Earle officials looking to the future

Earle officials looking to the future

FUN grant could net community park for the city

news@theeveningtimes.com

Earle will be turning in its application for funding for a park at the community center.

The city is applying for a $50,000 Facilities for Underdeveloped Neighborhoods — or FUN grant — through Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism to spruce up the area around the community center. FUN grants are targeted for areas of the state which do not have parks. The money helps assist cities in developing basic neighborhood outdoor recreational facilities.

Mayor Sherman Smith updated the council on the grant process and said the application is due on August 24.

“This week I’m writing the narrative for it,” Smith said. The city is proposing to build a walking trail behind the community center and add more landscaping, benches, playground equipment, and a pavilion around the trail to make it more appealing.

The community center is located on Hwy. 64 and has been newly renovated by the city which has resulted in increased useage of the building. The city and school district recently signed an agreement to rent office space for a parent center and computers for the public to use.

Smith said they got some good feedback from residents about what they would like to see included at the park. That feedback will be helpful for the grant deciders because they like to see community involvement.

The city used its senior citizen population as a minority group which will add additional points to their grant application score. The City Council also agreed to set aside $3,000 as a contingency toward building the park.

“We’re done with our public hearings and all of the things we needed to do on our end,” Smith said. “We’ve got letters of support from Congressman (Rick) Crawford and (state) Senator (Keith) Ingram and Rep. (Milton) Nix.”

By Mark Randall