Mitchellville seeks $190,000 in ATAX support after $2.5M Mellon grant for on‑site archaeology lab

Historic Mitchellville Freedom Park told the Accommodations Tax Advisory Committee that the park has both a large new private grant and a continued need for local ATAX support.

Ahmad Ward, executive director, said Mitchellville has won a $2.5 million grant from the Mellon Foundation to build an on‑site archaeological research facility and auditorium that would allow the park to process artifacts locally and expand programming. Ward asked the committee to consider a $190,000 ATAX allocation for strategic marketing and park maintenance tied to that growth.

Ward described recent investments and programs at the site — ghosted structure installations, ADA‑compliant pathways, expanded Juneteenth and holiday programming — and said the park has used Placer AI this year to estimate visitation and visitor origin. "We can tell the average distance for our visitors is over 250 miles," he said, and reported 34,000 park visits measured by the platform over a 12‑month period.

Committee members welcomed the Mellon award but pressed for more detail in the ATAX request. They asked Mitchellville to provide an itemized breakdown of the $190,000 request, clarify which expenses would be reimbursable under ATAX rules and deliver supporting evidence showing how the park’s marketing generates paid room nights (ZIP‑code summaries, partner hotel reports or post‑event ticketing logs).

Ward said Mitchellville is already working with the town’s design review process for the new facility and that permitting, final design and a potential construction start depend on approvals. He also said museum and outreach partners — Smithsonian and National Park Service affiliates — are engaged in programming plans tied to the new facility.

Next steps: Mitchellville will provide supplemental budget documentation and clearer tourism‑origin evidence to town staff. The committee will review that material before making a formal recommendation to council.