Tuesday night at the Cave City Community Center, back-to-back public hearings regarding two different government grants — one for the fire department and one for the park — took place.
Carrie McIntosh of the White River Planning and Development District (WRPDD) led the first public hearing of the meeting, sharing information regarding the fire department grant for which the city is looking to apply.
The grant is funded by the U.S. Department of Housing Urban and Development (HUD) from the Arkansas Economic Development Commission. The maximum grant is $75,000. The City of Cave City plans to apply for the full amount. Being a 10% matching grant, McIntosh says the fire department and city will be responsible for the additional $7,500 — bringing the total amount to $82,000.
The grant for the park is a 50/50 matching grant from Arkansas Parks and Tourism.
The public hearing was required in the application process to pinpoint priorities to be addressed for outdoor recreation areas with the grant monies.
The first stage of public input used social media. Members of the community interacted on a June 10 Facebook post.
Page followers shared items and suggestions the park could use for its improvement — including rubberized surfaces, fencing around the playground, a community garden, and many other suggestions.
In Tuesday evening’s hearing, aldermen and Mayor Jonas Anderson further emphasized the main priorities of the park grant including impact surfacing, ADA accessibility for the playground, and additional park benches around the current walking track.
During the city council meeting afterwards, four resolutions pertaining to application and requirements of the application for the aforementioned grants were passed unanimously.
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