Dennis Box, The Courier-Herald

A resolution concerning a $5 million parks and trail bond maturing in 25 years will go before the Bonney Lake City Council May 11.

The bond would provide money for the purchase of property and the development of parks and trails in Bonney Lake.

If the Council approves the resolution it will be sent to the Pierce County Auditor and placed on the general election ballot.

Approval requires a 60 percent majority and a 40 percent turnout based on the last general election.

A separate bond for a community/recreation center is still being considered by the Council, but may also appear on the November ballot.

The draft resolution for the center is for a $5 million bond, maturing in 20 years.

"The parks bond should have good support," Councilman Neil Johnson said. "We need to have everyone in Bonney Lake look at the overall good for Bonney Lake. Young and old need to look at what is good for Bonney Lake. We're here to help each other."

One of the issues driving the parks bond is the rapidly disappearing land throughout the community.

"We're in a unique position here where land is available and we need to pick that land up," Deputy Mayor Dan Swatman said. "We have to get it now before it disappears. It means in the future we will have land available to construct baseball or soccer fields or whatever we need."

The direction to take the community/recreation center continues to be debated among the Council members, while the plans for a new City Hall are moving ahead.

The City Council voted March 9 to purchase 13 acres of land next to the Target development for $1.13 million. The seller was T&S Properties L.L.C., a company owned by the Corliss family.

The city has sent out 30 RFPs (request for proposal) looking for a firm to produce architectural drawings laying out City Hall and placing the community/recreation center on the site.

"What we want from the drawings are to show us City Hall," Mayor Bob Young said. "We know what we need, but give us a picture of City Hall and show us where a community/recreation center would go."

Funding for the construction of City Hall will come from a combination of money put away in the general fund, councilmatic bonds and city fees.

Johnson noted there is support for the community/recreation center based on a survey done at the pancake breakfast and through the Council newsletter.

"Generally is was very positive for the community/rec center and parks, especially at the pancake breakfast," Johnson said. "But we may need to find a creative way to make that happen. We may need to try and fund it more like City Hall."

Dennis Box can be reached at dbox@courierherald.com