ullahoma’s Rotary Playground project is on hold but there’s a good reason — free money.
The Parks and Recreation Department is waiting on the go ahead from Department of Environment and Conservation, which has announced the city will be receiving about $40,000 through a local parks and recreation fund grant toward the aerospace-themed playground to be built at Frazier McEwen Park.
Kurt Glick, Parks and Recreation director, summed up the situation.
“We can’t do anything until the state offers a contract,” he said.
Tullahoma’s Sunrise and Noon Rotary clubs have led the effort to raise about $63,000 to go toward the project.
The city had applied for a state grant to match what had been raised. However, word was received in October 2010 that the money would not be available.
Glick said the situation has since changed, and the state has committed $40,000 toward the effort. He added that the money became available after some communities either didn’t use all their grant money or they didn’t provide the local match to be eligible to receive funding.
He added that the money will be used to do sidewalk, concrete and other site work to make the playground more accessible.
He said Kentucky-based Burke Playgrounds, Chattanooga-based Gametime Corp. and Miracle Inc., with operations in Tennessee and Kentucky, have submitted requests for proposal to design the playground, and a committee including city and Rotary leaders will decide on which firm will get the contract.
Glick said it could take about 90 days before the grant money is received and a contract can be awarded.
When the city had been informed in October that the $63,000 from the state wouldn’t be coming, Alderman Greg Sandlin, a Rotarian who has strongly supported the playground effort, told the Board of Mayor and Aldermen that the $63,000 that had been raised through donations would still be used to provide the playground.
He had said it was not as much as hoped — the city’s $63,000, plus the same amount from the matching grant — but the money would pretty much equip the playground in its aerospace theme.
Sandlin had said the main difference would be a sidewalk leading to the facility would have to be delayed until later when money became available to fund it.
He had referred to the money at hand.
“We can build a very nice playground for that,” he said. “We’ll just have to make a few adjustments.”
Sandlin said the effort will depend more on donated time from Rotarians and city personnel to do in-kind labor to finish the project. At the time, plans were to have the playground finished by early December in time for the Christmas season.
Sandlin had said he suspected the reason why the city did not initially get the state grant is because Tullahoma received a grant totaling about $500,000 two years prior that sparked a major upgrade to D.W. Wilson Community Center.
“We thought we had a pretty good shot at getting that, but it didn’t work out,” Sandlin had said, referring to another $63,000 from the state.
Sandlin had said the Rotary Playground goes hand in hand with the Dream Tullahoma Committee’s efforts to market the city based on its rich aerospace heritage.
When Sandlin addressed the board earlier in 2010 about the playground, he said the Dream Tullahoma Committee has good intentions to market the city, based on its rich aviation and aerospace heritage. He added that Rotary Club likes to be involved in efforts that benefit the public, and it had been considering providing a playground at the park.
Sandlin had said when fellow Alderman Mike Stanton briefed the board about Dream Tullahoma’s progress, “a light bulb was turned on” that made it clear to him that the Rotary Club could aid Dream Tul-lahoma’s cause.
“We need to make the playground an aerospace playground,” Sandlin said, summing up what was going through his mind during Stanton’s presentation.
He said the playground was estimated to cost between $55,000 and $80,000, depending on how simple or elaborate the facility would be.
Sandlin said plans are to have the playground harbor a small-scale model of the X-43A — the world’s fastest aircraft, which has exceeded 7,000 mph and is in the Guinness Book of Records — that was developed in Tullahoma.
The playground will probably also feature a model rocket that children can climb on, as well as spring-loaded aircraft type playground equipment.
Sandlin paid tribute to Rotarian Laura Vaughn and David Denton, Rogers Group vice president of Southeast Tennessee operations, for initiating and supporting the playground effort.
The Parks and Recreation Department is waiting on the go ahead from Department of Environment and Conservation, which has announced the city will be receiving about $40,000 through a local parks and recreation fund grant toward the aerospace-themed playground to be built at Frazier McEwen Park.
Kurt Glick, Parks and Recreation director, summed up the situation.
“We can’t do anything until the state offers a contract,” he said.
Tullahoma’s Sunrise and Noon Rotary clubs have led the effort to raise about $63,000 to go toward the project.
The city had applied for a state grant to match what had been raised. However, word was received in October 2010 that the money would not be available.
Glick said the situation has since changed, and the state has committed $40,000 toward the effort. He added that the money became available after some communities either didn’t use all their grant money or they didn’t provide the local match to be eligible to receive funding.
He added that the money will be used to do sidewalk, concrete and other site work to make the playground more accessible.
He said Kentucky-based Burke Playgrounds, Chattanooga-based Gametime Corp. and Miracle Inc., with operations in Tennessee and Kentucky, have submitted requests for proposal to design the playground, and a committee including city and Rotary leaders will decide on which firm will get the contract.
Glick said it could take about 90 days before the grant money is received and a contract can be awarded.
When the city had been informed in October that the $63,000 from the state wouldn’t be coming, Alderman Greg Sandlin, a Rotarian who has strongly supported the playground effort, told the Board of Mayor and Aldermen that the $63,000 that had been raised through donations would still be used to provide the playground.
He had said it was not as much as hoped — the city’s $63,000, plus the same amount from the matching grant — but the money would pretty much equip the playground in its aerospace theme.
Sandlin had said the main difference would be a sidewalk leading to the facility would have to be delayed until later when money became available to fund it.
He had referred to the money at hand.
“We can build a very nice playground for that,” he said. “We’ll just have to make a few adjustments.”
Sandlin said the effort will depend more on donated time from Rotarians and city personnel to do in-kind labor to finish the project. At the time, plans were to have the playground finished by early December in time for the Christmas season.
Sandlin had said he suspected the reason why the city did not initially get the state grant is because Tullahoma received a grant totaling about $500,000 two years prior that sparked a major upgrade to D.W. Wilson Community Center.
“We thought we had a pretty good shot at getting that, but it didn’t work out,” Sandlin had said, referring to another $63,000 from the state.
Sandlin had said the Rotary Playground goes hand in hand with the Dream Tullahoma Committee’s efforts to market the city based on its rich aerospace heritage.
When Sandlin addressed the board earlier in 2010 about the playground, he said the Dream Tullahoma Committee has good intentions to market the city, based on its rich aviation and aerospace heritage. He added that Rotary Club likes to be involved in efforts that benefit the public, and it had been considering providing a playground at the park.
Sandlin had said when fellow Alderman Mike Stanton briefed the board about Dream Tullahoma’s progress, “a light bulb was turned on” that made it clear to him that the Rotary Club could aid Dream Tul-lahoma’s cause.
“We need to make the playground an aerospace playground,” Sandlin said, summing up what was going through his mind during Stanton’s presentation.
He said the playground was estimated to cost between $55,000 and $80,000, depending on how simple or elaborate the facility would be.
Sandlin said plans are to have the playground harbor a small-scale model of the X-43A — the world’s fastest aircraft, which has exceeded 7,000 mph and is in the Guinness Book of Records — that was developed in Tullahoma.
The playground will probably also feature a model rocket that children can climb on, as well as spring-loaded aircraft type playground equipment.
Sandlin paid tribute to Rotarian Laura Vaughn and David Denton, Rogers Group vice president of Southeast Tennessee operations, for initiating and supporting the playground effort.
No comments:
Post a Comment