SAN ANTONIO – In less than a week, residents can begin casting their vote for the city’s $850 million bond proposal.
The bond is divided into six propositions voters will decide on separately:
Proposition 1: Streets, bridges & sidewalk improvements
- 64 projects totaling $445,263,000
Proposition 2: Drainage & flood-control improvements
- 19 projects totaling $138,988,000
Proposition 3: Parks, recreation & open-space improvements
- 79 projects totaling $187,313,000
Proposition 4: Library & cultural facilities improvements
- 13 projects totaling $24,025,000
Proposition 5: Public safety facilities improvements
- 5 projects totaling $34,411,000
Proposition 6: Neighborhood improvements
- Numerous projects totaling $20,000,000
Early voting for the city election begins Monday, and election day will take place May 6.
“They will see a description, number of projects and a dollar amount by category, and they will vote yes or no by proposition,” said Mike Frisbie, city engineer.
The majority of the $850 million would be used to improve streets and bridges and to build roughly 200 miles of sidewalks.
The Broadway Street corridor is the most expensive project on that list, totaling $42 million.
“There’s a lot of private investment going in to redevelop it, which is great to see,” Frisbie said. “But the street itself is not conducive to what's happening around it.’
Drainage and flood control is another target of the bond.
Neighborhoods throughout the city are included, but Port SA would absorb the majority of those funds at $24 million.
"We have had lots of drainage issues,” said Chris Alderete, board treasurer of Port SA. “People weren’t even able to come to work.”
"It creates safety issues, congestion issues,” Frisbie said. “And also, there’s a lot of land that could be used there if it weren’t for the flooding conditions.”
Other notable projects in the bond include a new San Antonio Police Department substation to be built downtown. The exact location is to be determined.
Seventy-nine different park projects are spread throughout the city, and $5 million would be dedicated to the Missions, which are deemed World Heritage sites.
For the first time, the bond proposal includes neighborhood improvements.
The city would use $20 million to upgrade streets and sidewalks, improve utilities or clear property to make way for a private housing developer.
“There's just areas of the city that continue to deteriorate, and it's not helping the city as a whole and its not helping those areas,” Frisbie said.
Frisbie added that 97 percent of the bond projects approved by voters in 2012 are complete or under construction.
Helpful resources to learn more about the proposed 2017 bond program:
Home Page
http://www.sanantonio.gov/2017Bond
Information Guide - English
http://www.sanantonio.gov/2017Bond/InfoGuide#211892505-info-guide
Information Guide – Spanish
http://www.sanantonio.gov/2017Bond/InfoGuide#211892506-gua-informativa
Map
https://qagis.sanantonio.gov/tci/proposedbonds2017/
Reports & Presentations
http://www.sanantonio.gov/2017Bond/Reports-Presentations
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