Park Board funds work

Record Staff Report

April 23, 2008 10:06 am

— WHITLEY CITY — McCreary County Park Board approved investment in two community recreation projects last Monday evening (April 14).
Nearly $10,000 has been allocated to the McCreary County Senior Citizen’s Center for summer recreation programs. The board also allocated $3,500 to the Sandhill 4-H Conservation Camp for facility upgrades and maintenance.
“At this point in the park development project, we hoped to have the groundwork complete on a recreation facility to serve the citizens of this county for years to come,” said J.C. Egnew, Chairman of the Park Board. “Unforeseen complications in the construction process have delayed our plans, but we hope these actions, and others recently taken by the board, will significantly improve recreation opportunities for local citizens while work toward fulfilling our primary goal continues.”
Development of the community park remains on hold while the board awaits word on a needed permit from the Kentucky Division of Water. The snag has also affected construction of a multi-generational facility on site, which will ultimately house the McCreary County Senior Citizens Center.
Center Director Cindy Hamby brought the funding request before the board after providing an update of programs the center offers. The facility serves more than 25 seniors on a daily basis, half of which are able to travel through the proposed trips to Graceland in Memphis; Gatlinburg; Branson, Missouri and a trip to see the ocean along the coast of Florida. Office equipment is also included in the funding allocation.
“I feel so blessed for the seniors here and this center,” Hamby said Tuesday after hearing the news. “This is an answered prayer for us, something we have worked years toward. This is great news and opens so many doors for the seniors we serve through this center.”
Regarding the Sandhill 4-H Camp, a $3,500 allocation was approved Monday to provide for the installation of new electrical wiring and fixtures in the historic shelter house on the county’s 27-acre facility. The wiring was stolen from the facility by vandals last winter and is affecting use of the facility by local citizens and visitors.
In recent months, the Park Board approved the allocation of $12,000 to cover expenses of the McCreary County Little League. Little League teams will continue to use fields located at the community college this summer, through assistance from Somerset Community College (KCTCS) officials and Marc Taylor, league coordinator.
All of the above funded projects utilize occupational tax revenues geared toward investment in the local community and offering a visible return of tax dollars in our citizens, specifically the county’s youth and senior citizens.
While providing for recreation opportunities this summer, Egnew said the attention of the Park Board remains focused on completion of a new recreational complex to serve all of McCreary County’s citizens.
Development of the project was delayed after sedimentation entered a streambed ultimately affecting the habitat of the endangered black-side dace. The issue halted the park project, but with the blessing of officials from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Park Board is now working with the Kentucky Division of Water, along with other state and federal officials, to get the project back on track.
Egnew feels work on the site can resume in the coming months, with construction of a multi-generational center beginning soon after excavation is complete.
Purchase of the 100-acre park site and project development has been funded exclusively with federal, state and local tax dollars and contributions from local individuals and businesses. U.S. Congressman Hal Rogers, State Senator David Williams and State Representative Ken Upchurch have been instrumental in securing funding for the project.
To date, $2.3 million has been invested in the project primarily through land purchase ($425,000), project design ($194,370) and excavation ($1.510 million). Approximately $1 million remains to complete contractual obligations related to project design and excavation. Weddle Enterprises of Somerset is handling the excavation duties with John Carmen and Associates of Lexington handling design and engineering of the project.
Once excavation is complete, the Park Board will work toward construction of a 10,000 square foot, $1.1 million dollar multi-generational center and other recreational amenities on the site.
In addition to overseeing development of the park project, the Park Board is also charged with ongoing maintenance and improvements to the Sandhill 4-H Camp. That facility currently awaits news regarding an $80,000 state grant for construction of new camping facilities and upgrades to existing facilities.
The McCreary County Fiscal Court has made the projects possible through an allocation of 20 percent of the occupational taxes collected each year in the county.
For more information on the projects, please attend the next meeting of the McCreary County Park Board, scheduled for Monday, May 12 at 5 p.m. in the conference room of the McCreary Center Campus.