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DRAFT | 2 march 201831IV COST FORECASTOPERATION AND MAINTENANCE COSTSThe costs of operating and maintaining downtown parks can vary widely depending on the parks’ features, size, programming, and the intensity of use. Research by the Trust for Public Land indicates that in the nation’s sixty largest cities, the annual cost for operations and maintenance (O&M) per designed acre of parkland averages to $21,178. The cost for a more intensive urban park can be greater. For example, Elizabeth Caurthers Park (Portland, Oregon), which includes an interactive water feature, paved plaza, extensive gardens, and community lawn area, has an annual O&M cost of 96,000 per acre. Habitat and open space based parks have a much lower O&M cost, primarily relating to safety and plant maintenance. The following chart represents a general ranking of operation and maintenance cost based on the amount and diversity of anticipated park features, level of use/programming, and size. *It is assumed Bradford Creek would be primarily a natural open space park and have a much lower O&M cost per acre, although the overall cost is ranked third due its substantially larger size.7.B. - Page 36