Lincoln residents will have a chance to vote on more than just their favorite politicians on May 9; they can also help determine the future of a four-and-a-half-mile corridor of land south of Lincoln.

A parks and trails group is pushing a $2.7 million bond issue to buy some 130 acres of land north of the future four-lane freeway called the South Beltway. Construction on the beltway begins in 2008, and the Citizens for Quality Parks and Trails would like the city to plan ahead by securing land near the beltway between 27th and 84th streets for parks, trails, picnic areas, natural areas and recreational fields.

The “green space” would be similar to the area north of Nebraska 2 between 17th and 56th streets and Roper Park along Interstate 180.

The bond issue would only provide funds to buy the land; the park areas wouldn’t be developed until after the freeway is completed in about 2012. Supporters say grants, donations, impact fees and tax dollars would be used to develop the area.

The last successful bond issue with park improvements was in 1998. A $75 million bond issue for streets and trails was rejected by voters in 2004, but Lincoln voters approved a whopping $250 million bond issue for schools in February.

The parks bond issue hasn’t been as visible as the school bond issue, but this week Lincoln residents will see more signs, literally, of support.

Jerry Hoffman is a school finance consultant who is president of the Nebraska Trails Foundation and chairman of the group promoting the bond issue. He said the group has purchased 30 signs promoting the bond issue and Pepsi has donated two street billboards to the cause.

Absentee voters will be receiving 15,000 color brochures plugging passage, and volunteers will soon be hitting neighborhoods to gin up support. Supporters are trying to meet with every neighborhood association, doing radio interviews and, soon, buying newspaper and radio ads. Their effort is all paid for with donations; they hope to raise a total of $25,000.

“I think that the word’s getting out there,” Hoffman said.

Although he estimates only about a third of Lincoln residents are aware of the bond issue, he hopes the media campaign will change that.

But the group is facing opposition from the Lincoln Independent Business Association, which voted Thursday to oppose the bond issue. In a statement, the group said while it has supported other bond issues for “urgent community needs,” during tough budget times the city’s “wants and desires” should be balanced with its “true needs” — particularly when the Parks and Recreation Department doesn’t have enough money to adequately maintain all of its existing parks, trails and facilities.

LIBA said rather than taking 130 acres off the tax rolls, the area should instead be zoned for development. The group said many existing trails are on 20-foot easements, but this proposal would create 100- to 800-foot easements.

“While the green space would serve as a nice amenity, the $2.7 million being requested could be used for other priorities such as roads and infrastructure,” LIBA said in a statement.

Hoffman said the reason the parks department doesn’t have enough money to maintain its facilities is that its capital improvement budget has been nearly cut in half in the past decade. That’s why he got involved in forming Citizens for Quality Parks and Trails.

LIBA’s decision wasn’t surprising, he said, but was nonetheless disappointing. He is finding “overwhelming support” from young families and users of recreational facilities, parks and trails.

By setting aside the land now, the city would provide a legacy for future generations and get the land at a cheaper price than it would if it waits, he argues. If the bond issue passes, the state Department of Roads will purchase land for green space at the same time it buys land for the freeway.

“There’s a great sense of urgency to get it while land is cheap,” Hoffman said.

Approval of the bond issue would increase property taxes about $1.60 per year for the owner of a $100,000 home. That’s less than a gallon of gas or, in some cases, a cup of coffee, Hoffman said.

And while economic development is important, parks and trails also attract families and businesses to cities, Hoffman said.

“Do you know how unattractive cities are when every square inch is developed and it abuts to a development?” he said, citing Omaha and Chicago as examples. “It makes a city look unattractive and overgrown… (with) no space for families and children to enjoy natural space.”

Omaha does serve as a good example, however, by seeking bond issues every five years or so for parks and trails, Hoffman said.

Reach Deena Winter at 473-2642 or dwinter@journalstar.com.

How it came about

The parks bond issue is being promoted by a group called Citizens for Quality Parks and Trails, which formed last year out of concern that the city’s parks and recreation system is not being adequately maintained. It called for a task force to study the issue. A task force appointed by the mayor recommended that the city establish a schedule of bond issues to develop parks and recreation needs and urged the City Council to make beltway green space a priority.