A grant Bridgeport Parks and Recreation announced that it applied for to land a new amenity to the city’s Recreation Complex was officially received Tuesday. At that time, a representative of Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin presented the documentation showing the awarding of a grant that will lead to a new playground at the soon to be three-year old complex.

 

Dot Underwood, Tomblin’s regional representative, made the presentation to various city officials early yesterday afternoon. The presentation confirms the confidence that P&R Deputy Director Joe Shuttleworth had when the city formally applied for the grant.

 

“We’ve had a lot of success with the grant program in the past,” said Shuttleworth.

 

The grant program Bridgeport is going through is the Land and Water Conservation Fund grant program. It is under the National Park Services and the grant is administered by the Community Development Division of the West Virginia Development Office.

 

For years, the city has successfully applied for grants through the program. Funds from the Land and Water Conservation program have been used for the construction of the Bridgeport swimming pool, the tennis courts, the boat docks and Hinkle and Deegan Lakes, the construction of Compton Park and the Sprayground. It’s also been utilized at the Recreation Complex where funds have been utilized for the basketball court and picnic area beyond the multi-purpose field.

 

The grant award notification Tuesday was for $30,000. The city will also have to provide $30,000 as part of the 50-50 grant program.

 

“We’ll be using local funds to create, what we fully believe to be, a great addition to the Recreation Complex,” said Shuttleworth. “I hope to get this moving so that at the very latest it would be completed by early spring. We’d like to see it available for the majority of the summer for those who would utilize the complex.”

 

Shuttleworth said Burton and others involved in the P&R process will have to officially determine the scope of the project and the equipment that will be included. As of now, there will be a picnic shelter, a play structure and other amenities.

 

“The main thing is to have an amenity at the complex that can be utilized by families during tournament,” said Shuttleworth. “You have long tournaments where families bring children that aren’t playing in the tournaments and having this will give the kids a nice recreational outlet, as well as a nice place for family members to relax.”

 

The project will still require a formal bidding process. Once that’s done and a winning bid is approved, work will begin on a part of the complex that was designed in the original plans. The playground area was value engineered out.

 

The grant program in question has been in place for roughly 50 years. During that time, it has assisted in nearly 500 completed park projects in West Virginia. 

 

Editor's Note: Pictured above is P&R Deputy Director Joe Shuttleworth, Assistant City Manager Jimmy Smith, Mayor Robert "Bob" Greer, Dot Underwood from Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin's office and P&R Director Don Burton.