By Kim Lewicki, Highlands Newspaper
Even though the new Highlands Playground planned for the Rec Park missed out on the recent Parks and Recreation Trust Fund (PARTF) and the Accessible Parks Grant distribution late in August, Highlands Commissioners Brian Stiehler and Jeff Weller have not lost hope.
Macon County commissioners and the Highlands Town Board have each promised funds toward the completion that will require $1.6 million.
“We have $250,000 from the Town of Highlands, and $350,000 from Macon County,” said Commissioner Stiehler. “With $325,000 in private donations, to date, that puts us at $925.”
Meanwhile, Highlands Playground is applying for the second round of $4 million in PARTF grants known as “Accessibility for Parks” that opened in September. Grantees will be announced the spring of 2025.
Stiehler said fundraising is still going strong with $5,000 raised in the first three days that the PayPal site went online. To donate through PayPal, click HERE.
“We will get there,” he said.
Through the recent round of grants, the Town of Franklin got $500,000 for its Whitmire Accessible Play Area – part of the $17.9 million awarded local communities in the state toward park projects and accessibility improvements.
Local governments applied to PARTF to fund land acquisition, and development and renovation of public park and recreation areas. Every year, the Parks and Recreation Authority allocates to municipalities and counties 30% of PARTF’s total funding. A maximum of $500,000 can be awarded to a single project, and the awardees must match funds at least dollar-for-dollar for the grant amount. This year, the Authority considered 40 grant applications requesting a total of more than $15.1 million. Of those, 22 projects were funded in full, and one project was awarded partial funding, all totaling over $9.5 million.
There was $4 million left over from the Accessibility for Parks grant, which is part of PARTF, so the grant cycle was reopened.
“We’ve already talked to the Southwest Commission, and they are going to write this grant for us,” said Stiehler. “In the meantime, I am going to meet with representatives of organizations who deal with children with disabilities and get their input on our playground design.”
A separate source of funding, the Accessible Parks Grant program, was appropriated $12.5 million in the 2023 budget to provide matching grants for local parks and recreation projects to benefit people living with disabilities. Some of it was allocated during this past round, but not all of it.
The program allows for either the construction of special facilities or the adaptation of existing facilities to meet the unique needs of persons living with disabilities, enabling them to participate in recreational and sporting activities, regardless of their abilities. The grant is administered through PARTF and recipients are selected by the Parks and Recreation Authority.
Over the last 30 years, PARTF has provided more than $800 million in improved state parks, local parks, and coastal access. In fact, the Highlands Rec Park and Civic Center was a grant recipient in the early days.
Pictured at the top of the article is an aerial shot of the playground at the Highlands Rec Park.