State To Help Pay for Mid-Columbia Park Upgrades

Clover Island in Kennewick along with parks in Pasco and Benton City are in line to receive tens of thousands of dollars from the state for repairs and upgrades.

The Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) today announced $4.7 million of one-time funding for backlogged parks, maintenance projects and needed equipment.

During the last legislative session, state lawmakers created the Local Parks Maintenance Grant Program to address maintenance backlogs in local parks.

“We are seeing an overwhelming demand for this type of funding,” said Megan Duffy, RCO director. “During the pandemic and continuing today, more people are visiting parks, which can strain staff and facilities, especially in smaller communities. These grants will begin to make a difference in those places.”

The Port of Kennewick was awarded $82,375 to address amenities in need of repair on the 16-acre Clover Island Recreation Area. Projects include repairs to the concrete and wooden boardwalk, repainting parking sign poles, and replacing a cracked and faded crosswalk sign, two graffiti-damaged educational sign panels, a sun-damaged display board, damaged restroom stall dividers, and toilet paper dispensers.

In Benton City, grant money totaling $100,000 will help pay for repairs to tennis courts in Archie Borden Park. The courts have remained closed since a vehicle accident damaged the courts in 2021. The city will repair the fence and drainage system and resurface the courts to provide a smoother and safer playing experience.

Another $100,000 will go to the City of Prosser to buy a lawn mower for 27 acres of parkland. The new, wide-area rotary mower will replace an outdated pull-behind mower. The city will train staff on how to use the mower safely and develop a maintenance plan for it.

Franklin County also gets a share of RCO funding to resurface basketball courts in Pasco's Richardson, Highland, Kurtzman, and Sunny Meadows Parks. The playing surfaces are showing signs of deterioration with cracks. The courts mostly are in older, multi-cultural neighborhoods. The City of Pasco will get $100,000 in grant money to fill those cracks, prepare the courts, and apply surfacing and lines.

***Images in the body of this story courtesy of The Washington State Recreation and Conservation***

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