Lauderhill voters have approved $65 million in improvement projects across the city — and now the work begins to bring those plans to life.

“We’re working as quickly as possible to make sure that we keep our promises as they relate to rolling these projects out,” City Manager Kennie Hobbs said. “We will balance that to make sure that we have quality projects and improvements within budget but as efficiently as possible.”

An overwhelming majority of voters OK’d three bond questions presented at the polls on March 10.

There is $9.5 million in funding for public safety projects that passed with 72% of the vote. Meanwhile, $34 million for park improvements and $21.5 million for infrastructure and roadways projects both passed with 71% of the vote.

The new bond under Lauderhill’s RISE program will replace a retiring RISE bond, so residents won’t see an increase in city tax rates resulting from the vote.

Hobbs said improvements included in the bond issues on last Tuesday’s ballot were “resident-generated,” stemming from five years of discussions during homeowners association meetings, town halls, and budget meetings.

Willie Mae Cooper, a Lauderhill resident and president of the West Ken Lark Homeowners Association, said that she’s excited to see improvements to parks and infrastructure that community members have talked about for years.

“This would benefit all of the residents. We’ve been asking for our parks to be upgraded,” Cooper said. “As far as safety, all of that is included in the bond to improve and to help beautify our community.”

West Ken Lark Park is one of Lauderhill’s 26 city parks, all of which will see improvements through the new projects, according to the city.

Park projects include pavilion replacements, windscreens, playground renovations, new lighting, improved walking trails, and improvements to sports fields.

All parks also will be subject to irrigation improvements.

Cooper said that over the past few years, she and other community members have proposed ideas like a new concession stand, new appliances, and refrigeration for water fountains at West Ken Lark Park.

Some larger projects also have been proposed as part of the plans for park improvements, including the construction of an amphitheater at Wolk Park and splash pad at Westwind Park.

Public safety projects include the expansion of license plate readers across the city and improvement to public safety and fire department facilities. Addressing potential concerns about the use of license plate readers, which were first implemented in Lauderhill in 2018, Hobbs said that the technology will be strictly used by local police to help solve crimes such as car thefts or missing-persons cases. Lauderhill’s network infrastructure also will see upgrades meant to improve connectivity.

The $21.5 million in infrastructure-related projects will go toward improvements like a new parking garage and the construction of more safety walls beside streets and roads.

Hobbs said that Lauderhill is in a healthy fiscal position to implement the bonds, and emphasized that the new projects do not mean increased costs for residents. In the coming months, officials will meet with community members to continue discussing specific details for upcoming projects, and some neighborhoods will already begin to see improvements.

Lauderhill voters will return to the polls in November to vote for a new mayor and for City Commission seats.