The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) today announced a $94,152 parks and recreation grant for Trousdale County to make improvements that are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the Trey Park Complex in Hartsville.

The grant is part of $7,584,530 awarded to communities throughout the state from the Local Parks and Recreation Fund (LPRF) program and the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) program. The state is also awarding $1,892,642 in grants from the Recreation Trails Program (RTP).

“We are happy to announce grants that will enhance the outdoor experience in communities across our state,” Jim Bryson, deputy commissioner of TDEC, said. “We want Tennesseans to enjoy recreational activity, and we recognize local leaders need funding to make it happen. These grants help meet that need.”

Trousdale County will make ADA-compliant improvements to a playground built in 1998. It will include inclusive play equipment and widen two ADA parking spaces. It will also improve ramps to meet ADA requirements and replace a sidewalk with an ADA-compliant sidewalk, and the sidewalk will be extended to an existing pavilion that is not currently accessible.

“Safe, well-equipped playgrounds where kids can exercise make a huge quality-of-life difference,” Senate Speaker Pro Tempore Ferrell Haile, R-Gallatin, said. “Kids of all abilities should be able to enjoy a playground. I am very pleased these improvements have been funded and appreciate the hard work done by our local officials in submitting a successful grant application. I look forward to seeing the improvements which will be made as a result of this grant.”

“Our parks and playgrounds enhance the quality of life in our community and I’m so proud that they will give residents with disabilities greater access,” Rep. Terri Lynn Weaver, R-Lancaster, said. “I thank our local leaders for their partnership and for submitting a successful application for this very worthy project. It was an honor to support their efforts, and I appreciate TDEC’s investment in Trousdale County.”

The LPRF program provides state funding for the purchase of land for parks, natural areas, greenways, and recreational facilities. LPRF funds also may be used for trail development and capital projects in parks, natural areas, and greenways. The LWCF program provides grants to states to administer to state and local governments for the acquisition and development of public outdoor recreation areas and facilities. The grants require a 50-percent match.

The RTP is a federally funded, state administered grant program, providing funds for land acquisition for trails, trail maintenance, trail construction, trail rehabilitation, and trail head support facilities. These grants are distributed in the form of an 80-percent grant with a 20-percent match.