Potential upgrades to the Hamlet Town Park depend on tomorrow’s Stellar Community announcement. The winner of this year’s Stellar designation is scheduled to be announced tomorrow morning.
One of the four finalists is Constellation of Starke, which includes Hamlet and other Starke County communities. A Stellar designation opens the door to a significant amount of potential grant funding.
Hamlet wants to resurface its skate park, but during last week’s park board meeting, Clerk-Treasurer Kristina Pitts reminded residents that the board has decided to wait until tomorrow’s announcement to decide how to move forward. If Constellation of Starke is designated a Stellar Community, the skate park would be included. If it isn’t, board members say they might move forward with the upgrades anyway with town funding.
A proposed walking path is in a similar situation. Rather than relying solely on a possible Stellar designation, the town has been able to secure some private donations, thanks to the efforts of the Hamlet American Legion. The plan is to build the trail in memory of Robert J. Tauteris Jr., who died while serving in Afghanistan in 2012. Any potential Stellar money would make the donations go even further.
In other business last week, the Hamlet Park Board got a recap of October’s Haunted Fairgrounds. The proceeds will be used to purchase prizes and supplies for the town’s Easter egg hunt.
