$50K gift

The fund raising effort for a new playground near Rotary Pavilion at Purcell Lake received a major windfall last week, according to John Blue, director of Purcell Parks & Recreation.

At its monthly meeting,   Purcell Tourism Committee members voted unanimously to give $50,000 toward the construction.

The gift amounts to more than 33 percent of the tourism war chest. As of September 3, the city’s lodging tax had brought in $150,781.41.

Theda Engert chairs the  tourism committee.

She said the committee feels there are significant community and tourism benefits for funding of the Rotary Playground project.

The 5 percent lodging tax went into effect July 1, 2021.

Parks & Recreation had applied for a grant to pay for replacing the existing Rotary Playground.

However, the grants were awarded to the top four applicants. Purcell’s application was number seven on the list.

The Purcell City Council was given three options ranging in price from $158,574.46 to $285,947.66 for a new playground.

There was a sense of urgency because the options quoted are half price through October 31.

The council will have a special meeting later this month to determine how much the city is able to pay to keep the project on track.

The committee has also been busy working on numerous tourism projects to promote Purcell.

Billboards have been erected on northbound and southbound I-35 to promote local lodging opportunities.

The committee has also started an application process for Event Funding Assistance.

All expensed items must be directly related to promotion, advertising and marketing of the said event.

A new Storefront Beautification Grant Program will match up to $5,000 to businesses beautifying the façade of their buildings. Eligible  buildings  must be within city limits.

Engert said the committee is driving towards quality of life and economic growth for Purcell citizens through tourism marketing and destination development.

Please email info@destinationpurcell.com for the grant applications or for more information.