Clayhatchee applying for grant to upgrade rec park

An effort to upgrade the ball fields, play grounds, concession stands and picnic area at the Clayhatchee Recreation Park is underway.

The town council is partnering with the Southeast Alabama Regional Planning and Development Commission to apply for a Community Development Block Grant to be used at what Clayhatchee Mayor Steve Guice calls “the core of the town.”

Clayhatchee was incorporated on April 27, 1967 but is the location of one of the oldest settlements in Dale County. The name of the town is derived from its location between the Claybank Creek and the Choctawhatchee River.

“There is obviously a lot of citizen support for this project,” said SEARP&DC Planner Andrew Windham

Windham as he surveyed the crowd of citizens in this Dale County town of 589 gathered at the park for a public hearing on the project July 6.

“The park is obviously well used and obviously there is a lot of citizen support for seeing it improved,” he added. “That kind of citizen support at a public hearing is a big part of the application process.”

Windham and SEARP&DC Association Planner Sarah McLaughlin held the public hearing in conjunction with Guice and the town council to garner citizen input about improvement plans.

Windham explained that the state of Alabama annually awards CDBG funds in several categories. “This application will go under the Community Enhancement Fund that allows you to make quality of life style improvements in your community,” he explained. “This fund is available to all eligible communities to use for projects that address quality of life issues.”

Applicants are scored based on several competitive factors including community need, cost efficiency, appropriateness and impact. The applications are due by Aug. 16 and are awarded through the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs.

Windham said the maximum amount of the grant is $300,000 and the minimum is $50,000. The amount Clayhatchee will apply for has not yet been decided, he added. “It’s so great to see so many people come out to support this project because high on the criteria for rating a Community Enhancement Grant is the importance of activity to the community.”

Southeast Alabama Regional Planning and Development Commission serves Barbour, Coffee, Covington, Dale, Geneva, Henry and Houston. Counties. The Community Development Block Grant program is funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the state of Alabama has administered the program since 1982.