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A proposed Portland Parks & Recreation bond measure would provide millions of dollars for major maintenance at playgrounds, pools, trails and Pioneer Courthouse Square.

The Portland City Council will decide July 24 whether to put the bond measure on the November ballot. The bond over 20 years would raise between $56 million and $68 million via property tax revenues, according to estimates. The tax rate of 87 cents per $1,000 of assessed value would be equal to the rate of an existing bond that voters passed in 1994 and will expire in 2015.

The new bond would help pay for more than $365 million worth of maintenance projects that need to be completed in the next 10 years, spokeswoman Amy Ruiz said.

“This bond is about fixing the (parks) system,” she said.

Top priorities for the parks department include: repairing or replacing 10 to 20 aging playgrounds, fixing several public pools, maintaining trails and bridges in Forest Park and other nature areas, and improving disabled individuals’ access to park facilities.

Also, Pioneer Courthouse Square requires major maintenance, and hasn’t received any since opening 30 years ago, Ruiz said. A waterproof membrane under the plaza’s tiles was intended to last only 20 years, and now its deterioration is causing rainwater to leak into the TriMet office on the square.

Another planned project is replacement of the corroding water filtration system at Grant Outdoor Pool, one of the parks system’s most heavily used swim facilities. If this system were to fail, the pool would have to close, Ruiz said. Extensive repairs also are needed at the Matt Dishman Community Center and Peninsula Park pools.

Parks officials have been forced to close all or portions of the playgrounds at Couch and Kenton parks because equipment is unsafe, Ruiz said. The bond would help pay for equipment replacements.

“This is really about making sure our parks stay safe and open,” she said. “There are some really serious issues that we need to address to keep our parks open.”