City Council members are making the right move pursuing a $500,000 state grant to help pay for work to Mulberry Park.

Improvements to Mulberry Park include bringing the park into compliance with current Americans with Disabilities Act requirements that include new playground equipment, a new pavilion, benches, sidewalk, grill, lighting, landscape trees and an ADA-compliant parking area. The project will also include installation of drainage pipes and erosion and sediment control in the park to improve drainage issues that limit the park’s use. The project will also include security lighting.

There is no free lunch – or free park upgrades. The grant requires a 50% matching fund commitment, though the city right now would be on the hook for $353,296 after a $130,000 pledge from a local foundation and another possible foundation award of $130,000 that is expected this spring. The city’s $353,296 portion of the project would be part of the 2026 city budget that will be approved later this year.

We know there will be some who aren’t happy with the price tag, particularly the city’s matching portion of the project. Writing a $1.13 million check for park improvements isn’t easy. The community has done its part by nearly cutting the city’s half of the project in half with $260,000 in foundation pledges for the project.

But Mulberry Park is important to some 200 people who regularly use Mulberry Park. The park upgrade is important to both the families who live in the area, and not pursuing the project now after so much time and effort has been spent over the past few years talking about improvements and asking for public input would be a black eye for the city. People are excited about the prospects for Mulberry Park, and it’s good to see the city ready and willing to stand behind the project with the promise of money in next year’s city budget.