City Lake Park receives grant for makeover
RUSSELLVILLE — A more than 20-year-old playground at City Lake Park will soon be replaced after the city received a $43,318 grant through T-Mobile’s Hometown Grants program.
Russellville was one of 26 communities selected in the final round of the nationwide grant program, which provides funding for projects in small towns and rural communities.
The city will use the money to replace aging playground equipment with a new, accessible playground designed to better serve local families.
Parks and Recreation Director Donnie Flanagan said the grant will help transform one of the city’s busiest parks.
“It’s not replacing any parts. It’ll be a whole new playground set with two new shaded areas,” Flanagan said. “The only thing that’ll be there that was there previously is the border.”
The new playground will include updated play structures, new swings, a merry go round and shaded areas for children and families.
While the grant will cover part of the project, Flanagan said the city will provide additional funding to complete the work.
The total cost of the new playground is about $135,000.
Flanagan said the current playground equipment has been in place for more than 20 years and had reached the point where replacing it made more sense than repairing it.
“It was pretty much nonserviceable,” he said. “It was just as costly to repair it as it was to put in new stuff.”
Plans for the playground were developed after representatives from a playground company met with Mayor David Grissom, Flanagan, City Clerk Belinda Miller and members of the Russellville City Council to discuss design options. The council later voted to move forward with replacing the playground.
Flanagan said City Lake Park is one of the city’s most heavily used parks and serves families throughout the year.
“I think it’s going to be a very nice addition to City Lake to have a fully functional playground,” he said.
The park hosts numerous community events each year, including the hospital foundation’s Christmas tree display and annual Christmas lighting activities.
“That park is one of our main parks here in Russellville, and it’s used year-round,” Flanagan said. “There are a lot of eyes on that park.”
Russellville’s project was selected during the final round of T-Mobile’s Hometown Grants program, which launched in 2021 to support community development projects in small towns and rural areas.
According to T-Mobile, the program has invested more than $22.8 million in 500 projects across 49 states and Puerto Rico during its five-year run.
