It’s amazing how much stuff can be done when you’ve got the money.

Last February, the South Whidbey Parks & Recreation District asked South End voters to approve funding for major upgrades on park facilities.

Residents responded by agreeing to a 20-year general obligation bond worth $1.6 million for capital improvements, an amount equaling just under 2 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation for properties in the district.

District officials knew exactly where the money would go, and they’ve been working hard to get the work done on improvements to park facilities before next spring.

The bond is being divided in four ways: The community park upgrades, $525,0000; the sports complex will receive $555,000; Castle Park playground, $300,000 and Trustland Trails, $220,000.

Project manager Ron Young provided park commissioners with an update last week.

First up were two baseball fields and four soccer fields at the park that were unusable when it rained too much. Each season, the water table would rise and create minor flooding. At best, the ground was too soggy to play on.

Seeds would float on the surface attracting birds, which further damaged the grass.

In June and July, park officials drained and installed irrigation and added extra hydro-seeding.

The results have been “unbelievable,” according to maintenance supervisor Tom Fallon.

“Even after the recent rains, there’s no more puddling or over-saturated conditions since all the excess water is drained off,” he said. “The turf is healthy and playability is drastically improved.”

During the warmer months the park is filled with recreational users of all kinds; summer day campers, the Chum Run for adults and kids, triathletes, baseball players, soccer kids, skateboarders and picnic shelter users. Now, the drained fields feel firm and solid underfoot, perfect for making a quick kick to the goal.

“We can spend less time repairing damaged facilities and more time on routine maintenance,” Fallon added.

Adjoining the soccer fields off Langley road, eagle-eyed drivers may spot two structures rising up next to the restrooms. Framing for the new pavilions, topped with decorative cupolas, is almost complete, and ArchiteCreations has begun installing a new playground on the site. In the spring, park staff will add landscaping and picnic tables.

“In another smaller circle will be a swing set for children to use while their older brothers and sisters are playing soccer — playing soccer on the now-dry fields,” Fallon said.

He added that the pavilions will let parents stay dry and provide a nice place for people to have a picnic, regardless of the weather.

On Thursday, carpenter Ian Claypool from Clinton was adding bolts to strengthen the upper section of the pavilion roof as his boss watched.

“We appreciate Parks & Rec making the effort to keep the work on the island as much as possible,” said Leroy Boren, owner of Boren Construction. “Every one of my employees lives on Whidbey and, as you know, the construction business is slowing down.”

Parks Commissioner Jim Porter noted that the district abides by state laws concerning the bidding process.

“We’re always hoping we can use taxpayers money to help local employers, their employees and the community,” he said. “It’s a win-win situation when that happens.”

Meanwhile, extensive paving work has been undertaken throughout the park, including the upper soccer field and the overflow parking area at the sports complex.

“We’re hoping to have it all done by the end of the year,” Fallon said.

No decisions have been made as to the future upgrading of the venerable wooden Castle Park playground. Before the district spends the $300,000 budgeted for the work, they will evaluate a variety of alternatives based on public input.

These include tearing down the structure and replacing it with a similar castle-themed playground made of recycled plastic that looks like wood, repairing certain areas incrementally with Alaskan yellow cedar or erecting a large roof to cover the whole thing.

But when several large sections of perimeter fence were found to be damaged recently, park officials decided to replace it.

“The new fence is made of Fiberforce, a cedar-toned composite resin that will be stronger and last a very long time,” Fallon said. “The lack of the perimeter fence was a safety issue we couldn’t ignore.”

Finally, the concrete extensions at the skate park are expected to be finished by early 2009, depending on the weather. The project adds 6,000 square feet of concrete, designed to allow bikes to land on a solid surface.

“Now, they come down hard on dirt that gets tracked back to the interior parts; when it’s wet, it creates unsafe, slick skating conditions,” Fallon said.

The parks district is also busy getting Trustland Trails ready for public use by preparing a 10-by-160-foot area one mile from the entrance to the trails on Craw Road and Highway 525.

“It’s a perfectly flat space that will be used for trailhead parking,” parks director Terri Arnold explained. Roughly 5,000 board feet of lumber will be cleared and a 900-foot section graded for the project. The trails wind through 200 acres of prime land in the Maxwelton Valley acquired last year by the parks district.

Work is expected to be completed early 2009.

The next regular parks meeting is 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 17 at the South Whidbey Community Health Services building at 5475 Maxwelton Road in Langley.