Only officials attend park plan meeting

A meeting last week to discuss Electric City’s park and recreation plan failed to attract local residents. However, it did attract a pair of city council members, the city’s planner and two members of the community park advisory committee.

Councilmembers Birdie Hensley and Lonna Bussert, both park proponents, city planner Kurt Danison, and park committee members Brad Parrish and Cindy Greely all attended.

The issue went to the council last night to see if members would approve money to move forward with engineering costs for the two proposed new parks.

The council approved spending $32,000 to design and engineer the Grand Avenue park (near the arsenic treatment plant), and $37,000 to design and engineer the proposed park behind the fire station.

The city had recently selected the Robert Droll Landscape Architect firm’s proposal to move forward on the parks.

The city now plans a public hearing at 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, July 11, to provide another opportunity for public input before the council officially meets on the plan immediately after that in its regular monthly meeting.

The city already plans to apply to the state Recreation Conservation Office for park funding sometime in 2018. Grants would be available for funding in 2019 if the city’s application is successful.