Park City residents who support a $30 million ballot measure that would fund recreation upgrades said Thursday at a City Council meeting that many of the town’s facilities are operating beyond their intended capacity and the improvements would benefit the entire community.

Opponents countered that the recreation facilities are being used extensively by people from surrounding communities and it is inappropriate to ask taxpaying Park City residents to subsidize their use, especially when there are critical needs in the municipality that are not being met.

The question of whether Park City should issue general obligation bonds to finance the construction and improvement of new and existing facilities will be on the Nov. 21 ballot. State law requires taxing entities to hold a public meeting where arguments are presented in favor of and against a ballot proposition.

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Abby McNulty, a member of the municipal Recreation Advisory Board, and Megan McKenna, the housing advocate at Mountainlands Community Housing Trust, read pro and con statements, respectively, at the meeting.

In addition, a half-dozen other residents spoke, with all but one urging passage of the measure. 

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The proposed improvements that would be funded include expanded fitness space, indoor and outdoor pickleball courts, a Nordic skiing area, a refrigerated icesheet that would be outside and covered, new lights on existing sports fields and expanded maintenance facilities.

The estimated annual tax increase is $137.20 on a $2,340,000 primary residence and $249.46 on a business property that has the same value.

Park City has a long commitment to recreation, health and wellness, McNulty said. In a National Community Survey conducted on behalf of the town in late 2022 and 2023, 87% of the respondents said it’s important to focus on recreation opportunities in the next two years, she said.

“As our community expands, and demand on existing facilities increases, residents need to comprehensively look at how best to improve recreation in our community while ensuring existing facilities receive the maintenance and attention they need,” she said.

McNulty said everyone regardless of income benefits when the city has a robust public recreation program.

“When Park City Municipal and Park City Recreation provide comprehensive recreation opportunities to residents, they are opening doors to a new sport or activity; helping residents live a healthy life; building closer ties with neighbors; and creating the bonds of friendship that keep Park City, Park City,” she said. “Yes, we do need to tackle affordable housing and transportation, but we cannot do it at the expense of all other business of creating, managing, and nurturing our city’s livability.”

McKenna said that while 95% of National Community Survey respondents ranked recreation opportunities as good or excellent, only 12% gave the cost of living that ranking. Park City’s most critical challenges — including the escalating cost of housing, the affordability and accessibility of childcare, food affordability concerns and traffic congestion — should take priority, she said.

“Affordability doesn’t affect everyone equally, but the impacts are community-wide,” McKenna said. “To be a world-class destination, we must support the workforce that makes that possible.”

She also said it is inappropriate to ask 84060 taxpayers to fund additional recreation that benefits the entire region. Demand for recreational facilities is up but not just among Parkites, McKenna said, noting that 85% of Park City Ice Arena participants in 2022 were non-residents.

“Instead of placing the burden of a recreation bond on taxpayers, the city should explore alternative funding sources for recreational improvements, such as public-private partnerships, grants and user fees,” she said. “With limited resources, it is essential to prioritize critical needs which will have a more profound and immediate impact on residents and the overall sustainability of our community over additional recreational spending.”

Resident Sherie Harding said Park City is bearing disproportionate costs for construction, maintenance and operation of recreational facilities and encouraged residents to vote no on the bond measure.

“The city should establish a more equitable arrangement before we tax ourselves once again to fund something and negotiate interlocal agreements,” she said.

Harding said voting down the bond will not make residents miss out on associating with each other.

“There’s a lot of socialization that goes on, on trails, on biking these trails, on riding the lifts at the ski resorts,” she said.

Other speakers said recreation builds a strong community. Joe Plomin, president of the Park City Pickleball Club, described the facilities as social hubs.

“These facilities will give our young school-aged participants the outlet to play their chosen sport, win, lose, learn how to compete and excel,” he said.

Holland Lincoln said public recreation opportunities bring people from all different backgrounds together to recreate and helps ensure “you don’t have a community where you have haves and have-nots.”

Ed Parigian, a candidate for a seat on the Park City Council who supports passage of the bond, said recreation has a connection to mental health.

“To me, it’s mental therapy,” he said. “When I’m out playing hockey or riding up a hill on my bike, trying to return a serve, I find myself living in the absolute present. I’m just trying to be in the moment and I think that’s the benefit of recreation. It allows you to escape just a little for a moment your everyday issues and I think that is huge.”

For more information on the bond, visit https://engageparkcity.org/pcrecreation.