Nick McWilliams reporting – With more plans in place to expand the Southside Community Park in New Philadelphia, city officials discussed the next steps.
Mayor Joel Day said on Monday that the city would be submitting an application through OMEGA for an Ohio Department of Natural Resources grant for the Water Conservation Fund for $500,000.
He says that those funds would be used to offset some of the price tag for the next steps in the park renovations.
“We’ve had Quicksall and Associates make an estimate of the cost of Phase Two. And it includes finishing the access road from the dog park to the high school soccer fields. Also, building six youth soccer fields just beyond the dog park, lighting along the roadway, and putting reinforced gravel in the parking lots.”
Day says that the road would be the most costly endeavor, and they’re planning on two concession stands and bathrooms in the next phase.
The city will also apply for smaller, localized grants from foundations for further expansion, along with state funding from Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s office.
According to the city’s website, the initial phase which included the road, the dog park, pedestrian bridges, restrooms, and more, cost over $3 million, backed heavily by grant funding.
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