The Shadow
At a called meeting on Tues., July 26, the Clifton Forge Town Council voted 5-0 to designate Linden Park as the site for the addition of an all abilities park.
Robin Bruns, regional planner II of the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission, spoke on behalf of the committee that has been gathering facts about writing a $500,000 grant proposal in support of establishing the all abilities park.
She noted that some of the other sites considered in Clifton Forge for the all abilities park were located in the 100-year flood zone.
Courtney Howard, chair of the Parks and Trails Committee, noted that other sites the committee had considered would require the addition of restroom facilities and excavation work that would dramatically increase the cost of the all abilities park.
She recommended that Linden Park be approved as the site in order to clear the way for the committee to write the $500,000 grant proposal in hopes of receiving funding from the Appalachian Regional Commission and other funding sources that require that a location be officially designated in order to submit a grant proposal.
LeeAnne Tyler, of the Town’s financial office, filled in for Town Manager Chuck Unroe who was on vacation, and she made a presentation that led to the Council approving the reimbursement resolution concerning a loan to pay for approved capital improvements.
She pointed out that painting in some of the Town’s buildings had not been done for more than 20 years and that the Town Hall’s columns need repairs along with the roof of the police department’s facility.
The loan will facilitate getting the work done and can be paid back via ARCA funds. The amount of the loan approved by the Council is not to exceed $100,000.
The deadline for applying to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation is Aug. 22, and the purpose of the foundation is to promote tourism. In order to write a grant proposal for the project, an official site designation for the all abilities park is a requisite.
Concerning locating the park at Linden Park, Councilman Shorty Wolfe asked, “If Council approves Linden Park as the location for the all abilities park and the grant proposal is approved, will Council be able to change the location?”
Bruns and Howard explained that the source of the funding would have to decide whether or not to allow such a change because that entity would be in control of the funding.
The location of the all abilities park being added to Linden Park was approved for the toddler track area.
Tyler noted that public input concerning the project is necessary, and Council members discussed what the public will tolerate in terms of noise and traffic.
John Moser, the member of the committee who came up with the idea for the all abilities park, spoke to Council about his autistic son who has benefitted from interacting with other children.
He explained that should the committee receive the $500,000 grant for the all abilities park and more funding is needed to complete the project that the committee will not ask Council to fund the completion of the project, rather the committee will seek funding by writing grants to other potential funding entities.
Councilman Bob Umstead expressed concern that no facts and figures on paper had been presented about the project and that he prefers to look at facts and figures on paper rather than relying on verbal presentations.
Tyler, Howard, Burns and Moser explained to Council that all that the committee was asking Council to determine at the time was the location, a necessity in order to proceed to write the grant proposal.
Councilwoman Debra Laudermilk spoke in favor of the project and made the motion to approve Linden Park as the site for the all abilities park.
Howard pointed out prior to the vote that the committee has a master plan for the all abilities park.
She explained that the location for the park at Linden is by far the best because of the added expenses for restrooms and other amenities that would be necessary to add by locating it at the other sites that the committee had considered.
Council discussed the all abilities trail as a possible location for the addition of the all abilities park. Following the discussion by Council members, it was concluded the all abilities trail site is not suitable because some of the area along the trail is owned by private entities, and electricity and water would be necessary to add whereas Linden Park already has both water and electricity and is owned by the Town.
Mayor Jeff Irvine who called the meeting to order, called for a motion to adjourn, and Council voted 5-0 for adjournment.
