SR-100-002 (17)
June 17, 2003
U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer
501 I Street
Suite 7-600
Sacramento, CA 958144
Subject: Funding for UPARR and LWCF
Dear Senator Boxer:
Thank you for having made an initial request to the Interior Appropriations Committee
for adequate funding for the Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Program (UPARR)
and the stateside Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) in the fiscal year 2004
Interior Appropriations Bill. The Santa Monica City Council urges you to pursue your
request vigorously.
We specifically ask that UPARR be funded at $50 million. By providing support for
improvements to our cities’ parks and recreation centers, you strengthen recreation
opportunities. UPARR provides essential supplementary funding to our country’s city
parks and recreation departments. LWCF is also an important program that should be
funded at $200 million to conserve valuable open space and facilitate the creation of
trails and greenways. These two programs help cities provide residents with parks and
playgrounds, trails and open spaces.
Santa Monica needs more parks and recreation programs. As a fully developed
community with limited opportunities to expand parkland, we have made a special effort
to reclaim underutilized public lands for recreation. Over the past six years, the City
has made a significant capital investment totaling over $40,000,000 to improve and
expand park and recreation amenities. A UPARR grant would provide critical leverage
for limited local dollars to complete additional projects in the community, including the
development of approximately 13 acres of parkland in the new Civic Center.
I urge you to continue support for funding for parks, trails and recreation facilities via
UPARR and LWCF. You will be providing community members with places in which
they can take part in physical activity, increasing and promoting healthful lifestyles.
Sincerely,
Richard Bloom
Mayor