Desert Messenger

WHAT'S INSIDE 3 Quartzsite School update 3 Blood Drive planned 4 MVD 4 Leadwell improvements 5 Baby Formula update 6 Editorial 6 Town Texting 7 Letter to Editor 7 Council Recap 8 Political signs 9 Council Recap 9 Meet the Candidates 10 Gardening with Dennis 11 Flinn-Brown Fellows selected 12 Shop Small Bingo 13 The Salvation Army updates 15 Around Town 16 10 West Project update 17 QES Students of the Month 17 EV Chragers 18 AA Meetings 19 In Memoriam 19 Post Offi ce update 20 Puzzle Page 21 Classifi ed 20 Paul Winer's Cartoon 23 Photos DesertMessenger.com • "Quartzsite's FREE Community Paper" • 928-916-4235 May 18, 2022 VOL. 18 # 346 Alwa y s FREE! SEE PARK PAGE 10 Town Park improvements include 2,500 sq. ft. Splash Pad N�� �� ��� 1 8 t h YEAR! By Shanana Rain Golden-Bear Quartzsite, AZ - At the May 10th regular meeting of the Common Council of Quartzsite, Council voted to enter into an agreement with RICK Engineering for professional services to design and provide bidding services on the Quartzsite Park Improvement Project which includes a 2,500 sq. ft. Splash Pad! There will be sev- eral fountains and spray features at the new splash pad. The fi rst of its kind in Quartzsite, the splash pad will be a place for families to gather, play, and cool off during the hot summer months. Splash pads provide a unique op- portunity for inclusive, safe water play. A splash pad creates safe access to the wonder and love of water for families with children of all ages, abilities, and circumstances. The Town applied to the Arizona State Parks (AZSP) grant program on September 29, 2021 for grant funds to construct a 2,500 sq. ft. splash pad and other improvements in the Quartzsite Town Park. The AZSP grant pro- gram consists of funds from the federal Land & Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and the Arizona Heritage Funds in a fi fty-fi fty fund- ing split. On December 16, 2021, the State Parks Board approved funding in the amount of $971,308 from both the LWCF and Heri- tage programs. Since that time, Town staff has been working with the Yuma BLM offi ce to ex- tend the Lease on the Town Park and answer other requirements of the LWCF program. Town Manager Jim Ferguson told the coun- cil the project is fully funded saying, "We are very excited that the Town does not have to come up with any money on this project." Cliff O'Neill, Project Manager, explained, "Any ex- penses, which is minimal, will be reimbursable. We are ready to start the next phase." The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) was established by Congress in 1964 to fulfi ll a bi- partisan commitment to safeguard our natural areas, water resources and cultural heritage, and to provide recreation opportunities to all Ameri- cans. Using zero taxpayer dollars, the fund invests N earnings from offshore oil and gas leasing to help strengthen communities, preserve our history and protect our national endowment of lands and wa- ters. The LWCF program can be divided into the "State Side" which provides grants to State and lo- cal governments, and the "Federal Side" which is used to acquire lands, waters, and interests therein necessary to achieve the natural, cultural, wildlife, and recreation management objectives of federal land management agencies. Quartzsite Town Park Improvements

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