Deerfield Park grant application not funded for third time

Thu September 18 2008
Posted Sep 18, 2008
6,636

Spencer, IA By Kris Todd, Daily Reporter Staff Public input sought during upcoming Safe Routes to School, Iowa Great Places reports "We came close, but we didn't hit the money," Spencer Park and Recreation Director Delray Bredehoeft told Spencer Park Board members Tuesday night as he informed them a Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) grant application for the development of Deerfield Park was not funded for a third time. Of the approximately 25 applications received from towns with populations up to 25,000 residents, Spencer was one of 16 invited to Des Moines to explain its proposal. In the end, Spencer's grant application tied for 13th place with Wapello's request to construct a fishing pier -- not high enough to receive funding. "We were only a couple points from being funded, so it was really close," Bredehoeft said. "...I did talk to Ron Walker in Arnolds Park, who's on the review board. ... He said it was a good project." "But part of (its not being funded was because) it's a neighborhood park, and REAP really wants to tie into a more regional approach. So, we did better, but not enough to get the money, I guess." REAP projects funded this round included: A Madrid trailhead and gateway park; Alice's Road property acquisition in Clive; a North Liberty cornerstone park nature area; a Indian Creek greenbelt trail system in Nevada; a Weed Park Zoo garden and trail in Muscatine; a Prairie Heritage Civic Center plaza wetlands and pond in Altoona; East Ridge Park development in Atlantic; a fourth phase of the Arbor Lake east trail shore project in Grinnell; a second year of the Chariton East Lakes project; and a Story City pedestrian/bike trail and Skunk River crossing bridge. Spencer's Deerfield Park REAP proposal did not include a shelter or eight-foot trails throughout. Instead, it highlighted proposed rain garden, natural playscape, ecological art walk, upland and hydric prairie areas. Input gathered during several Safe Routes to School (SRTS) meetings held last month will be unveiled this week. Mike Bell, a landscape architect with RDG Planning and Design of Des Moines who was hired to serve as a consultant for developing the proposed SRTS action plan, will report his findings, as well as seek additional insights and input, during four workshops: Ward One residents are invited to attend a 5:30 - 7 p.m. meeting tonight. Ward Two and Ward Three residents are encouraged to attend a 7:30 - 9 p.m. meeting tonight. Ward Four residents are encouraged to attend a 5:30 - 7 p.m. meeting Thursday night, and Ward Five residents are invited to attend a 7:30 - 9 p.m. meeting Thursday. All meetings will be held in the council chambers of Spencer City Hall, located at 418 Second Ave. W. Bredehoeft also informed board members that Spencer has been named one of four finalists in the Iowa Great Places program, which calls on state agencies to partner with Iowans by combining state resources with local assets to make Iowa's communities, neighborhoods, districts and regions great places where people want to live, work and raise families. Sept. 22 to 24, Great Places Citizen Advisory Board members and Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs staff are slated to tour Marquette/McGregor, Spencer, Warren County and West Union. The local meeting, where the proposed project will be presented, is scheduled for 2:15 p.m. Monday, Sept. 22 in the Spencer Community Theatre. The "Sparkle in Spencer and Ignite Your Imagination" proposal highlights concepts such as Spencer's Grand Avenue Boulevard and bridge revitalization projects, the Spencer Community Theatre and Parker Historical Museum remodels and expansions, the ongoing remodel of the old Spencer Middle School building, the continued expansion of the Little Sioux River trail, kiosks in the downtown area and technological advancements expected to bring Spencer's cultural and historic assets front-and-center for residents and visitors alike. Iowa's newest Great Places will be identified on Sept. 30. Bredehoeft also highlighted two 2008-09 fiscal year capital improvement projects (CIP) earmarked to be addressed in the near future. In regard to the concrete basketball court proposed to be built in North School Park, Bredehoeft informed board members that a grading plan will be completed shortly. This, he said, will allow bids to be let by mid-October. While he suggested it would be "a challenge" to complete this project yet this fall, Bredehoeft assured they'd attempt to do so. Board chairman Dick Montgomery asked Bredehoeft to also research the possibility of replacing a curb near the park's playground area. Tuck-pointing the East Leach Park bandshell was the second CIP project discussed during last night's meeting. Bredehoeft brought a Nov. 26 bid received from Schoonover Tuckpointing Co., Inc. of Vinton, which proposed cleaning, waterblasting and tuck-pointing where necessary, as well as replacing up to 25 defective or missing bricks in the building's block and brick unit surface. The company's proposal also detailed cleaning the bandshell's plastered ceiling and then coating it. Since being built in the early 1960s, Bredehoeft reported the city's bandshell has not been tuck-pointed and only painted once or twice. He also indicated that a Schoonover representative had told him to expect a 10 percent increase in their company's cost to complete such services due to the recent increase in fuel costs. New bids will be sought on this project, Bredehoeft said. In other updates, Bredehoeft reported that: * Mike Harleman and community service workers stained the Spencer Family Aquatic Center building Tuesday. The building had not been re-stained since being built in 1997. * A $100,000 grant received from the Iowa Department of Transportation will lift the city to the $160,000 amount needed to meet a Community Attraction and Tourism (CAT) grant requirement. The DOT grant, which will be used for landscaping along Grand Avenue, marks the final funding portion needed to meet the $500,000 CAT grant requirement. "We're set to go on that project, once we get all the easements in place," Bredehoeft said. "Then we'll be looking at taking it out to bid." * The establishment of a proposed dog park at DeWolf Park will be placed on the Oct. 14 board agenda.