Burlington County Freeholder director Joe Donnelly announced the fourth round of local grants under the Municipal Park Development Assistance Program, awarding a total $4.7 million to 34 towns.
“Our goal is to make it possible for towns to achieve their local recreational objectives during a time when they must address other priorities due to budgeting constraints,” Donnelly said. “This year’s grant program is another important step in achieving that goal.”
Donnelly said that all of the towns that have applied for grant dollars since the inception of the program have received funding. In the first 3 rounds, the County awarded $15 million in grants to towns. The fourth round will bring that total to almost $20 million.
“Every taxpayer in every town pays into the dedicated open space fund, but in the past, not every town has benefitted directly from these dollars,” Donnelly said. “I’m pleased to say that this program has changed that.”
The individual grants in this latest round ranged from $50,000 to the program’s maximum of $250,000, and all grants are designated for the development of new recreational facilities or improvements to local parks, fields and courts.
“Our plan is to continue to allocate $5 million a year from the County’s existing dedicated fund for farmland preservation and open space,” Donnelly said. Towns submitted applications totaling $8.3 million in the latest round.
