By Ariana De La Garza
Manhattan voters approved a quarter-cent sales tax that will bring in $27.5 million for improvements to parks and for recreation projects. The tax will last for 10 years bringing in $2.75 million annually and will begin on April 1, 2018. The new sales tax will replace the old quality of life sales tax that was put into place back in 2007, which will expire on March 31, 2018
The sales tax will fund the building of two new recreation centers at Eisenhower and Anthony middle schools, CiCo park improvements including new baseball fields, new tennis courts and new trails, along with various other trail improvements around Manhattan.
Eddie Eastes the Director of Parks and Recreation said in email, “ These funds will provide tremendous amenities for the community of Manhattan that will last for decades.”
Improvements to the trails include implementing a 911 emergency wayfinding system, improving drainage in low-lying areas, and adding more benches and signs along the trails. New trails will also be made in city parks to encourage residents to get outside and walk, run, or bike around Manhattan.
Allison Raines a sophomore in Pre-Vet said, “ I walk my dog and go for runs along the Linear Trail almost everyday, I love that there are so many different access points to the trail all over town.”
The improvements will also address the gaps connecting the trails and current bike paths around town.
Amanda Goebel a senior in Kinesiology said that fitness is a big part of her life and also said, “I love that Manhattan has all of these trails around town that I can run on when the weather is nice, if they add more trails with the money I think that is a great thing and shows that Manhattan promotes fitness and the well being of its residents.”
The city hopes that by making changes to the trails and connecting them all together it will help promote Manhattan’s residents to get out and use the trails to get to work and other amenities. They are hoping to create one long consecutive biking and walking trail around the city by connecting the existing bike paths and trails around town to each other by adding on to them and filling in the current gaps between them. After the paths and trails are connected residents will be able to access the new recreation centers and other amenities around town all by using the trails and paths.
Megan Shamhart a local resident said that, “I am very happy that they are going to be making improvements to Cico Park, I live very close to the park and with the improvements they are planning to make I will be able to walk the paths with my dogs to get to the dog park instead of drive.”
Construction of the projects will stagger to avoid financing and to allow all available funds to be used. The design and planning of the recreation centers at both of the middle schools will begin in 2018. Building will start at Eisenhower Middle School in 2019 and last through 2020 when it is expected to open. Building at Anthony Middle School will begin in 2020 and last until 2021 when it is projected to open. Improvements to CiCo Park are expected to begin in 2024, and ongoing improvements to the other Manhattan trails will begin in 2018.
For more information regarding the updates and building plans you can go to the Manhattan Parks and Rec website