BOISE, Idaho — About 75% of Boise residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park — but city leaders say they want to reach everyone.
That’s something voters will weigh on Election Day, as an $11 million open space levy heads to the ballot — one of the first major projects under the city’s new Parks and Recreation Director, Sara Arkle.
Hear what Boise’s new Parks Director has to say about the $11M levy headed to the ballot —
“My love of the outdoors started when I was really, really young,” Arkle said. “Those formative years playing in the woods behind my house were really impactful.”
Arkle has worked with Boise Parks and Recreation for nearly a decade and officially stepped into the top job just weeks before the vote.
“The city will be asking voters for the third time in two decades to fund open space acquisition, to fund the protection of clean water, and to thread in wildfire risk reduction,” she said.
If approved, the levy would cost $9.89 per $100,000 of taxable property value each year, funding four main priorities:
- Protecting clean water in the Boise River,
- Reducing wildfire risks in the foothills,
- Expanding open space, and
- Building new pathways connecting neighborhoods to nearby parks.
“I want to make good on that promise to the 25% of this city that does not have the ability to access a park within 10 minutes,” Arkle said.
Many Boiseans say they support the idea.
“I think it’s really important to be outside and be in nature and put those costs into things like this because it brings a lot of people out and it helps people a lot, so I am for it,” one parkgoer said.
Previous levies, passed in 2001 and 2015, helped protect more than 12,000 acres of foothills and open space, including lands in Hulls Gulch, Military Reserve, and Table Rock.
Arkle said she hopes to continue that legacy.
“I want people to be able to visit our facilities, whether it’s through programming or an outdoor facility like a park, and come away with positive feelings about not just the community, but the places the city manages on their behalf," Arkle said.
Boise voters will decide on the Parks and Open Space Levy on Election Day, Nov. 4. If it passes, it would be the first levy under Director Sara Arkle’s leadership.
