July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.

Park board eyes more grants

Request for Hudson Park grant was denied

By By Jennifer [email protected]

Although the Portland Park Board didn’t receive its $1.2 million Christmas wish, the future looks bright for the Hudson Family Park project.

The board’s approximately $1.2 million grant request was not included on Indiana Gov. Joe Kernan’s list of transportation enhancement grant recipients, which was released Friday. This grant would have funded construction of trails, parking lots, restrooms, drinking fountains in the park and approaches to the planned walking bridge over the Salamonie River. It also would have helped cover engineering costs for the project.

The park board received no feedback from the state as to why the grant request was rejected, park board president Donald Gillespie said today.

Gillespie also said the board will discuss next month resubmitting an application for the next round of the federally-funded transportation enhancement grants, which are awarded yearly through the Indiana Department of Transportation.

The grant application could be revised before it is resubmitted. The deadline for that (Continued on page 9)

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grant application is Jan. 31, 2004, Gillespie added.

He said the board also plans to discuss applying for additional state grants from the Land and Water Conservation Fund and the Indiana Waters Program, which could finance construction of the planned five-acre fishing lake. Funding also might be sought from the Indiana Lake and Rivers Enhancement Fund, which could cover engineering and feasibility studies and construction that focuses on the Salamonie River.

Although the park board’s request was denied, the park will benefit from a $339,200 transportation enhancement grant awarded to the county to rehabilitate an iron truss bridge in Knox Township then re-build the bridge over the Salamonie River at the north end of the 33-acre park.

“We are pleased the state has awarded the $339,200 for the bridge location to link our parks. We will continue to work hard to make the vision (of Hudson Family Park) into reality,” Gillespie said Friday on behalf of the five-member board.

The estimated $3.4 million park project will include the pedestrian bridge over the Salamonie River, multi-purpose fields planned for football and soccer, an amphitheater with restrooms, parking lots with 250 spaces including handicapped spots, a lake, a wetland area, a playground, a gazebo, a trail network connecting all park activities, a restroom facility, a native grass and wildlife prairie, a picnic area and sand volleyball courts.

The park board is scheduled to meet with Corey Whitesell of Hannum, Wagle & Cline Engineering, Indianapolis, on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2004, at 7 p.m. to discuss the next step of the park planning project.[[In-content Ad]]
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