An upcoming park project at the Culver Town Park will give residents an opportunity to comment on plans and designs before the application is submitted for grant funding through the Marshall County Regional Stellar Communities Initiative.
Priority Project Resources Grant Writer Shannon McLeod told the Culver Town Council members this week that funding is already earmarked with the Office of Community and Rural Affairs, but the project has to go through the regular application process.
Plans include the creation of an outdoor event space with concrete blocks, a plaza area around the main entrance of the Culver Train Depot, playground equipment upgrades, the installation of a rope swing and swinging benches, natural playground elements, and preparing an area for bocce ball.
The preliminary cost estimate is about $600,000 with $480,000 coming from the Community Development Block Grant from the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs and a $120,000 match from the Town of Culver. The town’s match will be supplied by Park Department funds and funds from the Culver Redevelopment Commission.
The first public hearing will be held Tuesday, September 14 with the second public hearing on Tuesday, September 28, both during Culver Town Council meetings.
The project could be advertised for bids in January. The project may be preferred to be constructed in the fall of 2022 to avoid the busy summer season at the park and beach.
In addition, the Culver Town Council members authorized McLeod to conduct an income survey of randomly selected residents in Culver. Workers will be going door-to-door at some point in September to gather information from willing participants. Culver Town Hall officials will be notified of when the crews will be in the area to do this work so the residents will have plenty of time to prepare for their visit. McLeod said it is a simple three-question survey that does not require any personal information and it is confidential.
The council members also approved a contract with McLeod to complete other grant work that goes along with the project.
