Few grant programs have been as good to the City of Bridgeport as the Land and Water Conservation Fund program. In fact, Bridgeport Parks and Recreation Director Don Burton estimates that since 1978 the city has received between $1 million and $1.5 million through the program.

 

“That’s a rough estimate as a percentage of those dollars came before I arrived, but the program has certainly been helpful in our quality of life mission with parks and recreation,” Burton said.

 

Last week, Burton was in Washington, D.C. to meet with West Virginia’s Congressional delegation to not only talk about that grant program, but to discuss the importance and critical nature of parks and recreation in general. Burton represented Bridgeport and the state and was joined by his counterpart John Cooper from the Clarksburg Parks Department and Bruce Miller, the executive director of the West Virginia Recreation and Parks Association (WVRPA).

 

“We had appointments with our senators and our congressmen,” said Burton. “The meetings went well.

 

Burton said the group had face-to-face meeting with Congressman Nick Rahall, Congressman David McKinley, and Congresswoman Shelly Moore Capito. The group also had meetings with staff members from the offices of Senator Jay Rockefeller and Senator Joe Manchin.

“We were with the officials anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes and we explained to them importance of the recreation system and, in particular, about the Land and Water Conservation Fund,” said Burton. “We know they know about the grant funding source, but we felt that it was important that they understood we needed their continued support.”

 

Bridgeport is currently in the process of seeking funds from the fund. Recently, P&R Deputy Director Joe Shuttleworth made application on the 50-50 grant program for a new playground and picnic shelter to be installed at the Bridgeport Recreation Complex. The application was for $60,000 in funding for what is estimated to be a $120,000 project.

 

During the meetings, Burton and Cooper were joined by Barbara Tulipane, the president and CEO of the National Recreation and Parks Association; and Lewis Ledford of the National Association of State Park Directors to present McKinley with an award. Congressman McKinley was honored with the NRPA’s Congressional Merit Award for leadership on promoting equity for the Land and Water Conservation Fund State and Local Assistance program.