In 2013, voters passed a millage aimed to raise money for improvement and repair Grand Rapids parks. So what's been done over the past six years, and what does the future of the city's public parks look like?
Thanks to the voter support of the 2013 Parks Millage, a massive backlog of repairs have been made to all the parks, keeping the neighborhood pools open and delivering on the promise of park improvements in every community.
To date, the millage has directly generated over $20 million for park repairs, pool operations, and park improvements. This investment has leveraged over $16 million in outside funding from foundations, state agencies, and other sources.
The current parks millage expires in 2020. Without the millage, updated repairs can't be made on equipment in the park such as drinking fountains, restrooms, playground equipment, and even the pools.
Passing the new millage will make sure the city has the resources to provide stable funding to keep all Grand Rapids parks and playgrounds maintained, updated, and safe for all to use.
Voting will take place on Tuesday, November 5.
For more information, visit yes4grparks.org.
