City of Bartlesville officials are in the process of compiling information for a grant application that could help pay for security lighting at Lee Lake, and say a meeting will be held at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 17, to obtain public input and encourage letters of support for the project.
Community Development and Parks Director Lisa Beeman and Grants Administrator Nancy Warring are preparing to submit an application to the Oklahoma Tourism & Recreation Department for grant funding provided by the 2017 Land and Water Conservation Fund. The LWCF is a federal assistance program administered by the National Park Service.
If approved, the grant will be used to pay for security lighting along the walking path that circles Lee Lake, a City-owned fishing lake located on Adams Boulevard just east of Silver Lake Road. The lake opened for public use last year, and has been a popular recreation spot for joggers/walkers and local residents looking to fish, kayak or canoe.
“Lee Lake has been a valuable addition to the Bartlesville park system — and definitely one of the most popular — since it opened last year,” said Beeman.
The lake has been a multiphase project that has combined funding, labor and other efforts of not only the City of Bartlesville but the Department of Wildlife, which provided grant funding for construction of the lake and stocked it with sunfish, catfish and large-mouth bass, as well as several local organizations that helped raise money and provided assistance to the City’s Park Department in installing benches, trash receptacles and picnic tables.
Beeman and Warring say approval of the LWCF grant would help fund low-level security lighting along the lake path, as well as permit the installation of picnic shelters and similar amenities for area.
Warring said the meeting Tuesday is part of the grant application process and citizens are encouraged to attend and share their input about the project.
“This is an opportunity for everyone to weigh in about what has truly been, and continues to be, a community project, and to be a part of this grant application process,” Warring said.
Warring said citizens’ letters of support for the project are also being sought for the grant application. Letters may be emailed to Warring or mailed/delivered to City Hall.
“Anyone who is inclined to write a letter expressing support for this project is encouraged to do so,” she said. “Citizen involvement is always important, but being able to demonstrate how this funding will impact the community and the people who use Lee Lake and the surrounding facilities could play a large role in whether we are approved for the funding.”
The meeting will be held on the first floor at City Hall, 401 S. Johnstone Ave. in downtown Bartlesville.
To submit a letter of support for the project, email newarring@cityofbartlesville.org or mail to Attn. Nancy Warring, City of Bartlesville, 401 S. Johnstone Ave., Bartlesville, OK 74003. Letters may be submitted in-person by visiting the second floor of City Hall.
For more information, contact Warring at 918.338.4243 or Beeman at 918.338.4237.