Voters in the Snyderville Basin may see a general obligation bond totaling up to $150 million on their Election Day ballots if the Summit County Council authorizes a request from the Snyderville Basin Special Recreation District on Wednesday. The 20-year bond would fund the construction of new B asin Recreation facilities in Jeremy Ranch and Silver Creek Village as part of the Snyderville Basin Special Recreation District’s Better Basin initiative. Basin Recreation Executive Director Robert Parrish said the district’s expansion is necessary as developments, like Altus Park City, come online over the next few years and increase the demand for services. The proposed climbing and fitness facility in East Canyon would include bouldering, weight training and cardio machines, multi-purpose courts and a track, according to a Basin Recreation staff report. The building would have 64,000 square feet of space and be located on the county-owned Cline Dahle parcel in Jeremy Ranch. Meanwhile, the aquatics facility in Silver Creek Village would have 120,000 square feet of space and include an indoor lap pool, recreation pool, weight training and cardio machines, indoor turf and areas for youth fitness classes, childcare and summer camps. “The $150 million is the maximum for which we would seek an authorization,” Parrish said. “As we move into actual design, our intent is to work within that limit and make every effort to reduce the overall cost.” The average homeowner with a residence worth $700,000 would pay $207 annually, per the staff report. Basin Recreation would use the funding to construct the buildings and “core amenities.” The bond would not cover the full cost of the projects, though, and additional outdoor amenities, like pickleball courts and trail connections, would be funded through impact fees, grants and other revenue sources at a later date. Parrish said the offerings at each proposed facility were determined based on survey results from Basin Recreation patrons, many of whom complained of overcrowding at The Fieldhouse and a lack of indoor amenities. Approximately 1,093 people responded to the survey, with 61% saying they would support a potential bond measure. In a previous interview with The Park Record, Parrish said the district is working hard to lower the overall costs of the bond on individual taxpayers. Specifically, Basin Recreation plans to use the new bond to restructure and pay off its existing debt to minimize the annual effect on taxpayers’ wallets. Summit County homeowners with a market value of $400,000 would pay $118 annually if the new bond were approved. Homeowners with a market value of $1 million would pay $295, while a homeowner with a market value of $1.5 million would pay $443. Parrish said the price will decrease over time because future growth in the area will add taxpayers to the Basin Recreation’s taxable boundaries. “As those new homes and businesses are built, they join the tax rolls and begin paying their share of the same bond payment, meaning the same total bill is split more ways, and current residents’ share does not stay fixed: It goes down as the Basin grows,” the staff report said. “Building now … allows growth already in the development pipeline to help pay down the bond as it happens rather than after construction costs and interest rates have both climbed further.” The Summit County Council must authorize the bond for Basin Recreation to move forward with the ballot initiative. Councilors are expected to hear from Parrish about the proposal and potentially vote on the authorization on Wednesday. Information on the Better Basin initiative, as well as a survey link for residents who want to comment on the bond proposal, is available online at basinrecreationutah.gov/better-basin. The post Basin Recreation proposes $150 million bond to build new facilities appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less