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Bike Recreation Project Funding - Private Support
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The Parks Division is undertaking multiple recreational bike facility enhancement projects over the next five years. In addition to the work to create miles of single track surfaces for riders, the Division is working develop nodes of activity in specific parks. The current budget and CIP includes $700K of planned City funding toward project work supporting bike recreation over the 2022 to 2025 time period. Estimated project costs for the volume of projects that could be developed over this timeframe are between $1.1M and $1.4M.
The Parks Division was awarded a $125,000 PARC and Ride grant from Dane County in 2021 to support the Leopold pump track project. The Parks Division will again apply for funds from these sources in 2022. With this funding, there is still a gap between available funding and high value improvements that could be made. Having additional funding to support these investments would allow them to occur sooner and be constructed with intentional focus on a high quality built environment.
As a part of this significant step forward in promoting bicycle recreation, the Madison Parks Foundation has received interest from potential donors in regard to supporting these projects. There is a potential locally based corporation that is willing to support a donation of $200,000 across four park projects. This donation would include naming recognition at these areas of the parks. This naming recognition would include signage. The donor has indicated a strong desire to see such recognition in the form of their corporate logo.
The Parks Division is indebted to the Madison Parks Foundation for its work and for the interest in partnership from a locally based corporation. There are, however, policy considerations that Parks staff feel should be discussed prior to taking specific action on this potential donation agreement. Some of these policy items would also require additional action from the City Council (and likely other committees or commissions), while some are in the almost exclusive purview of the Board of Park Commissioners. Some of these items are of significant value in gaining a better understanding of the Board’s views on matters related to private support of public parks beyond the specific project here.
Policy Question #1 - Does the Board of Parks Commissioners (BPC) support the support of bike recreation projects from private sources?
Policy Question #2 - Does the BPC have guidance or direction for staff and/or the Foundation as it relates to conference of naming rights as it relates to areas of a park being developed for bike recreation?
Policy Question #3 - Does the BPC support partnerships with corporate sponsors to support programs, capital projects, and/or park enhancements?
Policy Question #4 - Does the BPC support parks staff working with Alders and staff to identify potential legislative actions to allow for donor signage that includes a logo? If yes, are there specific guidelines from the BPC?
Based on the discussion and/or actions of the BPC in October, staff will work with MPF to take appropriate steps forward as it relates to potential donors to support bike recreation improvements.