you loyal return visitors. I won't let it happen again. Like everyone else downtown, I was a Toad Suck Daze refugee/attendee. Great festival, great weather. We, at city hall, are almost fully recovered from serving as ToadHQ for three days. It's all about family fun and scholarships. We are happy to do whatever we can to help.

Now for a "ConwayRunandPlay Websclusive." (It's cheesy, but I've never had the opportunity to write stuff like that before and I don't know if I will again) The city council will address the proposed Parks Bond Issue in their regularly scheduled committee meeting tomorrow night at 5:30. It is my hope/expectation that they will vote during business meeting at 6:30 to put the issue before voters on June 12th. I will try to get a real time update on the blog.

On a separate topic, I really appreciate the emails I've been getting from many of you. Feel free to leave comments on the site. I still need emails from any of you want to be involved on any deeper level. I look forward to putting together a team to work on this. We are going to have to work together to get this thing done.

How old are you now? How old are you now?....

It's my birthday. I'm 29. I'm not sweating it. 29 is the new 26. It's true that time flies when you're having fun. I've had a lot of fun since I arrived in Conway full-time as a freshman at UCA in fall of 1996.

Enough about me. How old are you? How old do you want to be when we build out our parks the way they should be? If we do nothing, and just pay as we go with our prepared food tax, it will take 9 more years to finish the projects we've been reading about. The alternative is to pass a parks bond issue and build it now.

The last eleven years have flown by for me. But ask a 4 year old to wait 9 years for a new little league field. Ask a 6 year old to wait 9 years before learning to ride a bike on the trail. Maybe we should just wait 9 years to take up our own running/walking program. We can do these things now and with no increase in taxes. This proposal is the difference between an entire age group (if not generation) of kids having the parks facilities they deserve or not.

I'm sorry if today's post is a little preachy, but, "it's my birthday and I'll cry if I want to."

This land is your land, this land is my land...

I'm not sure that I have taken the time, in one post, to summarize all of the land the city has purchased recently for parks. So, here it goes:

• YBMA Fairgrounds - Robins St. - 40 acres. Across the street from Sallie Cone School. The plan is to build 9 youth baseball fields ( two 4plexes and one "signature field"), a large playground/sprayground area, a pond, a new site for Boys and Girls club and undesignated play/greenspace.


• "Pompe Park" - Prince and Morningside - 20 acres. This land is split in two by Tucker Creek. We want to reserve the park for greenspace and extend the Tucker Creek Trail through it. It's great natural property and can serve as a jumping in/off point for those using the trail system.


• Softball Park - Siebenmorgen and Bob Courtway - 25 acres. Adjoins the Bob Courtway school. Plans are to build a 4plex for recreational and competitive softball. There is room to grow here. The fields will also offer game and practice flexibility that YSAC has never had.
  

If you are keeping score at home, you already know that the total is 85 acres. That is 85 acres of land spread throughout the core of our town. Its not tucked away or far flung. These are smart, recognizable locations. Prince, Robins, Siebenmorgen. This is lasting change for our city.

*pic above is Woody Guthrie, singer/writer of "This land is your land"

Helloooo softball!

The mayor says hi. That's him, waving hello from the middle of the 25 acres recently purchased for youth softball. This land is at the corner of Siebenmorgen and Bob Courtway. I took this picture standing just off of Siebenmorgen (north end of the property). The property runs well into the far treeline and across the fence to the left all the way to Bob Courtway School. (Schools and parks adjoining each other? Now that's a neat idea.)

I spoke with the commish/president/czar/chief cheerleader of YSAC (softball group) today about the current landscape of youth softball. He informed me that we have 44 teams in Conway. Those teams play on three fields at UCA and their window for games is tight to say the least. UCA also isn't able to allow practice on those fields. Practice takes place in available open spaces or on three makeshift practice fields at YBMA. In no way are our facilities adequate.

The proposed 4 field complex at Bob Courtway may be only one field bigger than what we are using now, but it will allow flexibility for games and practice schedules. It will truly be a home for youth softball in Conway. Tournaments, practices and games could be scheduled on YSAC's terms. For YSAC, as a tenant at UCA, it's basically the difference between owning and renting.