Holden Beach officials agreed to fund part of a list of amenities at Bridgeview Park after learning they did not receive grant funding for the project. Bridgeview park is set to go on a lot located under the Holden Beach Bridge.
In 2013, officials approved a park to include amenities at a cost between $138,000-$163,600. Estimates for the park are nearing $300,000. Equipment for the park playground was purchased and delivered last summer, but plans to start work on the park had to be delayed in August. The only work completed at the park were two bocce courts.
Erosion control plans and a storm water permit had to be approved by the state before the town could begin construction on the park. That put construction on hold until spring of 2014.
Town officials intended to fund the park with Beach, Park and Recreation funds from local occupancy taxes. But town staff also applied for grants to help with funding. Waiting for approval for grants would delay the project another year with no guarantee of funding. So town staff offered the board members three options for going forward on the park – funding the entire project with town funds. The larger projects will wait for fund approval and won’t begin until 2015.
If funding is approved, the BIG grant could cover the cost of adding bathrooms to the park. But the grant money is offered nationwide, which makes it more difficult to receive.
