Oliver Springs has received a $100,000 state grant for development of the Carmichael Ballfield, officials said Monday. It’s a Local Parks and Recreation grant.
Farragut received a $500,000 Parks and Recreation grant for renovation of an athletic field, restroom, and construction of parking.
And Norris Dam State Park received an $84,000 Recreational Trails Program grant. It will be used to buy trail cutting equipment for building and maintaining hiking and biking trails, and trail-dedicated hand tools; develop three new trails that will link existing trails to increase trail capacity and link users to the campgrounds; and repair existing trails and train new volunteers.
The grants were announced by Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam and Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Commissioner Bob Martineau on Monday. They are worth more than $17 million total, and they will help fund parks and recreation projects in Tennessee communities, a press release said.
“These grants are very competitive, so I applaud our local officials for their hard work on behalf of their communities,†Haslam said. “Our goal at the state level is to make Tennessee the very best place to live, work, and raise a family, and I want to thank local officials for their partnership in making these grants happen and achieving that goal.â€
TDEC is awarding $15.8 million in Local Park and Recreation grants to 55 different communities, as well as $1.9 million in Recreational Trails Program grants for a total of 12 parks and communities across Tennessee, the press release said.
“Local parks and recreation areas provide opportunities to gather, experience nature, and enjoy outdoor activities,†Martineau said. “We’re grateful to be able to help fund these projects, which will pay dividends for our communities now and in the future.â€
Here is more information about the grants from Tennessee officials:
About the Local Parks and Recreation Fund
The Local Parks and Recreation Fund grant program was established by the General Assembly in 1991 to provide local governments with funds to purchase land for parks, natural areas, greenways, and recreational facilities. The funds also may be used for development of trails and projects in parks, natural areas, and greenways. All LPRF grants require a 50 percent match by the recipient.
Grant recipients were selected through a scoring process with careful consideration given to the projects that met the selection criteria and expressed the greatest local recreation need.
About the Recreational Trails Program
The Recreational Trails Program is a federally-funded program established to distribute funding for diverse recreation trail projects. The funds are available to federal, state, and local government agencies, as well as nonprofit organizations that have obtained IRS 501(c)(3) status and have a written trail management agreement with the agency that owns the property where the trail project is located.
Recreational Trails Program grants may be used for non-routine maintenance and restoration of existing trails, development and rehabilitation, trailside or trailhead facilities such as restrooms, kiosks, and parking lots, construction of new trails, and land acquisition for recreational trails or corridors.
Funding for RTP grants is provided by the Federal Highway Administration through the Fixing Americans Surface Transportation (FAST) Act of 2015. TDEC administers this grant program for the state. The maximum federal share for each project is 80 percent, with RTP grant recipients providing a 20 percent match. Grant recipients were selected through a scoring process with careful consideration given to the projects that met the selection criteria and expressed the greatest local recreation need.
See the grant awards here:Â TDEC LPRF and RTP Grants August 2016.
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