Bedford voters to decide on spending $70 million for Boys Ranch improvements

Voters will get to decide in November whether their property tax dollars will fund a $70 million bond package to build new athletic facilities and a multigenerational activity center at the Boys Ranch Park.

Last week — amid some concerns that too few details were known and that the process was being rushed — council members voted 3-2 to call the election.

Mayor Jim Griffin and council members Michael Boyter and Rusty Sartor voted in favor, while council members Amy Sabol and Dave Gebhardt voted against.

Council members Roger Fisher and Roy Turner were absent for the vote but said later that they would have voted in favor.

Griffin said city staff and consulting firm Kimley Horn will put together information to educate the voters.

“Our most important job is to educate people so they understand what exactly they are getting for the money we spend,” Griffin said.

Mark Hatchel of Kimley Horn said more details — including a 3-D flyover video — will be presented at the Sept. 7 parks board meeting.

The ballot language is broad enough to allow funding for other projects, such as remodeling the Old Bedford School and utilizing space on that property for the performing arts. The former school is closed because of water damage from a leaky roof.

Turner said he left the work session the day of the vote to celebrate his 58th wedding anniversary and was told the regular meeting would last 10-15 minutes.

“We didn’t realize that it was going to be such a tumultuous discussion,” Turner said.

Boyter said he voted in favor as “an act of faith” despite concerns over not having enough information.

“We need to revitalize and re-energize our town,” he said. “The Boys Ranch is universally accepted as one of the gems of our town. This is a great opportunity to jump-start our city if we do things right.”

Gebhart said he is concerned about building facilities in Bedford that are “largely similar” to those in other cities.

“We need to look at policies to attract businesses and rebuild homes. Real leadership is thinking outside of the box,” he said.

Sabol said she wanted more time to make her decision and asked if the election could be delayed until May, but Hatchel said construction costs are escalating and that Kimley Horn would probably need to ask for a contract extension.

“It’s like buying a house without a floor plan,” she said. “We don’t know what it will look like.”

In July, Bedford held two public meetings where residents told officials they want the city to have performing arts and athletics. Several also expressed a belief that Bedford needs to become a destination to attract younger families.

During the first meeting, Fisher asked for a show of hands from residents on whether they would support a $70 million bond program or a $35 million program. A majority indicated support for the higher amount.

Council members also received a barrage of emails from volunteers and fans of the community theater Onstage in Bedford who worried that the popular venue would be left out of future plans.

Several buildings, including the one that houses the theater, are outdated and don’t meet current safety codes. The Onstage building dates to 1949 and the senior center was built in 1976.

The idea for the bond package grew out of concerns that the original master plan for the park, dating to 2010, called for improvements to come in four phases, which meant the makeover would take about 20 years.

In 2013, voters approved a $3.2 million bond package to improve the Boys Ranch Lake.

This story was originally published August 20, 2017 at 7:42 PM with the headline "Bedford voters to decide on spending $70 million for Boys Ranch improvements."