HUNTINGTON BEACH : Parks Proposition Endorsed by Council

The city is supporting a statewide bond measure on the Nov. 6 ballot that aims to improve parks, wildlife areas and recreation facilities.

The City Council this week voted to endorse Proposition 149, which would provide $437 million in bond financing to acquire and develop parkland and rehabilitate recreational facilities.

City officials last year heavily lobbied legislators to qualify the ballot measure, which is “tailor-made for our city,” Deputy City Administrator Richard Barnard said.

The measure, if approved, would make the city a likely candidate to obtain millions of dollars in grants to help fund an array of projects, including reconstruction of the Huntington Beach pier, Barnard said.

The measure would distribute $70 million among cities based on population, of which Huntington Beach would receive about $284,000. That money, however, would likely be “a drop in the bucket” compared to grants the city might receive from a separate slice of the bond proceeds set aside for projects based on merit, Barnard said.

In addition to the pier project, the bond may help the city pay for a plaza and expanded International Surfing Museum proposed at the foot of the new pier, the Linear Park planned to encircle the Bolsa Chica wetlands and two seaside bluff restoration projects, Barnard said.

Additionally, the measure would earmark money specifically for ecological educational facilities, which the city is considering establishing at various wetlands sites, the Linear Park and the new pier, he said.

The city may also be eligible for grants to help improve the Shipley Nature Center and hiking and equestrian trails in Huntington Central Park, Barnard said.