Grand Prairie voters decided whether to grant the city up to $327 million in bond funding for local projects. As of Sunday morning, all proposals appear to have been approved.
Three propositions were on the ballot for street improvements ($209.5 million), public safety resources ($78.5 million) and parks and recreation projects ($39 million).
Grand Prairie Mayor Ron Jensen discussed the bond election in an earlier interview with KERA.
Jensen said the biggest part of the bond package is the $209.5 million going toward street improvements, including upgrading different roads and adding a bike and pedestrian bridge over part of Joe Pool Lake.
He noted that the roads the city plans to upgrade are “really old,” and that some will see water and sewer lines replaced, too.
“Every city in the Metroplex, whether they have new land or not, has issues with their older infrastructure, and we're a very old city,” Jensen said. “So, yeah, these are very needed. There's not a city in the U.S. that can't take dollars and spend on roads.”
Regarding potential disruptions from construction, Jensen described the situation as a Catch-22. He said that while no one likes having roads torn up, they don’t want the roads to be bumpy, either.
“There’s no way around construction cost, construction delays and construction noise, but we won't be doing it overnight and we'll have good detours and try to keep part of the road open at all times,” he said.
According to unofficial results, encompassing Grand Prairie voters across Dallas, Tarrant and Ellis Counties, here’s how the votes broke down:
PROPOSITION A – Street Improvements
- YES: 4,175 (60%)
- NO: 2,774 (40%)
- TOTAL VOTES CAST: 6,949
PROPOSITION B – Public Safety Resources
- YES: 3,711 (53%)
- NO: 3,279 (47%)
- TOTAL VOTES CAST: 6,990
PROPOSITION C – Parks and Recreation Projects
- YES: 3,558 (50.7%)
- NO: 3,461 (49.3%)
- TOTAL VOTES CAST: 7,019
As for Grand Prairie City Council races, incumbent District 1 member Jorja Clemson ran unopposed for reelection.
In unofficial results, District 7 Incumbent Bessye Adams leads challenger Marketta Nimo 61.8% to 38.2%.
The race for the vacant District 3 seat may be headed to a runoff.
With only Dallas County reporting, the seat's most recent holder, Mike Del Bosque, who died in March, received 23.8% of the vote. David Chappelle received 44% of the vote, with competitor Amber Timberlake at 32.3%.
Got a tip? Email Andy Lusk at alusk@kera.org.
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