SPECTRUM: Support for Prop B4 means support for a healthy Mat-Su

Vote yes on Proposition B-4 “Parks and Recreational Facilities and Related Capital Improvement Bonds” to help create a healthier Mat-Su! For less than the cost of a latte a month to the average Mat-Su household, you can do your part by voting for this $22 million bond package that addresses critical recreation infrastructure upgrades and improvements.

The Mat-Su Health Foundation board of directors voted unanimously to support Proposition B-4 because it recognizes that this infrastructure is an “upstream” investment that delivers downstream returns of health for our people. The board also supports Proposition B-4 because community residents identified these recreational infrastructure elements as important strengths in both the 2013 and 2016 Mat-Su Community Health Needs Assessments. In numerous community forums and interviews, residents said that Mat-Su’s recreation centers, trails and parks set Mat-Su apart and made living, working and playing here more enjoyable and fulfilling.

Besides trails and parks, we benefit from swimming pools, ice rinks, community centers and other civic infrastructure, which is starting to show signs of wear and needs some investment to maintain. Prop B-4 includes projects across the borough, from Palmer to Trapper Creek. It addresses deferred maintenance of two pools (both constructed over 35 years ago!) and three ice rinks, includes nine trail projects, and community park improvements in several communities. If Prop B-4 is approved by voters, the costs will be phased in over time, as individual projects proceed, but even at its maximum, the average household will pay just $3.83 per month more in property taxes.

Mat-Su voters will see substantial return on this investment. Research tells us that physical activity enhances both physical and mental health, and it also leads to reduced health care costs in the long-term. Swimming is a life skill, hugely important in a State filled with lakes, rivers and ponds. Many of our children in the borough learn to swim at one of the two public pools supported by this bond. Research also shows that these kinds of infrastructure projects help to build the social fabric, where neighbors can meet and support their neighbors. And of course, the trails and parks help people to stay active and reduce prevalence of obesity and heart-related events and cancer.

So join us on October 4 in voting YES on Proposition B-4 “Parks and Recreational Facilities and Related Capital Improvement Bonds” to help maintain our important recreational infrastructure across the borough and improve local parks and trails. With this investment, we will increase access to healthy activities and life-saving skills for Mat-Su residents and strengthen the social fabric. A vote YES for Proposition B-4 bolsters our investment into this beautiful borough we call home, where we live, work and play.

Elizabeth Ripley, Executive Director, Mat-Su Health Foundation