Last week, we were raving about the re-opening of Berkeley Lake Park in the Highland neighborhood. And this weekend, as the park opened after undergoing a two-year, $3 million-facelift, we were reminded it’s thanks to Denverites and the 2007 taxpayer-funded Better Denver Bond Program. This five-year-old program is still paying for improvements to Denver’s streets, parks, fire and police sites, libraries, and recreation centers. As of this summer, more than 300 projects had been completed. In addition to Berkeley Lake Park’s makeover, recent work has included $4 million worth of improvements to Sloan’s Lake Park, and construction of a new $36 million crime lab for the Denver Police Department. (Read a full list of completed Better Denver projects.) Here, a by-the-numbers reminder of the program’s history.

2004: The year John Hickenlooper, who was mayor at the time, formed the Infrastructure Task Force to determine what was needed to maintain the city’s facilities.

$25 million: The amount, per year, the Infrastructure Task Force determined the city had under-funded capital projects, such as routine maintenance on streets, parks, and libraries.

2006: The year a new, expanded task force started work on determining what the city could do to catch up on these projects.

1,500: The number of residents the city gathered input from during a year.

2007: The year the $550 million Better Denver Bond Program, a series of eight proposals, was placed on the ballot and approved by voters.

319: The number of projects proposed to be paid for by the program.

300+: The number of Better Denver projects that have been completed.

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