Gratiot County approves $84,792.31 in parks millage grants to three municipalities

Gratiot County commissioners approved $84,792.31 in parks-and-recreation millage grants for three municipalities at a county meeting.

The grants — drawn from a county parks millage that funds local parks and recreation programs — will be split among the City of St. Louis ($36,061.31), Elbow Township ($10,300) and the Village of Perrinton ($35,431). County staff said the grants come from an annual millage allocation that can set aside up to $100,000 for municipal park projects; the county’s parks millage fund overall was described at about $600,000.

The county’s parks and recreation advisory board reviewed three applications this year for new equipment, ADA parking, picnic tables, pavilion electrical work and similar upgrades and recommended awarding funds to all three applicants to “diversify the money,” according to the parks presenter.

Parks and recreation representative John described the board’s recommendation and the specific dollar requests. "We decided to go with all three, to diversify the money rather than put it all in one spot," John said during the presentation.

Commissioner Jan moved to approve the grants; Commissioner Tim seconded. County Clerk Scott called the roll; Commissioners Bill Bunting, Gay and Owens voted yes. The motion carried and the county will disburse $84,792.31 from the parks millage set-aside to the three municipalities.

County staff and commissioners noted the awards are part of the millage program that the board established previously to support local park projects. The board did not identify additional restrictions beyond the advisory board’s recommended uses; the county administrator and acting staff will handle grant administration.

The county did not provide a detailed schedule for disbursement or reporting in the meeting remarks. Applicants’ project timelines and any required follow-up reports were not specified.