MILTON — Santa Rosa County commissioners approved the pursuit of the Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program (FRDAP) Special Appropriation for Children's Recreation grants last week. The approval allows the Santa Rosa County Grants and Special Programs office to apply for the grants.
Shelia Fitzgerald, director of the grants office, has identified two parks as candidates for funding. They are Benny Russell Park in Pace and Bagdad Recreation Park.
"It should be noted that the proposed project would be developing the unimproved portion of that parcel," Fitzgerald said referring to Benny Russell Park.
Fitzgerald said that Benny Russell plans are heavy on new development while Bagdad park plans will concentrate on renovation of existing facilities.
According to Fitzgerald, money for the grants comes from a special legislative appropriation of $4 million. The money is exclusively for recreational enhancements for children under age 12. The improvements must include playground and lighting adequate for evening use and meet appropriate safety standards. Fitzgerald said the highest priority is given to projects that serve the needs of children with unique abilities and accessible to those with physical and developmental disabilities.
More than half of the proposed improvements must go to recreation facilities defined by FRDAP as any facility that can stand alone and provide outdoor recreation without a support facility. Examples are playgrounds; ball fields; tennis and basketball courts; hiking/nature/bike trails and fishing piers.
The maximum grant requests are $250,000 with a one-to-one matching requirement, meaning that the county would have to match the grant with an additional $250,000 for a total amount of $500,000 for each park. Fitzgerald said the county match funds would come from the recreation funds of the respective districts (district I for Benny Russell Park and district II for Bagdad Recreation Park).
Fitzgerald said the items identified for improvement and development for each park came from feedback gathered at public hearings and a master planning presentation earlier this year.
Award notification is late 2018, and grant money must be spent by April 30, 2021.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Commissioners approve pursuit of state grants for two parks