The Bismarck Parks and Recreation District is to move forward on several capital improvement projects, clearing the way to a public hearing on Feb. 26.

At its Thursday meeting, the park board approved the creation of an improvement district (2008-01) to include projects at Cottonwood South, Pebble Creek, Hillside Pool/Lions Park and New Generations Park. Total preliminary estimates for the projects are $3.4 million.

The capital projects mainly involve land preparation and construction of necessary infrastructure such as water, sewer, leveling, roads, utilities and irrigation. The Cottonwood project also includes the acquisition of 20 acres of land at a price of $10,000 per acre.

Once these projects are complete, it will be up to user groups and other interested parties to complete the work which includes softball facilities, baseball facilities, golf driving range and park facilities, district director Steve Neu told the park board.

The improvement district did not include an aquatic/wellness center to be built on the Bismarck State College campus. The board did call for Request For Proposals for the center's physical plant. At its regular meeting on Feb. 21, the board will consider any responses to the RFP, as well as look at what it will cost the district to finance the center.

Board member Paul Quist said that by approving the 2008-01 improvement district, the park district was "painting itself into a corner," leaving no alternative than to allow a third party to finance and build the center and then lease it back to the district.

Board members John Sagsveen and Mark Zimmerman said they feel that the board needs to consider both what may come out of the RFP, as well as what it will cost the district to do it alone. Neu said that the board would have the numbers that will allow it to "compare apples to apples."

Neu said that another improvement district for the aquatic/wellness center may be considered, allowing the district to pay for facility preparations, as it is proposing in the 2008-01 improvement district, or if the board decides the district move ahead on its own to pay for the entire facility.

In other activity related to the aquatic/wellness center, the board approved $2,500 for a biomass heating feasibility study and received a draft joint powers agreement involving the district and Bismarck State College.

Because of scheduling conflicts, the Feb. 26 public hearing will be held at the Park District offices at 400 East Front Avenue, beginning at 5:15 p.m. There will also be a hearing on improvement district 2008-02, which was actually approved as improvement district 2007-01 last summer. To carry the district forward, which involves a number of parking lot repair projects, the board changed the district's title. The total estimated cost of this improvement district is about $850,000.

Quist said he wanted the district to slow down in its approach to the aquatic/wellness center and requested that possible revenues and expenses for the facility be provided for the board before it considered any third party agreements. He also suggested that the Bismarck Public School district will be the main customer of the facility and the district should meet with the school board to find out what its official intentions are.

Quist cast the lone no vote on each of the projects and creation of the improvement district 2008-01. Sagsveen and Zimmerman countered that to put the projects in the 2008 construction bidding cycle, the district needed to continue progress toward establishing the projects and improvement district.

Sagsveen said that the district wouldn't have to raise its mill levy for any of the projects. But Quist said that while the mill levy would stay, the same taxes would still go up as property valuations increased.

The board did unanimously approve a recommendation that the Bismarck Youth Baseball program and the park district's youth baseball program be merged and managed by Bismarck Youth Baseball.

(Reach reporter Gordon Weixel at 250-8255 or gordon.weixel@bismarcktribune.com.)