City to apply for TPWD grant to install splash pad

City to apply for TPWD grant to install splash pad News Staff Tue, 06/11/2024 - 4:49 pm The city of Breckenridge will apply for a grant from Texas Parks and Wildlife to add a splash pad to the city pool. File photo By Mike Williams news@breckenridgeamerican.com The dreams of a new splash pad at the city pool may come true with the help of a grant offered by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The city hired a grant writer and an engineering firm to assist them in applying for a Local Parks Grant offered by TPWD, following a public hearing Tuesday, June 4. During the planning process for the Breckenridge Comprehensive Development Plan, community members expressed interest in a splash pad and city leaders identified that as a priority. Details for the splash pad were unveiled at an open house session hosted by Northrop at the Breckenridge Chamber of Commerce earlier this year. The city plans to re-purpose the small pool at Breckenridge City Park into a splash pad at a cost range between $500,000-$600,000.  To match the grant from TPWD, the city will use the money earned on interest from Certificates of Obligation approved by city commissioners last year. Last August, the city approved the certificates and received a total of $8,641,987. A large portion of the funds are going to the city’s road improvement plan with funds also used to upgrade the playground at Breckenridge City Park earlier this year. “We did a (request for proposal) and the advertisement went out. …this is all in our efforts to apply for a grant for a splash pad,” City Manager Cynthia Northrop said. “We do believe, and it depends on what happens, that there will be an estimated $400,000 in interest on the (2023 Certificates of Obligation) so we will be utilizing that for the splash pad.” The city could be eligible for a 50% matching grant up to $750,000. Northrop hopes to receive money from the Local Parks Non-Urban Outdoor Recreation program. According to TPWD, the application review process takes about five months. The recreation grants staff and an agency resource staff review applications. When all of the information necessary to complete the application is received, the project is evaluated, put in priority order by score, and recommendations are presented to the TPWD Commission, who will make the final decision. The grant application will be graded in 13 categories. These categories are goals and objectives, project timeline and cost, site design, organizational capacity, past performance, community needs, geographic distribution, under-served populations, accessibility, conservation, sustainable park design, coordination with subject matter experts and outside partnerships. City commissioners approved Houston-based Public Management Inc. to prepare and administer the grant process. eHT was hired as the engineering firm for the project. The deadline for grant applications is Thursday, Aug. 1. News Log in to post comments