Pittsburg receives $1.4 million grant for Fair Park

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department announced on Friday that the City of Pittsburg will be receiving a matching grant in the amount of $1.4 million for outdoor improvements to Fair Park.

The City of Pittsburg began working on a plan for Fair Park last year. Because COVID-19 kept the city from having its usual meetings, the city staff posted a survey to city websites, social media, and other media outlets in August. This survey allowed individuals to tell the city what they thought would better the parks.

In October, the city released its new parks master plan, which includes numerous upgrades to Fair Park. After tabulating results from the survey given to locals, the city determined that the primary requests from residents included biking and hiking trails, upgraded park structures, and a new city pool.

According to earlier reports, the city does not have the staff to maintain an outdoor city pool nor is it an economical choice for the city. To compromise, the splash pad at Fair Park will be enhanced. Other improvements include an all-inclusive play area, historic baseball plaza with renovation, pavilion, an outdoor stage with terraced seating, trails, fishing platform and boardwalk, food truck area, historic sidewalk renovation, parking, lighting, landscaping, signage, and professional services.

City Manager Clint Hardeman says, “Our focus continues to provide quality of life improvements for our community, especially those that promote outdoor recreational activities. Past improvements made in both Moore Park and Fair Park have generated an increase in the usage of those parks. We hope that this grant-funded project for Fair Park will continue to provide fun outdoor recreational activities for our community and surrounding communities.”

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Local Park grant program consists of 5 individual programs that assist local units of government with the acquisition and/or development of public recreation areas and facilities throughout the State of Texas. The Program provides 50% matching grants on a reimbursement basis to eligible applicants.