Billings Parks and Recreation staff proposes to apply for a Land Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) grant for improvements to the Central Park Tennis Courts.  Part of the application requires Council to approve a resolution authorizing application for LWCF assistance, see Attachment A.  By applying for this grant, the City may be eligible for up to $250,000.  The Central Park Tennis Court Replacement project was recommended by the Parks, Recreation and Cemetery Board and is scheduled to be completed during FY2019 as part of the City Wide Park District (PD 1) .  The PD 1 budget is $500,000 and grant proceeds will be used to upgrade the court surface from asphalt to post tension concrete, improve fencing structure to support wind screens and provide ADA accessible route from parking to the courts.  By seeking grant funds to add to the PD 1 funds already allocated, the playability of the courts will be significantly enhanced, life expectancy of the courts will dramatically increase and maintenance costs will be significantly reduced.  The grant has a 50% match requirement, which is met by the City's PD 1 appropriation.  The grant application deadline is Thursday, February 28, 2019  but the grant award may be as late as winter of 2020.  Due to this timeframe, the replacement project will be delayed slightly.  As part of the application process, staff contacted stakeholders and surrounding property owners to inform them of the grant opportunity, to solicit letters of support and to receive comments.

City Council may:

• Approve,the resolution authorizing application for LWCF assistance or;
• Disapprove the resolution and provide staff with additional guidance

The PD 1 budget for this project is $500,000.  If the City is awarded a $250,000 LWCF grant, those funds will be used to make additional improvements and upgrades to the Central Park Tennis Courts.  There will be no additional financial impacts to the City.

Staff recommends that the City Council approve the resolution authorizing application for LWCF funding to reconstruct the Central Park Tennis Court facility.