Columbus City Council exploring funding options for grant match
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – The City of Columbus is looking for options to help launch a new feature at Propst Park.
The city applied and was approved for a grant to help build a kayak launch site on the Luxapalila Creek at Propst Park.
That grant award was contingent on the city providing a match of $95,000 in in-kind services.
City leaders thought they had an agreement in place with a local business for $85,000 of that, but the company said they had not agreed to that amount, but would provide around $10,000 in in-kind services to help with the project.
Public works will be able to do about $5,000 worth of work, but that will still leave the city on the hook for about $80,000.
The city is still backing the project, seeing it both as a quality of life improvement for residents and a potential draw for tourism dollars.
“You know we accepted the grant, and they gave us the grant, thinking it was going to be, you know, in-kind services. So, we’ll either have to come up with the money for the in-kind services or get additional in-kind.”
The City Council is looking at the possibility of a budget amendment if the money is needed before the end of the fiscal year, or adding it to next year’s budget. They are also reaching out to area business and individuals to help with costs or in-kind services.
