Governor Bill Haslam and Environment and Conservation Commissioner Bob Martineau announced Thursday $6.9 million in Local Parks and Recreation Fund grants to 50 recipients across the state of Tennessee.
“Our quality of life is directly linked to the quality of our parks and outdoor spaces,” Governor Haslam said. “Recreational facilities are important not only to Tennesseans but for the many visitors we attract to our state each year. I’ve had the opportunity to visit several of these communities throughout the last few weeks and I am pleased to be in a position to provide funding for the benefit of all Tennesseans.”
The Local Parks and Recreation Fund grant program was established by the General Assembly in 1991 to provide local governments with funds to purchase land for parks, natural areas, greenways and recreational facilities. The funds also may be used for development of trails and projects in parks, natural areas and greenways. All LPRF grants require a 50 percent match by the recipient. The Governor proposed, and the General Assembly approved, re-establishing the LPRF grant program in this year’s budget using a portion of the Real Estate Transfer Tax.
“Gov. Haslam’s proposal and the General Assembly’s approval to restore these funds helps local communities purchase lands for parks, natural areas, greenways and recreational facilities,” said Environment and Conservation Commissioner Bob Martineau. “These grants are specifically designed to help local communities improve their green spaces, making the great outdoors even more accessible for all to enjoy.”
Grant recipients were selected through a scoring process with careful consideration given to the projects that met the selection criteria and expressed the greatest local recreation need. To learn more about the LPRF grant program and other recreation or conservation-based grant programs available in the future, please visit www.tn.gov/environment/recreation/grants.shtml.
A complete list of the grants announced Thursday can be found on the department’s website at www.tn.gov/environment/recreation/grants_LPRF.html.