SUN Staff Report
It appears that the City of Española has had some big plans for ball fields around town, but the project has had some difficulty getting off the ground — until now.
The sketches for the city’s proposed fields included not only two softball fields, but two tee ball fields, a multi-purpose field and a walking trail.
While the City Council is trying to figure out how to fund the fields, the walking trails proposal got a boost when Council unanimously passed a resolution to apply for a $290,000 grant from the state’s Department of Transportation during an Oct. 22 meeting.
Despite the potential six-figure payout for the project, the resolution stipulated that the city will have to pay all of the project’s up-front costs and provide a $42,224 local match. The city will receive the rest of the grant money upon completion of the project.
Also, the city will cover any costs that exceed the $290,000 grant.
Even with a history of struggling to put up local matches, Mayor Alice Lucero said that the city is capable of doing it.
During the meeting, she said they could possibly pull the money from the recreation fund, but during a later interview, she said that the money could be taken from both the 2014 and 2015 budget.
The city being behind in its audits should have no bearing on the its eligibility, Lucero said.
Planning and Zoning Director Russell Naranjo made the grant presentation to the Department. During the Council meeting, Naranjo said the walking trails would have a rubberized surface and would be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Naranjo was on vacation and unavailable for comment.