The state's decrepit park system would be spruced up, and vast tracts of open space would be preserved from development over the next five years, under a $1.4 billion bond proposal filed yesterday by Governor Deval Patrick.
The legislation would allow Patrick to make good on his campaign promise to restore the state's parks as a national jewel and provide at least $50 million a year to preserve land. The legislation is considered the largest environmental bond bill in state history and is nearly double the size of the last environmental bond measure, enacted in 2002.
"It is a bold move for the Patrick administration," said Mass. Audubon president Laura Johnson, echoing praise from dozens of environmental groups around the state. ". . . We are currently losing more than 40 acres of open space per day. This investment is critical to aid the quickly closing window for land protection in Massachusetts."
The state is facing a more than $1 billion backlog in maintenance and capital improvements after decades of neglecting its parks, bridges, and urban parkways.
The bill calls for $213 million to be spent on parks, swimming pools, and campgrounds.
To protect land, Patrick wants $355 million, in part to lure more money, such as offering matching grants to organizations who also raise money to protect land. Patrick wants to create "visionary" urban parks in neighborhoods where there is little outdoor recreation, create undisturbed tracts of land for green tourism, and preserve forestlands.
This proposal gives "the citizens of the Commonwealth the great open spaces and the great parks, beaches, and recreation facilities they deserve," said Ian Bowles, state secretary of energy and environmental affairs.
The bill also calls for spending $250 million on refurbishing crumbling bridges and buildings, including the Woods Memorial Bridge in Everett and bridges in the Charles River Basin. Another $75 million would go toward urban parkways.
Globe correspondent McCamey Lynn contributed to this report.
