Monday, 01 February 2010 00:51

Ione Recreation Commission Seeks Prop. 84 Funds for Howard Park Lots

slide4.pngAmador County – The Ione Recreation Commission last week supported its staff work on trying to get grant funding for parking upgrades at Howard Park. Staff will work toward applying for state Proposition 84 grants due by March 1st, which could go toward a number of parking lot projects around Howard Park. City Manager Kim Kerr said the grant applications will receive “grading” points for their projects, to see if they can get a grant through the Prop 84 recreation funds, which can be used either to make improvements to existing parks, or build new parks. Money awards are based on a ranking system, Kerr said, based on the income level of townsfolk, in relation to the “poverty level. It is also based on an applicant’s existing park land. Kerr said the rankings may not be good for Ione, because not enough people in town are below poverty level, and they have a lot of parks, so the city may not qualify as disadvantaged in those categories. The city will try to get funding for things like parking lots, and Kerr said the grant could be anywhere from $100,000 up to $5 million The projects are based on the Howard Park “Master Plan,” which lists among its projects a new parking area for soccer. It would replace the parking areas around the dirt race track that circles the soccer fields. Another project would be parking for the baseball fields, at the opposite end from the soccer area. A third job would be rehabbing the parking lot for Evelyn Bishop Hall. The Recreation Commission last week also sent a $100,000 restroom project for Howard Park restroom project to city council. The city council is expected to adopt the Howard Park Master Plan February 2nd. After that, the council will consider an agreement with the Amador County Recreation Agency to build restrooms at Ed Hughes Memorial Arena at Howard Park. Kerr said the project will pursue grant funding, and has an estimated cost of $100,000. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.