The $750,000 Park Vision for Tacoma
The Park Board seeks voter approval for a massive bond measure to build boulevards and secure land for public parks.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
On April 14, the citizens of Tacoma will vote whether or not to issue $750,000 in bonds for the metropolitan park district for parks and boulevards. Primarily, it is needed now to take advantage of the offer of the Northern Pacific to give the bluff, extending from the city hall to Old Town, for a waterview boulevard. More parks are also wanted and playgrounds for children are contemplated in different sections. The board refused to say exactly where they would buy land for South and West End parks, as they said if they agreed beforehand the owners of the property would boost the price.
“The board refused to say what would be done as they said if they agreed beforehand the owners of the property would boost the price.”
Tacoma's park system remains one of the city's greatest assets, yet the tactics described here—the fear of land speculation driving up public costs—remain a persistent challenge for municipal planning today.
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