Full page photo print - WSU Puyallup Research and Extension ...

Native Plant Synoptic Garden
88
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Budget
The synoptic garden is only a small portion of a large-scale rejuvenation plan for the
Washington Park Arboretum. Due to the magnitude of the rejuvenation plan and the number of
stakeholders involved (Seattle Parks Department, Washington Park Arboretum Foundation,
Private Donors, Arboretum and Botanical Garden Committee, and other financially vested
parties), it was determined that a thoroughly itemized budget detailing all maintenance costs and
expenditures was impractical. Instead, our goal was to provide current general budget details, to
review proposed costs of implementing and maintaining portions of the WPA Master Plan, and to
provide recommendations when necessary. Additionally, we have already included a substantial
listing of specific plant costs.
One of the main factors that will influence the short and long-term budget for the entire
rejuvenation project, including the synoptic garden, is the inflation rate. The Master Plan was last
updated in 2003, and as shown in Table 1, the inflation rate can fluctuate between 1% to just over
3% (Inflation Data, 2004). Therefore, anticipated costs of implementation for the Native Plant
Synoptic Garden, as well as the entire Master Plan that it is included in , will need to be re-
calculated over time for inflation. There is no guarantee whether the inflation rate will be higher
or lower than past months, so it is important to recognize this fact.
TABLE 1: Month by Month Breakdown of inflation rates.
Current Inflatio n Rate
Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Ave
2004 1.93%
2003 2.60% 2.98% 3.02% 2.22% 2.06% 2.11% 2.11% 2.16% 2.32% 2.04% 1.77% 1.88% 2.27%
2002 1.14% 1.14% 1.48% 1.64% 1.18% 1.07% 1.46% 1.80% 1.51% 2.03% 2.20% 2.38% 1.59%
2001 3.73% 3.53% 2.92% 3.27% 3.62% 3.25% 2.72% 2.72% 2.65% 2.13% 1.90% 1.55% 2.83%
2000 2.74% 3.22% 3.76% 3.07% 3.19% 3.73% 3.66% 3.41% 3.45% 3.45% 3.45% 3.39% 3.38%
Table at InflationData.com.
Under the Graham Visitors Center Gardens project description, which is included in the
Washington Park Arboretum Master Plan Implementation document, it states that the estimated
total cost of this project to be $1,679,000; “which is calculated in 2003 dollars” (ABGC, 2004).
This estimated total will need to be recalculated over time, including current inflation rates up till
the year implementation of the project is anticipated to start. This value does not represent any
road moving costs or new building costs. A portion of Lake Washington Boulevard and
Arboretum Drive are proposed to be moved, and a plant garden is planned where the roads once
were. This concept has already been included in our proposed design. The estimated total costs