By Tara Brandl
After months of waiting, the Lyon County Board finally heard news on a grant proposal submitted to the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails Commission (GMRPTC) for the Legacy Act Funding for improvements to Garvin Park in July.
The total cost of the project would be $1,621,654, with a 10% match from the county, so the grant request was for $1,459,488. In a Dec. 7 press release, the GMRPTC announced that the Garvin Park project had been recommended for $1,109,350.
The GMRPTC will now ask the Minnesota Legislature to approve the recommendations through the Parks and Trails Legacy Fund. The Legislature has annually approved the GMRPTC requests, since Legacy Funds are already dedicated and may only be spent to support parks and trails of regional or statewide significance.
While not the full amount requested, the grant does cover many of the costs associated with the proposal brought to the board in July.
Environmental Administrator Roger Schroeder presented to the board at the July 19 meeting the grant proposal for Garvin Park. The grant proposal included a new 28’x48’ extended seasonal use shelter, a place for outdoor grilling and fireplace, a pergola, and an overlook. There would be extended hardscaping to increase accessibility as well as a secondary small shelter added to be used if the main shelter is reserved or if extra shelter space is needed. The main picnic shelter has seen an increase in day use. The draft budget estimate for the main picnic shelter area is $452,000.
“The requests for having weddings out at the park seems to be increasing every year,” Schroeder told the board at the time. “This would be a building and area that would have a great appeal for larger gatherings like that.”
See this week’s Headlight Herald for more on this article.