A project long in the making at a local park is still delayed as the City of Rockmart waits for grant funding to come in to help pay for upgrades for playground equipment.

City Manager Stacey Smith explained that the playground at the Nathan Dean Sports Complex playground is still slated for an upgrade, but that delays in receiving grant funding for the playground, being provided by the Land Water Conservation Fund, funding that comes from federal sources.

It is a process that Smith said is frustrating because of the delay, but that it is necessary in order to fund the upgrade.

“Until we get the approval to move forward after receiving the grant money, we are unable at this time to make any improvements because of the requirements of the grant we’ve applied for,” Smith explained.

She added that because of the conditions the city is under for the playground improvement project funding, they can only make repairs for safety of the children playing on the the structure at this time.

Some of those safety measures include recent removal of swings that were deemed no longer fit for children to play on. The city has thus far spent $25,000 outside of the project costs three years prior to make repairs on the playground. Smith said it is also inspected every two weeks, and recently also passed a GIRMA inspection as well.

Smith expects the funding for the playground to come in sometime in May, which will allow the city to move forward on the next steps for the project. The announcement for the LWCF grant was expected on April 15.

Plans are in the works after the funding is applied for the project for the city to host a community meeting about the playground plans, and they will be seeking volunteers to help with removal of the old equipment and the construction of the new.

The new equipment will be ADA compliant, is being upgraded to metal and plastic for durability, and additional safety and child-friendly equipment to provide a fun experience for ages 3-12.

Various parts of the playground will be designed in such a way that children in different age groups will have structures suitable for their size.

The grant also allows for a pedestrian parkway that is ADA compliant for wheelchairs that will allow easier access to the playground from the parking area at the Sports Complex.

The playground is one of many upgrades over the past years that have been underway at the Nathan Dean Sports Complex in recent years, which has included upgrades to restrooms and concession stands, and the construction of fields commonly used for softball tournaments throughout the year.

The city is matching dollar-for-dollar the $125,000 grant for the new playground, bringing the total project cost to $250,000.

Bids will go out for the equipment once the funding is in place.