Funding Will Be

For Ballfields At

On Hal Henard Rd.

ByAMY ROSE

Staff Writer

Greeneville has been awarded a $425,000 grant from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) for a sports complex on Hal Henard Road.

The grant, announced Monday by Gov. Phil Bredesen and TDEC Commissioner Jim Fyke, is one of 87 parks and recreation grants totaling $11.9 million for projects across the state.

"We're just tickled to death that we're funded," said Butch Patterson, executive director of the Greeneville Parks & Recreation Department.

The grant will fund approximately half of a nearly $1 million project that includes land acquisition and development of two ballfields, a concession area and restrooms.

Patterson noted that a sports complex featuring extra ballfields within the city has been a dream of several local leaders for the past 20 years.

In 2006, the city applied for a $1 million grant for a sports complex that included eight ballfields, eight tennis courts, two multi-purpose football/soccer fields and outdoor basketball courts.

After the grant was not awarded, plans for the sports complex were revised to include two ballfields. For this revised sports complex, a $500,000 grant was sought this year. No TDEC parks and recreation grants were awarded in 2007.

Also, separate funding for the eight tennis courts was acquired through the efforts of the Greene County Tennis Association, and the Greeneville-Greene County Tennis Center opened in April 2007.

The planned sports complex, to be managed by both the city and county, will be located near the tennis center.

Patterson told the Greeneville Board of Mayor and Aldermen in a budget hearing last week that if the grant was approved the bulk of the local matching funds could come from the value of the property, $388,000.

Also, $70,000 of the Operation Roundup funds from the Greeneville Light & Power System and $14,000 in in-kind services would leave a total of $28,000 to request from the city and county governments to reach the $500,000, Patterson said.

With the slightly reduced grant amount of $425,000, Patterson said he will meet with project engineers to make adjustments to the plans.

As of Monday, Patterson was unsure of what adjustments will be made or exactly how much local funding he will seek from the city and county governments.

Greeneville has received two other TDEC grants in the past 10 years -- one for the EastView Recreation Center and one for Dogwood Park at Tusculum View.

Governor Comments

The announcement on Monday includes nearly $9.7 million in Local Parks and Recreation Fund (LPRF) grants and more than $2.2 million in Recreational Trails Program (RTP) grants.

Greeneville's grant is an LPRF grant.

"These grants will enhance and expand special places like parks, greenways and recreational facilities that are set aside for the enjoyment of our state's citizens and visitors alike," Bredesen said in a press release. "I'm extremely pleased that this year's grant awards will allow us to help make 87 important projects a reality across the state of Tennessee."

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. Funding for the LPRF program has been generated by the real estate transfer tax.

The Recreational Trails Program is a federally funded program established to distribute funding for motorized, non-motorized and diverse recreation trail projects.

The funds are available to state, federal and local government agencies as well as private organizations that partner with government agencies. RTP funds may be used for planning, maintenance, construction, acquisition, development and rehabilitation of trails or trailside facilities. The maximum federal share for each project is 80 percent, so all RTP grant recipients must provide 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.

Other Recipients

Only two other projects received more than the $425,000 awarded to Greeneville:

* the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) received a $723,099 grant for development of an off-highway vehicle trail and renovation and maintenance at the North Cumberlands Wildlife Management Area in Anderson, Campbell, Morgan and Scott counties; and

* Montgomery County, north of Nashville, received a $440,000 grant for the development of Civitan Park, a ballfield complex and two concessions and restroom facilities.

Four other projects, in addition to Greeneville, were awarded grants of $425,000.

Parrottsville in Cocke County was awarded $39,000 for land acquisition and development of basketball and tennis courts at Parrottsville Park.

Hamblen County was awarded two grants:

* $87,500 to build a new pavilion and to make a restrooms handicap accessible at Cherokee Park; and

* $93,000 for a paved trail and for clearing and grubbing, signage and concrete work at Cherokee Park.

The City of Morristown (in Hamblen County) was awarded $52,000 for land acquisition and trail construction at Wayne Hansard Park.

The Town of White Pine was awarded $60,000 for a splash pad at Lions Park.

Also in Northeast Tennessee:

* the Town of Tazewell in Claiborne County was awarded $60,000 for tennis courts, fencing and bleachers at Tazewell Town Park; and

* the City of Kingsport was awarded $70,000 for walking trail construction at Eastman Park, and $300,000 for field lighting at Eastman Park and a playground and volleyball court at Domtar Park.