The Carroll City Council approved a pair of resolutions at their meeting Monday night to move forward with nearly $1 million in improvements at Merchants Park, despite being denied for an approximately $350,000 Destination Iowa grant from the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA). City officials recently learned their second application failed to garner enough support from the selection board. Previously, the council had allocated $353,080 in Hotel/Motel, Local Option Sales Tax (LOST), and American Rescue Plan Act funds as a match for the application process, but that allocation was contingent on grant approval. Parks and Recreation Director, Chad Tiemeyer, says they’d like to move forward with some of the more urgent needs, such as new lighting, ADA-accessible seating, and safety nets, but the council would need to uncouple the funds from the grant to proceed.
The whole project is estimated at around $921,000, and with support from the City of Carroll, Carroll County, the Carroll Athletic Association, various grants, and Carroll and Kuemper Catholic schools, available funding now stands at $691,350. Merchants Park is home to the Tigers, Knights, and Merchants baseball teams and the 1A and 2A state baseball tournaments through the 2024 season. Many of the planned improvements come at the request of the Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) to better accommodate the state tournament crowds. However, At-Large Councilman, LaVern Dirkx, says he is wary of spending that much money without a guarantee the tournament will remain in Carroll.
The council voted unanimously to uncouple the city’s $350,000 contribution from the Destination Iowa grant and approve a $69,500 contract with Shive-Hattery Engineering Group to continue designs for the first phase. There is still a nearly $230,000 shortfall for the project, but Mayor Mark Beardmore is confident the Carroll Athletic Association and city staff can quickly fill the remainder through private fundraising and smaller grants.
With the Shive-Hattery professional service agreement now approved, engineers will split the project into three or four smaller phases. Barring any significant delays, construction on the first phase could occur yet this summer.
