Jolene Radostis moved to Heatherwood when she was ten years old. She and her husband Dann bought a house there ten years ago to raise their own family. "I think one of the reasons people like to live in Heatherwood is that it’s still rural. It’s surrounded by open space," she said. 

Radostis’ house backs up to the 5.79 acre parcel of land owned by the City of Boulder just east of Heatherwood Elementary School. The land has never been developed and is still in its natural state, complete with native grasses, a few weeds and wildlife. That suits Radostis just fine. 

The land is also the subject of a proposal to form a general improvement district, which is on the Nov. 7 ballot. If approved, a property tax estimated at 2.5 mills would generate $27,000 per year to maintain the park. 

"I think they have the cart before the horse," Radostis said. "None of us has seen plans for a park. Is it a portion or all of the park that would be developed? Tot lots or shelter houses? A parking lot?" 

Besides a possible tax increase, which could mean higher rents for some, Radostis worries that a developed park would draw more crime to the area. "The sheriff’s department reports 29 crime related calls last year to a subdivision with 642 homes," she recalls. Water usage in drought conditions for irrigated turf is another concern. "It takes between 700,000 and 800,000 gallons per acre to irrigate," she said. 

She’s not the only one questioning the proposal. Janiece Gossage, another longtime Heatherwood resident, also wonders how residents can approve a tax to maintain the park before knowing what will be built there and where the funds will come from to build it. 

Radostis and Gossage had never met until they, along with several other Heatherwood neighbors, came to the County Commissioners’ hearing concerning the proposal. According to Radostis, 11 people attended the hearing and spoke in opposition, from all different parts of Heatherwood. She believes they left with more questions than answers. 

One problem opponents cite is that there are no funds to develop the park. District proponents hope to raise the money privately, through business donations and grants. Gossage thinks the process is backwards. "I don’t belong to a group. The people who came to the hearing are just homeowners who would like to know the facts," she said. 

Some of those who question the park proposal have different perspectives. Rad-ostis said, "I would like to see the park exactly like it is. I get to see the deer when they come, and the birds.… I see kids playing and exploring. There is a dirt path from the upper portion all the way down to the school. There are no leash laws now. I don’t know what the County Commissioners would do."

Gossage is more concerned with the lack of input from area residents. She said, "This is a very desirable area. There are no mandatory dues. Homes have large yards. There are wonderful people here." 

She reports that only a few people attended the homeowner’s meeting where the issue was first discussed because it wasn’t listed as an agenda topic. "People would have filled the room," she said. "The park situation has been a thorn in everyone’s side ever since the subdivision was started." 

Gossage is clear that she is not bashing Joe Lanzoni, Homeowners’ Association president and the principal advocate of the district. "I have to give him credit. He wants to do something. I just think there’s a better way to do this," she said. 

She credits Lanzoni for volunteering to keep the homeowners’ association alive when it was dying. She also notes that only 30 or so people attended the association meeting where the park proposal was first made. 

Gossage takes issue with some of the information put out by proponents. One claim was that the City of Boulder, which owns the property, may do something there the residents don’t like. But she notes that the land can only be used for a park. She also questions the finances. "How can you set a mill levy without knowing what’s going in the park?"

Radostis notes that the original material claimed that Heatherwood residents would have full control over the park. Later comments from proponents indicate that the Boulder County Commissioners would serve as the governing board of the district. "I think it’s important that homeowners understand the issue," Radostis said. 

Radostis has spent considerable time researching the cost of maintaining a park, which she estimates at $4,000 to $5,000 per year per acre. The ballot proposal would raise $27,000 from property taxes each year to cover the maintenance cost. The first filing of Heatherwood is not included in the proposal since homeowners there already pay to maintain a one-acre park on Ashfield Drive. 

Figures supplied to Radostis by the County Assessor indicate an actual value of homes in Filings 2 through 7 of $112,840,700. It would require a mill levy of approximately 2.5 mills to raise the money needed. Radostis estimates the range of taxes on homes in Heatherwood from $32 to $96 per year, depending upon the value of the home. 

Heatherwood voted down a similar proposal four years ago when a tax to both build and maintain the park was defeated. This time the proposal is to raise tax money for maintenance only, with taxes imposed only after other funds were obtained to build improvements. Heatherwood residents in filings 2 through 7 will decide Nov. 7 whether to approve the maintenance tax.