Inclusive playground at Hayswood $400,000 short of being funded…
On Monday’s county council meeting, councilmember Brad Wiseman asked Larry Shickles for an update on the upcoming improvements to the county’s playgrounds, especially the all inclusive facility planned for Hayswood Park. Shickles stated that the project is in limbo due to a shortfall of $400,000 after not receiving the full grant amount from the Harrison County Community Foundation (HCCF). HCCF has committed to one million for the project, which must first be used to fund the smaller facilities at Buffalo Trace and Gresham Park, with the remaining amount for Hayswood.
Scott Fluhr, vice-president of the Parks Board, said that he
“would not be comfortable coming to you all for an additional out of riverboat for the rest of this.”
Multiple councilmembers pressed Julie Moorman, executive director at HCCF, as to why the project was not funded at the full amount. Moorman stated that she was not at liberty to disclose details of the decision by the HCCF board. She also reminded the council that the amount the HCCF board agreed to was still one of the largest grant amounts that has been given out in recent history. Multiple council members expressed support for the project.
The Harrison County Parks Board meets tonight at 7:00pm and they will decide whether or not to seek the additional $400,000 from the county. In July of 2022, the council approved roughly $1.5 million for the project, to be taken out of riverboat funds.