Pikeville Meeting
By Sam Atkins
Published in News on January 22, 2004 2:02 PM
PIKEVILLE -- The town board approved applying for a state grant to help revamp the existing Dees Memorial Park during a special meeting Wednesday.
A master plan has been developed and includes one phase of renovations during a three-year period. The board decided that its top priorities are demolishing the abandoned old school building, revamping existing playground equipment and having more activities for senior citizens.
The board will apply for state and federal grants to cover Phase One of renovations, which goes through 2006 and includes demolishing the school, seeding and mulching, landscaping the entire site, a picnic table, a 6-foot-wide walking path, a trail-side bench, raised standard grills, a sheltered stage, children's playground, removing overhead power lines, installing underground power lines and resurfacing the parking lot.
The cost of Phase One is estimated to be $176,057 plus engineering fees. The town would be responsible for 26 percent, or about $45,774, if it receives both grants.
The board decided not to include a second phase in the grant application, because it did not want to be responsible for 26 percent of $462,769, which would be the total estimated cost of both improvement phases combined.
Mayor Tony Medlin said it is not feasible for the town to be responsible for that much money based on its current budget situation and by the time Phase One is completed, the town's needs may have changed.
The master plan will be given to Greg Meshaw with Municipal Engineering Service Co., who has met with the board several times and is helping it apply for the grants. The cost of Phase One is based on figures that Meshaw developed.
The plan also has a community profile, a copy of the survey that was distributed to town residents for their input and recommendations based on those surveys. Meshaw will use the plan when applying for both grants.
The board will apply for the state grant soon and for the federal grant in March. It will take several months after the applications before the board hears back on the results.