Expanded recreation centers. Public water fountains. Housing projects. A single stop sign.
Those are just a few of the ways Denver residents suggested spending money from a proposed new debt package.
For nearly three months, city officials have traveled across Denver to solicit feedback from residents about Vibrant Denver, a bond measure that will potentially go before voters this November, at a dozen in-person meetings. The city also fielded an online survey, soliciting about 6,000 responses from people across the city.
The survey, which closed about two weeks ago, asked people to prioritize and suggest projects for the debt package.
Well, what did they say?
Prior bond packages funded things like library expansions, new recreation centers and neighborhood bikeways.
In the survey, the city encouraged people to dream big in their ideas.
In a word cloud (yes, a word cloud) compiled from responses to the survey, the largest word by far was “park”. Other oft-repeated words in the survey included “neighborhood”, “indoor”, “pickleball”, “tennis” and “housing.”
Some responses were rather vague.
“A place for exercise,” one said.
Others had extremely specific ideas.
“Develop the surface parking lot across from the Webb Building into a state-of-the-art daycare and after-school facility for infants to 18-year-olds,” one response said.
About 79 percent of respondents said parks, playgrounds, trees and trails were of high importance to them. Some respondents called out poor water quality at Sloan’s Lake, which reduces the ways people can recreate at the park.
“Sloan's Lake needs attention. It has been neglected for years,” one person wrote. “Now it is a vibrant park again. But the lake itself needs to be cleaned. I am scared to even let my dog walk next to it.”
Another common theme was a need for safer, pedestrian-friendly streets.
“This is a highly walkable neighborhood with plentiful local grocery stores, parks, and other amenities,” said one Capitol Hill resident. “Furthermore, with the presence of local multiple bus routes and Denver's incentives for cycling, it would be wrong to not install cycling infrastructure down these corridors.”
Many respondents from northwest Denver, which has often had to play catch-up to its peers in more historic parts of the city, called for improved infrastructure.
“The current facilities cannot accommodate the growing families in the neighborhood,” one response said. “Facilities are outdated and would generate more revenue if they were updated.”
A majority of respondents live in Denver, while about a third said they work in the city and others were visitors. Most live or work in central Denver.
What’s next for the bond package?
The proposal still has a ways to go before voters can potentially weigh in in November.
Five committees composed of both citizens and city officials have already begun meeting to discuss the ideas they’ve received from residents, city agencies and organizations.
The committees are split into different topics, such as “arts and cultural venues” and “safe and healthy neighborhoods.”
The final package will detail what the bond will pay for. City council members will need to decide whether to put the proposal in front of voters on the November ballot.
The city plans to pay off that debt by keeping in place a property tax it has collected for other bond measures. The measure is to be funded by 6.5 mills of property taxes, or about $200 annually for a $500,000 home.
