Parks and Recreation board seeks community letters for playground equipment grant; grant due April 15

The Summerset Parks and Recreation board reported a plan to collect letters of community support for a playground equipment grant, with the entire grant application due to the funding agency on April 15.

At the council meeting a Parks and Recreation board representative said the board created a form letter to request 8–10 signatures each from board members and planned to have submitted letters to city staff by April 1 to allow staff time to assemble the application. The representative said the board will hold an open forum on April 3 to discuss the application and to decide which vendor or bid to use for the project.

Staff reported that a bid arrived late after publication for the first solicitation but that, because the later bid was lower, planning district staff advised the city that republication was not required. Staff said only one initial quote had been received in time and another arrived after the deadline; the city plans to use the April 3 meeting to finalize vendor selection and gather the required support letters.

Board members emphasized community outreach to gather endorsements and said Parks and Recreation planned to approach neighborhoods directly. Staff agreed to circulate the form letter to the council for review and to ensure the application package is complete before the April 15 deadline.