When Durham voters head to the polls, they’ll also vote on parks, pools and pavement
When Michael Yarbrough voted early on Thursday, he didn’t hesitate to bubble in the ‘yes’ on both bond referendums lining the bottom of the ballot.
“I voted for both of them,” he said. “I’ve been to most mid- to large-sized cities in this country, and everywhere I’ve been where the city has invested in its infrastructure, I’ve seen that city thrive.”
If the bonds pass, Durham residents would pay more in property taxes to help raise $200 million for major upgrades to parks, streets and sidewalks citywide.
The bonds will also have the vote of Lindsey Kennedy, who said she looked forward to walking her dogs (and kids) on the new sidewalks planned in her neighborhood.
“Outdoor play is so important for everybody,” Kennedy said. “That’s how we stay connected with our neighbors. That’s how we’ve gotten to know them.”
Yarbrough has lived in Durham for nearly three decades.
“It’s only gotten better and better,” Yarbrough said. “And I firmly believe that that is because of our residents’ collective commitment to making things better, and a big part of that is investing in the infrastructure.”
City finance director Tim Flora said bonds are key to good city-building.
“I refer to it as intergenerational equity,” Flora said in an interview recorded by the city last month. “Every generation who uses those assets… is going to help pay for them.”
The cost
If passed, the bond would up the city property tax rate a maximum of 3.45 cents per $100 of assessed value, starting in 2026 and slowly dropping off over the following 20 years.
- On a median home in the city, valued around $244,539 last year, that would add about $84 to the annual tax bill of about $3,411.
- A property value reappraisal is underway, and the median city sales price is now around $430,000. On a home valued at that price, the bond would add about $148 to an annual tax bill of $5,998.
All city council members support both bonds.
They are essentially the only open questions on the ballot this fall in Durham. Most other races are uncontested or were decided in the spring primary, since the vast majority reliably vote Democratic.
New pools and upgraded parks
The $85 million in parks money would be split almost evenly between two projects:
- An aquatic wonderland at Merrick-Moore Park beside Wheels Fun Park, a former skating rink reopening soon. “This will be the first pool in over two decades for the city of Durham,” parks director Wade Walcutt said, and it will be so much more than the traditional “rectangular tub,” with plans for a lazy river, zero-depth entry, water slides and a climbing wall.
- A pool, connecting trail and new play areas at Long Meadow and East End parks. The parks, on either side of Alston Avenue, were once racially segregated. The plans will “unite them physically and figuratively,” Walcutt said.
Construction at both parks is projected to finish in summer 2028.
Improving roads and sidewalks
The streets and sidewalks bond — $115 million — would jumpstart construction of projects already mapped and in the pipeline:
- $60 million for new sidewalks: This money would help start construction on 12.4 miles of new sidewalks. The total cost is $113 million, the rest of which has been secured. A 2017 plan projected it would take 170 years to address all 420 miles of sidewalk the city needs without additional investments.
$30 million for street maintenance: City streets were given a 69% in pavement condition in a recent study. The bond could help repave and repair about 100 miles of roadway, chipping away at a long and growing list of priorities that would otherwise receive $20 million a year.
$15 million for sidewalk repairs: Most are concentrated around North Carolina Central University and the Walltown neighborhood. The city cares for 650 miles of sidewalks, and combined with $10 million that’s budgeted annually, the bond would cover 20 miles of repairs.
$10 million for unpaved roads: This would help the city finish paving the last 11 miles of unpaved streets it maintains, a deadline the city aims to reach by 2029 but only puts $1.2 million toward annually.
Tasha Johnson, assistant public works director, said the construction season for this work “is usually spring through mid-fall” and the plans would likely take two years to work through.
To view maps of the planned projects and get more details, visit durhamnc.gov/5278.
This story was originally published October 18, 2024 at 3:41 PM with the headline "When Durham voters head to the polls, they’ll also vote on parks, pools and pavement."
