Bladenboro board opts to delay McLean Park field lighting
The Bladenboro Board of Commissioners voted Monday night to delay installing lights on the field at Clarence McLean Park as part of a request for a change in scope of its Parks and Recreation Trust Fund grant.
The request, which was recommended by Town Administrator Melanie Hester, will be made in order to meet the grant’s Sept. 30 deadline without needing additional funding from the town.
Bladenboro was awarded a $213,000 matching PARTF grant in 2012 for construction of the park. The town was able to use $168,000 as the value of the donated land to offset much of its required $213,000 match.
Hester told the board that funding had yet to approved for lighting the field, installation of a scoreboard, and for bleachers and team benches. The estimated cost is $72,000, with $63,000 of that for lighting. “We don’t have that much money in the grant without the town putting more money into it,” she said.
“We can request PARTF for a change in scope to remove the lighting from the grant, and take it out as being a non-requirement,” Hester said. “That does not mean we would not light the ball field in the future. It just means that we won’t do so as part of this grant.”
Hester said that the town can apply for another PARTF grant to help offset the cost of lighting the field.
In another matter about construction of the new park, Hester was asked to set a meeting with Steve Britt of K&S Builders to discuss options for reducing construction costs for the concession stand, pier and shelter. In December, the board awarded a $123,375 contract to K&S Builders for the work.
“According to the grant, we do not have to have the shelter,” Hester said. “The only thing that we are required to do, according to the grant, is to have a concrete pad and two picnic tables.”
In other matters, the board,
** Passed resolutions recognizing Annie J. Lacy and Juanita P. Jones for their service to the community and First Baptist Church. Lacy, 87, and Jones, 86, were school teachers and each has been part of the church congregation for 75 years. Lacy also served on Bladenboro’s planning board for 10 years. Jones was the church’s pianist for 50 years.
** Approved a proposal from GovOffice Web Solutions for a town web site. The initial cost for design and hosting services is $3,295 for the first year. The estimated cost is $650 per year afterward. The company also designed and hosts the Bladen County and Elizabethtown sites.
** After meeting in closed session for 40 minutes, it was approved to make an offer for a hire in the wastewater/maintenance department.
The board’s next scheduled meeting is Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. at Town Hall.
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