Brand new courts, hoops and more coming to Farmer Street Park
Petersburg's Recreation, Special Events & Volunteerism department will begin renovations on Farmer Street Park in two weeks, Director Marquis Allen told The Progress-Index.
“Our mission is to improve the quality of life of our seniors, adults and youth population by providing effective, efficient programs and services, including parks,” Allen said at a city council meeting on Tuesday while presenting on current, future and potential park renovations in Petersburg. “This is something that we're working on. All of our parks and playgrounds need a complete uplift so that our youth have a safe place to play.”
The Farmer Street Park renovations, which are expected to be completed by June 15, will include a fully reconstructed basketball, pickleball and tennis court, as well as brand new fencing, poles, basketball goals and freshly painted court lines.
The city also recently finished renovations on the Farmer Street Park Pool, located at 216 Farmer Street, Allen added. The renovations included the installation of a pool cover to keep the pool in good shape and help the city keep up with routine maintenance. The pool will open on May 27th this year.
The renovations will be funded through a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) as well as funding from The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Parks Rehabilitation funds. The CDBG Federal Program provides annual grants to states, counties and cities — including Petersburg— to fund projects that aim to develop and repair crucial infrastructure in urban communities. ARPA is a stimulus bill passed by President Biden in 2021 meant to speed up the country's economic recovery post-COVID and includes funding for the rehabilitation of public parks.
Currently, the city is also in the process of renovating the Petersburg Sports Complex and has applied for CDBG funding to finish renovations on Farmer Street Pool and the basketball courts in Mckenzie and Jefferson Street parks, Allen told The Progress-Index.
"Our goal is to completely renovate all of the neighborhood courts throughout the city," he added.
This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Brand new courts, hoops and more coming to Farmer Street Park
