TEXAS, USA — A typical park experience might involve children jumping on monkey bars and sliding down the swings while parents sit and observe at a picnic table nearby.
Thanks to a recent $20.6 million grant from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission, some 40 parks across the state will now have funding for new playgrounds, hiking trails and other outdoor enhancements.
The 50/50 reimbursement grant was awarded to parks in Central, North, South, West and East Texas, along with parts of the Panhandle. One of the impacted parks is in Travis County and another is in Burnet County.
Located just 15 miles south of the Austin area, the City of Creedmore received $150,000 to enhance its city park by updating the current baseball field, playground and pickleball courts and adding brand new trails.
In Burnet County, Marble Falls received more than $726,000 to add picnic sites, a playground, a bird-watching spot and more to its Park View Project.
To qualify for the grants, cities, counties and districts across the state must submit an application in the fall to be considered for one of three categories: urban outdoor recreation, non-urban outdoor recreation and small community recreation.
Urban outdoor recreation recipients are awarded to communities with 500,000 or more residents, non-urban outdoor recreation funds are given to 21 communities with less than 500,000 residents while small community recreation grants are given to 16 communities with less than 20,000 residents.
Creedmore's city park qualified for the small community recreation category while Marble Falls' Park View Project was included in the non-urban outdoor grant.
Ultimate decisions are made by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission each year, providing new ways for community parks to make an area feel more like home.
