City’s $50,000 Pride Park grant request rejected
By JIM FAILE
State parks officials have denied the city of Hartsville’s application for a $50,000 grant to help make improvements at Pride Park.
Parks and Leisure Services Director Phil Gardner told the city’s Parks Committee that the city’s application for the Land and Water Conservation Grant from the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism was turned down.
Had the grant been approved the city would have been required to provide a $50,000 match for a total of $100,000, Gardner said.
Gardner said he will begin work immediately on a new grant application, this one for $25,000 Parks and Recreational Development (PARD) grant, which together with $25,000 in matching funds from the city, will provide $50,000 to help pay for some improvements at the park.
The state had $586,000 to allocate through the LWCG program but received requests totaling $6.1 million, Gardner said.
The top priority among proposed improvements is the addition of public restroom facilities at the park, Gardner said. Committee members agreed with that assessment.
Other improvements officials hope to make include lighting, new fencing, a paved parking area and the addition of a handicapped accessible swing.
Gardner said $50,000 could provide the restrooms and at least two of the other items.
In other business, the committee agreed to recommend to Hartsville City Council that it set a reservation fee for the use of Burry Park for organized activities of $50. The fee would cover the use of the green space and will help pay for such things as electricity, garbage pickup after events and police security.
“We’re not trying to make money off of this,” Gardner said.
The change does not affect the special permit fee of $25 for park activities. That fee is normally waived for nonprofit organizations, officials said.
The committee also welcomed its newest member, former Mayor David McFarland.
Committee members also got an update on plans to put a kayak launch at Lawton Park on Prestwood Lake and plans for pressure washing the exterior of the Pavilion at Lawton Park.
And the group also got a look at some refurbished playground equipment at Lawton Park given to the city by an anonymous donor.