CITY OF BRENHAM RECEIVES $750,000 GRANT FOR BRENHAM FAMILY PARK PROJECT
(courtesy City of Brenham)
Progress on the Brenham Family Park is taking a major step forward.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission announced this (Thursday) afternoon that the city will receive a $750,000 non-urban outdoor recreation grant for the park project. The matching fund grant will be used during construction of the first phase of the park, with proposed developments including walking and biking trails, landscaping, picnic facilities, restrooms, a parking lot, road expansion, and lake development.
State Senator Lois Kolkhorst said she is excited to see the city receive the opportunity to improve its park system.
Funding for this grant program comes from a portion of the state sales tax attributable to sporting goods. In the 86th legislature, Kolkhorst wrote and passed Senate Joint Resolution 24 and Senate Bill 26 to dedicate all sporting goods sales taxes to every state park and historic site across Texas, as well as local parks. The legislation passed with unanimous support, and the constitutional amendment put before voters last November passed with 88 percent of the vote.
The park will be located on a 106.8 acre parcel of land donated to the city by Ed and Evelyn Kruse in December 2013. The land is located just south of Highway 290 off South Chappell Hill Street, north of the Brenham State Supported Living Center.
The initial development phase will consist of 32 acres and approximately $1.7 million, with the city providing a total contribution of just over $1 million for the project. This funding has been set aside by the Brenham Community Development Corporation (BCDC), which receives funding from local sales taxes. Public Works Director Dane Rau said projects like these are why it is important to shop local.
Community Services Specialist Crystal Locke said many of the features included in this first project phase are the result of community feedback.
The city was one of 15 municipalities with a population under 500,000 to receive grant funding for park projects. The commission awarded $15.7 million in local park grants to 30 communities across the state, after considering a total of 77 projects.