In December, the City of Woodruff was awarded a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) from the SC Department of Commerce to build a new community park.
Woodruff will receive $150,000 to build a park at 156 Gray Street, in the Mill’s Mill neighborhood. An abandoned church currently sits on the site but will eventually be demolished to make way for the park.
This is the first step in improvements to revitalize and grow that area of town, according to the city.
The total cost for the park is $175,000 and the remaining $25,000 balance of the project will come out of the City of Woodruff’s general obligation fund, says City Manager Lee Bailey.
Local governments that receive CDBG funds are required to provide at least a 10 percent match in funding to complete the project.
Bailey says a kick-off meeting about the project is scheduled to be in January, and the demolition of the church and construction of the park should start in the spring. The goal for the park, which will include a play structure and benches, is to be open in summer 2020.
In 2018, the City of Woodruff received a CDBG grant for $315, 250 for force main upgrades on U.S. 221.
SC Commerce awards CDBG funds in the fall and spring. The 2019 fall funds totaled $7 million in funding to 21 total communities statewide for public improvement projects.
According to the SC Commerce, all CDBG grants must meet at least one of three objectives:
- Benefit low-to moderate-income persons.
- Aid in the prevention or elimination of slums and blighting conditions.
- Meet other urgent community needs where existing conditions pose a serious and immediate threat to public health and welfare and where other financial resources are not readily available to meet such needs.
By Nicole Collins, Contributing Writer
Author: Tracy Sanders
