City Council OKs $4 million in bonds for Civic Park, hears about building maintenance backlog

The Civic Field site, future home to Civic Park.

By a 5-2 vote Tuesday night, the Edmonds City Council approved an ordinance authorizing issuance of up to $4 million in bonds to fund a shortfall in financing for the Civic Park project.

Both Council President Adrienne Fraley-Monillas and Councilmember Kristiana Johnson voted against the measure, stating that they didn’t believe the city should use debt financing to build the park. Johnson reiterated her position from previous meetings that  the city should take a “pay as you go” approach with Civic Park funding.

However, Councilmember Dave Teitzel said he believes that the cost of park construction should be shared by both current and future park users, and the 20-year bond will allow the city to do that.

Civic Park has received $8.8 million from a range of sources: park capital funding from real estate excise taxes and the city’s general fund, park impact fees, and a combination of state, county and federal grant money as well as funding from the Hazel Miller Foundation.

The park is projected to cost $12 million and the bonds will enable the city to make up the difference. The goal is to break ground by April or May of 2020.

The city sought closer to $4 million in bonds to cover anticipated additional expenses related to on-site stormwater treatment. The water table on the Civic Park site is very high and the park has a lot of impervious surface, and the city’s stormwater code requires on-site filtration before it is discharged to Puget Sound.

The city will pay $1.18 million in interest over the life of the 20-year bond, or average annual interest of $59,000, Finance Director Scott James said.

In other business, the council heard a report from Public Works Director Phil Williams on the condition of the city’s buildings, based on a study conducted by consultant Mckinstry. Following 20 years of underfunding required building maintenance, the city has a current deferred maintenance backlog of $6.5 million, Williams said. It also needs an $800,000 annual investment to maintain its existing facilities infrastructure.

Of that $6.5 million deferred maintenance backlog, $3.3 million is for HVAC and plumbing and $1.2 million is for electrical. HVAC systems need to be upgraded at the Frances Anderson Center, City Hall, Fire Station 16, and the Public Works Operation and Maintenance and Public Safety buildings.

Electrical upgrades are needed in any buildings built around or before 1980, and fire alarm replacements are required in several city buildings.

Delaying any deferred maintenance further would cost the city an additional $2 million over the next five years plus estimated annual 4 percent inflation of $260,000, Williams said.

Councilmembers discussed a range of funding options to address the backlog, including possible bond funding to cover some of the costs. The problem, Councilmember Dave Teitzel noted, is that the longer the city waits to address the issue, the more expensive it will be.

“Our citizens own these buildings so it’s going to cost our citizens more unless we start investing to catch up, so I fully support that,” Teitzel said.

Also on Tuesday night, the council unanimously approved the city’s long-awaited Urban Forest Management Plan, aimed at helping the city achieve a range of goals, including maintaining or enhancing citywide tree canopy coverage, proactively managing public trees, and incentivizing the protection and planting of trees on private property.

And it heard an annual report from Edmonds-Woodway High School’s Students Saving Salmon Club and its efforts to monitor the quality of local streams, conduct stream surveys and work on habitat restoration.

Finally, as part of its consent agenda, the council approved the appointment of Rae Podrebarac to the Sister City Commission.

— By Teresa Wippel 

  1. No need to put our future in debt. And why do they look for ways to spend money? How about taking tax money and set it aside for the next economic downturn? Edmonds is constantly pushing for more restaurants, more visitors and more growth to bring in money. A downturn will put an end to their cash cow, and then they will wonder why they have no money.

  2. So I assume this will cost all Edmonds residents in some sort of tax. Did anyone consider the fact that we are looking at housing issues and this will not help those we are trying to help. More taxes for low-income and fix income seniors. I’m not sure this it the best way of doing this. What are the other options?

    1. I would suggest leaving the park like it is. Why do we NEED this elaborate thing? A Park is a Park. Grass, trees. A ball diamond.. oh wait! That is what was there!

  3. Just Some Data Not A Recommendation. We have an total assessed value of $11B! An “investment” (political way to say tax) of $.10/1000 with that AV produces $1.1m. For a $500k home that is $50. We could “invest” in our parks at a rate of $.10/1000 for 4 years or $.40/1000 for 1 year and raise the $4m short fall. By issuing bonds the bill will go up from $4m to $5.2m or 30% more than if we “invest” now. The $5.2 has to come from somewhere and that somewhere is us, we the taxpayers, (opps, “investors”).
    Looking at the deferred building maintenance of $6.575m would mean a payment of $8.5m (that is an extra $2m!) if we use bonds to gather the money. Then we also have to come up with $800k to keep from deteriorating!
    You can do the math for the needed $11.7m for the Marsh and the $17m needed for daylighting the creek. Streets: that number is $2m per year to catch up and keep our road in the condition we would all like to have.
    Remember the walnut shells and the pea! Same game, but using dollars, big dollars.
    Just try to find out on the City web site about our bonding capacity, what are we using bonding for now and what the Long Range Financial Planning committee has recommended. I have not been successful in that research, I guess I will have to Go To Helen Hunt For It.

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