Hopewell City Council votes to approve accessibility renovations to Westwood Park.
On April 9, the Hopewell City Council voted to approve a proposal that would fund the renovation of Westwood Park to include all-access playground equipment for children of different abilities.
The vote followed a presentation to the City Council by Hopewell's Director of Development Chris Ward, who talked the councilmembers through the potential renovations to Westwood Park. These renovations — a project proposed by Hopewell's Recreation and Parks department — would reallocate $105,573 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding towards the purchase of accessible playground equipment. Among other equipment, this would include "expression swing sets" for children of different abilities, including children who use wheelchairs, mobility scooters or other assistive devices. (The swing does not support loading a wheelchair onto it, rather, the child is transferred from the wheelchair onto the specially designed swing.)
"This decision is a significant step towards making the park more accessible and inclusive for all community members," said Director of Hopewell's Recreation and Parks department Tabitha Martinez after the vote. The renovations are expected to take a couple of months to complete.
"We are enthusiastic about the positive changes that will come with this project and are dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for our community members," added Martinez. "Stay tuned for updates on the project's progress and the grand reopening of the revitalized park."
The vote at city council came after a 4-0 March 26th vote in favor of the proposal by Hopewell's Community Development Block Grant Advisory Board. The Community Development Block Grant Federal Program provides annual grants to states, counties and cities — including Hopewell — "to develop viable urban communities by providing decent housing and a suitable living environment, and by expanding economic opportunities, principally for low- and moderate-income persons." Hopewell's Community Development Block Grant Advisory Board, which serves as a recommendatory body to the City Council, reviews application for CDBG funding, conducts public hearings and makes recommendations to the City Council regarding requests for projects to be funded from the city’s annual CDBG fund.
Among other requirements, HUD stipulates that recipients of CDBG funding spend approximately 80% of their grant money by May 2nd of that fiscal year. One of last year's CDBG funds recipients, the emergency home repair non-profit Rebuilding Together, will not be able to meet this goal, Ward told The Progress-Index. On Tuesday, Ward presented a proposal to the CDBG Advisory Board to defund the $66,897 in FY2023-2024 funding for Rebuilding Together and potentially refund them with this upcoming fiscal year's CDBG grant money. Last years' funds from Rebuilding Together and an additional $38,676 in unspent CDBG funds from previous years- totaling $105,573- would be reallocated to renovate Hopewell's Westwood Park, Ward told The Progress-Index, as these renovations can be finished quickly before the May deadline. The CDBG Advisory Board will consider recommending re-funding Rebuilding Together with either unspent funds from previous years or FY2024-2025 funding at their next meeting.
This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: City Council approves accessibility renovations to Hopewell Park.
