Harbor Parks Projects Hang on How Prop. 1 Does at Polls : Recreation: $298.8-million city bond issue would pay for long-awaited improvements. But the measure needs a two-thirds majority, which is hard to get.

The future of many long-awaited recreational and cultural projects in the harbor area hangs in the balance Tuesday when Los Angeles residents vote on a proposed $298.8-million bond measure for parks projects citywide.

Locally, Proposition 1 would provide nearly $12 million for 11 specific projects, ranging from a $205,000 remodeling of the San Pedro Photography Center at Angel’s Gate Park to a $3-million renovation of Cabrillo Marine Museum and Cabrillo Pier. In addition, smaller recreation projects would get an unspecified share of funds.

The measure, placed on the ballot last month by the Los Angeles City Council, has no organized opposition but faces a difficult task winning approval because it needs a two-thirds majority of votes.

That alone, city officials concede, spells a problem for the measure. In an election last November, they note, a similar county parks bond measure calling for $817 million in projects failed to win the necessary two-thirds majority.

In addition, with few items on the ballot, city officials worry about a low voter turnout.

To overcome those obstacles, city officials have fashioned a campaign to hit voters where they live by identifying specific local projects that would benefit from Proposition 1. Officials have also emphasized that the measure would raise the average property tax bill by only $13.20 a year for 20 years.

“The people will suffer more if they don’t pass it than if they do,” said Bruce Cowan, harbor area supervisor for the city’s Department of Recreation and Parks.

Without the measure, city officials say, most of the projects covered by the ballot measure may not be funded for years, if at all.

Several of the local projects identified in Proposition 1 have relied entirely on private funding to get started. Among them is the San Pedro Baseball Complex, a $1.6-million project on Gaffey Street that so far has only one baseball diamond, financed entirely by $600,000 in private donations, according to city officials.

If Proposition 1 is approved, the baseball complex would receive $500,000, half of the money needed to build five baseball fields, bleachers and other facilities.

The Wilmington Jaycees Recreation Complex on Figueroa Street would receive $250,000, enough to add new soccer fields to what has been a privately funded endeavor for a new sports facility.

The largest local project identified in Proposition 1 is the $3-million expansion of Cabrillo Marine Museum and renovation of Cabrillo Pier. Plans for the museum include additional space for exhibits and staff, a new large aquarium and landscaping and other improvements.

Another project hinging on the bond measure is the so-called Harbor Walkway--a seaside promenade that would stretch from the Vincent Thomas Bridge to White’s Point in San Pedro. That project, discussed for years, would receive $2.7 million.

An additional $600,000 would be provided for the Maritime Museum in San Pedro for building improvements and construction of a dock for exhibits of sailing ships.

Proposition 1 also includes $205,000 for the San Pedro Photography Center, a facility within Angel’s Gate Cultural Center, to pay for an alarm system, new utilities, storage areas and outdoor security lighting.

In Wilmington, $2.5 million would be provided for the design and construction of a new senior citizens multipurpose center, long sought by community leaders.

An additional $750,000 would be designated for the Banning Residence Museum in Wilmington, with most of those funds earmarked for restoration.

In the Harbor Gateway area, $500,000 would be provided for the Normandale Recreation Center at 22400 S. Halldale Ave. for improvements that include a new irrigation system.

Finally, Proposition 1 would provide $500,000 for construction of a nature center at Harbor Regional Park in Harbor City. The center would be a museum on the eastern edge of the park and would exhibit plants and animals indigenous to the area.

Prop. 1 Projects in the Harbor Area

The passage of the parks bond measure would provide these South Bay facilities with the following amounts. Banning Residence Museum (restoration): $500,000 Cabrillo Marine Museum and Pier (renovation and expansion): $3 million Harbor Walkway (trail development): $2.7 million Maritime Museum (building improvements): $600,000 San Pedro Photography Center (building improvements): $205,000 Harbor Senior Citizens Multi-Purpose Center (new facility): $2.5 million Recreation and Sports Facilities (develop new facilities): Banning Residence Museum: $250,000 San Pedro Baseball Complex: $500,000 Harbor Park Nature Center: $500,000 Normandale Recreation Center: $500,000 Wilmington Jaycees Recreation Complex: $250,000 TOTAL: $11,505,000