Royal City applies for grant to use toward major expansion of Lion’s Park

ROYAL CITY — Royal City officials recently applied for a $500,000 grant for expansion of Royal City Lion’s Park, the city’s main park, and allowing city officials to fix a mistake made a quarter of a century ago.

The city purchased the property adjacent to the existing park in 2018, but it’s not yet developed.

“It more than triples the size of our park,” said Royal City Mayor Kent Anderson.

The current park borders on Camellia Street Northwest, and the expansion will extend it to Acacia Street West. City officials have set aside $250,000 for park development in addition to applying for the grant.

Anderson said the first priority will be developing the new property with grass and trees.

“Then go from there,” he said.

City officials want to add a soccer field and other amenities.

“There are a number of things that we’re looking at,” he said. “It’s really fun. Our little town has really been growing recently. So it’s time to make some upgrades.”

The city applied for a grant through the Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO), and the recipients to be announced in July 2021.

“I think we’re right on the border whether we’ll be accepted (for the grant) or not,” Anderson said.

Purchasing the property also got the city off the hook for a decades-old mistake.

In 1975, city officials received a $4,920 grant from the state Interagency Committee for Outdoor Recreation, the predecessor to the RCO, to buy land for a new park. The land was purchased, but sat undeveloped until 1994, when city officials sold it for development as a low-income apartment complex.

“And you can’t do that (sell the property),” Anderson said, referring to when the land was purchased with a grant.

So since 1994, city officials have been working, off and on, to replace the land in a way that meets the intent of the original grant. Anderson said the property purchased to expand Lions Park appears to meet the criteria.

Royal City finance director Shilo Christensen said the city has reached the final stages, but the paperwork hasn’t quite been completed. “We’re going through the process to make that whole,” Christensen said.

Christensen gave credit to Anderson for finding a solution.

“He’s been the main person helping fix it,” he said.