By By Sheila Blackmon/The Meridian Star
April 4, 2001
DEKALB Kemper County could receive up to $50,000 to build a new and badly-needed recreational park and sports complex, officials say.
County supervisors approved a federal grant application earlier this week. Mike McGrevey, Kemper County Economic Development Authority executive director, said East Central Planning and Development District officials will be working on the grant.
McGrevey said the existing park in the Stennis Industrial Park on Highway 16 has a tennis court, basketball goal, swings and a slide, but the equipment is "old and beyond economic repair."
Other area recreational facilities include Kemper Lake, which offers fishing and picnicking and has RV hookups. There is also an American Legion ball field on the corner of Highways 16 and 39 in the DeKalb city limits, he said.
County officials are looking at 10- to 15-acre sites along Highway 16 in and near the Stennis Industrial Park for the new complex, McGrevey said.
With a combination of county and volunteer labor, officials hope to build baseball, softball and soccer fields, fitness trails, a tennis court, bleachers and a concession stand at the new facility. They also want a picnic area and playground with slides, swings and merry-go-rounds.
Supervisors would ask for residents' input, but would probably use the current park for industrial development, McGrevey said.
He said officials should know by August if Kemper County will get the federal funds. Supervisors also approved applications for a COPS in Schools grant and a grant providing bullet-proof vests for all full- and part-time sheriff's deputies.
Sheila Blackmon is a staff writer for The Meridian Star. E-mail her at sblackmon@themeridianstar.com.