Funding for Fun

Outdoor recreation grants improve quality of life, boost business.

by Clint Shields

Infrastructure, incentives and a well-trained work force can be powerful factors for a company’s decision to locate to a particular city, but quality of life for employees is also a major factor.

Local Government
Tools that Made
the Difference

Karnes City

A group of volunteers started the ball rolling for Karnes City’s outdoor recreation grant in 2001, says Larry Pippen, city secretary in Karnes City.

The $500,000 grant from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) helped build two parks for local residents.

TPWD grant amount:
$500,000
Park features:
Water splash area, basketball court, volleyball court, playground equipment, fishing pond, outdoor theater.

For more information on Karnes City, call (830) 780-3422 or visit the Karnes City Web site.

Outdoor grants offered by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s (TPWD) Recreation Grant Program are helping build parks, hike-and-bike trails, outdoor theaters and other attractions for Texas outdoor enthusiasts.

Since its inception, the program has awarded more than $136 million to more than 360 projects for cities and counties. TPWD’s grant program, with more than $15 million in funding from sporting goods sales in Texas, awards up to $500,000 in matching funds to outdoor recreation award recipients. Approved projects must be completed within three years. Recipients have several options for matching the funds, including land value, labor and cash.

“These grants are highly sought after and extremely competitive,” says Tim Hogsett, director of the Recreation Grant Program. “We have more than twice the number of applications as we have the ability to fund.”

Karnes City’s Success

Larry Pippen had retired from a city administrator career in Texas that spanned more than 30 years. Karnes City had applied and been approved for a TPWD grant of $500,000, which was awarded in 2004. The grant money — approved for the creation of two parks — was not used until Pippen came back onto the scene as the city secretary. Karnes City used the land’s value and cash to match the TPWD funds.

Quality of life for residents and future employers was a factor in funding the parks, Pippen says.

“Companies were always interested in tax abatements and the financial side of moving a business,” he says. “But more and more, they’re concerned with quality of life for their employees when they look to move a bunch of employees from one place to another. It was a major driver in the decision to build the park.”

For more information on the TPWD Recreation Grant Program, contact TPWD at www.tpwd.state.tx.us/business/grants/trpa/ or call (512) 389-8712.

For information and resources to help your community look at revitalization programs, contact the Comptroller’s Local Government Assistance and Economic Development Division at (800) 531-5441, ext. 3-4679 or visit www.TexasAhead.org. TR