$11.9 Million in Grants to Parks & Recreation

Tennessee Governor Phil Bredessen and members of the Hamilton County and Chattanooga legislative delegation today announced more than $11.9 million in parks and recreation grants will be awarded to recipients across Tennessee. The announcement includes nearly $9.7 million in Local Parks and Recreation Fund grants and more than $2.2 million in Recreational Trails Program grants.

Hamilton County will receive a $250,000 LPRF grant and a $76,000 RTP grant for Enterprise South Nature Park for site work and construction of a visitor's center, along with trail construction and equipment. The city of Chattanooga will receive $225,000 for the development of a "spraypark" at Warner Park. Additionally, the town of Lookout Mountain will receive $150,000 for playground equipment and installation, surfacing and site preparation for the Mountain Maze Playground.

"These grants will enhance and expand special places like parks, greenways and recreational facilities that are set aside for the enjoyment of our state's citizens and visitors alike," said Bredesen. "I'm extremely pleased that this year's grant awards will allow us to help make 87 important projects a reality across the state of Tennessee."

The Local Parks and Recreation Fund Grant Program was established by the General Assembly in 1991 to provide local governments with funds to purchase land for parks, natural areas, greenways and recreational facilities. The funds may also be used for development of trails and projects in parks, natural areas and greenways. All LPRF grants require a 50 percent match by the recipient. Funding for the LPRF program has been generated by the real estate transfer tax.

The Recreation Trails Program is a federally funded program established to distribute funding for motorized, non-motorized and diverse recreation trail projects. The funds are available to state, federal and local government agencies as well as private organizations that partner with government agencies. RTP funds may be used for maintenance, construction, acquisition, development and rehabilitation of trails or trailside facilities. The maximum federal share for each project is 80 percent, so all RTP grant recipients must provide a 20 percent match.

"These awards will help fund some very exciting projects," said Fyke. ">From the acquisition of property for the development of new municipal parks to the renovation of recreational facilities to make them ADA compliant to the construction of new athletic fields and walking trails, these projects run the gamut of recreational opportunities for Tennesseans and will be great assets to their communities."

"I'm pleased these grants will help improve the quality of our parks in Nashville and across the state," said State Senator Andy Berke.

"Our quality of life in Tennessee is directly linked to the quality of our parks and outdoor spaces," said State Representative Tommie Brown.

Grant recipients were selected through a scoring process with careful consideration given to the projects that met the selection criteria and expressed the greatest local recreation need.