BENTON CITY, Wash. – Benton City has been awarded a $500,000 grant to build a splash pad for children and families.
This new facility, proposed for Blacktop Estates Park, featuring water loops, dumping buckets and other fun elements, will address the need for recreational facilities for kids, especially those kindergarten age and younger, who make up a significant portion of the local population, the Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) announced in a release.
Benton City currently has no parks with water play or dedicated facilities for young children.
The Tri-Cities Shooting Association was also awarded a grant in the amount of $76,000 to enhance its facilities.
This funding, part of the Firearms and Archery Range Recreation Program, will be used to build a canopy for 20 shooting positions, install custom shooting benches and upgrade the concrete bullet shield at each station. Additionally, a short asphalt road will be constructed for safer access from the state highway.
The Benton County grants were two of many distributed by the Recreation and Conservation Funding Board, which has awarded over $148 million to projects statewide.
Megan Duffy, RCO director, emphasized the significance of these grants. “These grants are critical to keeping Washington a premiere destination for outdoor adventure as well as a great place for Washingtonians to live,” Duffy said.
In total, 242 grants were awarded to projects in 35 of Washington’s 39 counties. The board received 411 applications requesting over $266 million, with 59 percent of projects receiving funding.
“These grants are key to building great communities. The grants help communities light ball fields, make parks accessible to people with disabilities, connect gaps in trail systems, refurbish pools and resurface pickleball courts,” Duffy said.
