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(FILE PHOTO | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Ian Woosley opens play at a weekend 50/50 disc golf tournament at Firemen’s Park hosted by the Graham Disc Golf Club in 2020. An expansion of the disc course is planned for phase one of the park project for Firemen’s Park.
The city of Graham started a petition last week in support of phase two of the planned park improvements using funding obtained from the Brazos River Authority and through matching grants with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The city is attempting to apply for a second round of funding through TPWD and the online petition will help the city’s chances in obtaining the grant.
The Local Park Grant Program provides 50% matching grants on a reimbursement basis to those who are accepted as eligible applicants. The grants are funded each year following a fall application deadline which are evaluated using the Priority Scoring System and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission makes the final decision on the awarding of the program funds.
The Graham City Council approved a resolution authorizing Mayor Neal Blanton to sign documents to apply for another Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Local Park Grant during its meeting Thursday, July 7. The city of Graham was awarded matching grant funding from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in May 2021 after a decision was approved by the commission for the department.
The second grant application will be submitted to TPWD Monday, Aug. 1, according to the change.org petition started by Laura Taylor, who has worked with the Parks and Recreation Board on the previous applications. Taylor stated on the petition that phase one of the project is being funded in part by the National Park Service which requires a federal-level review.
“This did not start until the state funding was approved (after May 2021) and has been ongoing since then. In June, we were told that the only item remaining for the federal review is Indian Tribal Consultation. This is something the NPS undertakes for environmental clearance. The City has no control over this process, but we expect this to be completed soon,” she stated on the petition. “Once the NPS funding is approved, TPWD will release us (Graham Park Board) to design the project. The local parks grant project is a 50/50 grant/local match program, and there is also a separate trails grant, a $250,000 project with an 80/20 (grant/local) match. This project is under environmental review as well and we expect that to be completed soon (we have no firm date from TPWD)."
For the full story, see the Saturday, July 16 edition of The Graham Leader.
