Hattiesburg City Council members have approved the application of a grant from the Federal Land and Water Conservation Fund program that would help build a park in an unspecified location in midtown Hattiesburg.
Council voted 5-0 at Tuesday’s meeting to seek the grant, which would require a 50/50 match from the city with a maximum amount of $500,000.
“This is the first time this grant has come up in a while for applications,” Mayor Toby Barker said. “This would go to not only purchase the property outside of what the city and county could kick in, but also actually build a park. These are always long shots, but if you don’t take a swing, you never get a hit. So we’ll see what happens.”
Any property receiving LWCF grant assistance is required to be maintained for public outdoor recreation, and the grant would be dedicated solely to public outdoor recreation use as required by the terms of the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965, as administered by the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks-Outdoor Recreation Grant Division.
The park would be part of the projects funded by the additional 1-cent sales tax that was instituted last year at Hattiesburg restaurants, hotels and motels. Half of the funds generated from that tax are marked for 17 Parks and Recreation Department projects around the city – including a walking trail extension at Duncan Lake and a basketball/tennis court on East 8th Street – while the other half will be used for renovations at Reed Green Coliseum on the campus of the University of Southern Mississippi.
The tax is set to “sunset,” or expire, on June 30, 2022, but a vote from both Hattiesburg City Council and the Mississippi Legislature could approve a four-year extension.
“We’ve got so many parks in our city, but other than Thames Elementary, we really don’t have a park in one of the fastest-growing areas of the city right now,” Barker said. “And so to be able to secure that space as the area continues to develop is a big thing. Again, it follows through with what we committed to with the 1-cent election for parks and rec.
“These grants are very competitive … but we were successful last year in applying for the Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks grant for Duncan Lake, and we’re finishing the bid process on that right now, so we’re very grateful for our state partners who help us out with these things. I know that our grant writer, Jennifer Shows, and Sid Gonsoulin have worked very hard to get this application in.”
