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DNR Rejects Hovey Tennis Courts! |
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Ironwood - January 6, 2009
At last night's meeting of the Parks and Recreation
meeting, members of the committee learned that the
DNR had rejected two of the three grant applications
submitted by the city.
The city had requested a $200,000 matching grant for
tennis courses and a picnic area at the proposed
Hovey low-no-income housing project.
The second application rejected was for $100,000
which would be used to install bathroom facilities
and other improvements at Longyear Park. READ
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In a letter to Scot Erickson, city
manager, Deborah Apostol, Manager Recreation Grants
Unit stated , I am sorry to inform you that the
application(s) listed above were not Included among
the MNRTF recommendations.
MNRTF grant applications will be accepted on April
1, 2009. If you would like to apply for funding for
this project in 2009, please contact Grants
Management
Early last summer in a telephone conversation with a
DNR grant examiner IronwoodInfo learned that the
Tennis Court Application was in jeopardy. The
application indicated that the courts were to be
built with public tax money on what would be the
private property of the Hovey Low-No Income project
to be built on Ayer street. The Tennis courts were
also in jeopardy as it noted that the city already
owned several tennis courts, and that these courts
were neglected and in a state of disrepair. It was
argued if the city can't take proper care of the
existing courts how could it take care of a new ones
costing $200,000. The same question was posed
regarding the restrooms. If the city can't afford
city workers, who would be available to clean the
new $100,000 restroom? The city has not given our
city workers a new contract for more than two years. |
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Nothing in Ms Apostols letter
referred to the outstanding grant application for
the skateboard park. The grant request has allegedly
been approved through a backdoor mechanism available
to the DNR. The grant for the park was or is still
being held up due to an old grant request run a
muck. Approximately four years ago the city
requested and was approved for a grant which was to
be used to purchase land for the snowmobile trail
going through downtown. The grant money has been
sitting in Lansing all this time waiting for the
city to get clear title for the land and submit a
copy of the title to the DNR. The city has yet to
close out the grant and claim the eight thousand
dollars granted to it.
Park Committee members were concerned that spring
would arrive and the city would not be ready to
complete the long overdue park.above - photo of
the yet to be completed skateboard park. A promise
still not kept. |
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Listen to Audio of the Meeting |
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email:
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snail mail: P.O. Box 305 Ironwood, MI 49938
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Fax
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