Several Centralia residents came before the city council Monday night raising questions about why playground improvements in Fairview Park was selected for submittal of a $600,000 OSLAD state grant for outdoor space improvements.
Some thought the city was forgetting the need for improvements in Laura Leake Park. Others questioned putting three new play areas in Fairview Park before repairs were made to other park features. The Executive Director of the Centralia Youth Center Herb Williams questioned why the city didn’t try again to get a grant to develop an area behind the youth center.
Later in his comment period, City Manager Kory Smith thanked the residents for their input.
“We have a lot of great parks that people are invested in. That’s a good problem, not a bad problem. I’m proud of our city of what we’ve come to call home. We are trying to identify p0laces where we can help, fix some things and help we are going to do our best. Some times unfortunately there is only one grant at a time. We are looking at doing additional things for Laure Leeke, Point Park, Dog Park and Fairview Park, so it’s a good problem to have.”
Smith also noted the city was working on items to improve the skate park in Fairview Park ahead of the October Fest centered around skateboarding and other activities in the park on September 30th.
Councilman Barri Allen and Rob Jackson also thanked the citizens for their input. Allen noted they had a good city staff that was very aggressive in seeking grant money for those who had ideas for projects.
