From Staff Reports
The Logansport Parks & Recreation Department has been awarded a $200,000 federal grant to begin developing Huston Park, a large recreation area on the city’s north side.
In a news release Monday, Parks Administrator Janet Fawley said she had been notified of the award by Congressman Joe Donnelly’s office.
“I am pleased that my office’s request was granted for the City of Logansport to receive funds for the expansion of its existing park system,” Donnelly said in the news release. “The beautification and expansion of our parks is essential to improving the quality of life for the citizens of Indiana’s second district. Logansport, with its natural beauty and rich history, is a logical choice for this expansion.”
The park will be named for the Harry Huston family, which donated the 80-acres site.
The city hopes eventually to develop a sports complex on the site, but Monday’s announcement said the initial grant would be used to build seven-tenths of a mile of trail, a small parking lot, a playground and a picnic shelter.
Mayor Mike Fincher said he was excited about the long-term plans, which call for the development of soccer, football and softball fields in addition to trails, an amphitheatre, concessions, restrooms, parking and nature areas.
“It will afford the community the opportunity to expand its park system to attract tournaments from many different venues,” he said. “By attracting larger tournaments we can attract more people to our community, thus helping in the economics of our community.”
To carry out those plans, Fawley said, the parks department will be going after additional funding.
The grant announced Monday required a 50 percent local match, which the city met using the land donated by the Huston family. The land — on the north side of the Eel River south of Smith Street — is being held by the Memorial Hospital Foundation.
The $200,000 grant comes from a Land & Water Conservation Fund established in 1965 to help state and federal agencies in meeting present and future outdoor recreation needs. Revenue for the grant program comes through the sale of surplus federal property, the federal tax on motor boat fuels and receipts from off-shore oil leases.
