The Culver Town Council members held a public hearing Monday night to take comments on the Community Parks Improvement project that is encompassed in the Culver Stellar Communities Designation Program.
Town Manager Jonathan Leist presented the scope of the Cavalier Sports Park project which will be located at the corner of School Street and Academy Road by the Culver Community School Corporation.
“We’ll be doing field improvements to the soccer fields over there, expansion of the parking lot, moving the stormwater retention pond a little bit to the east, inclusion of a TOP lot and restroom/concession center, and a walking trail around the outside. That’s a total list of things that could be included in there,” said Leist.
The project has been identified and accepted as part of the town’s Strategic Improvement Plan and meets federal guidelines for funding. Shannon McLeod from Priority Project Resources said the town is applying for a $500,000 grant for this project through the Office of Community and Rural Affairs.
“We have tentatively set aside $340,000 which will be coming from a combination of funding through the community – some EDIT funds and some General funds and whatnot. It’s a $500,000 federal grant,” reported McLeod.
While money has already been earmarked by OCRA for this project, the town has to formally apply for the funding with paperwork due by Monday, May 14. McLeod asks that anyone who can submit a letter of support that discusses the importance of the project to do so by Thursday, May 10. Those letters may be emailed to Jonathan Leist at townmanager@townofculver.org.
Plans could also include improvements at Union Township Park, more commonly known as Culver Town Park, for new playground equipment and renovations to the existing gazebo, if funding is available.
If all of the paperwork and funding is approved, the bid letting would be done in September with construction to start shortly after the bid awards. The town hopes that the project would be done in time for the start of the soccer season in April 2019.
Questions were presented by media representatives but no other public comment was given during the public hearing. A similar public hearing will be held during the town council’s next regular meeting on Tuesday, May 8.
