Red Mill County Park Receives Federal Grant By Christopher Engel In the United States Federal grants are economic aid issued by the national government out of the general federal revenue. A federal grant awards financial assistance from a federal agency to a recipient to carry out a public purpose of support or stimulation authorized by a law of the United States. The LaPorte County Parks Department recently received a Federal categorical grant for the expansion and restoration of Red Mill County Park. The grant the LaPorte County Parks Department received was a categorical grant for the expansion and restoration of Red Mill County Park. Red Mill County Park is located just northeast of the Purdue North Central Campus LaPorte County, IN. The grant received totaled an amount of $200,000.00. This money was designated for expansion and restoration. Expansion consisted of the possible purchase of 80 acres of additional land, along with the building of trails and necessities within the newly acquired lands. Restoration, on the other hand, consisted of the renovation of an already existing building, for the purpose of turning the old building into an Environmental Education Center, along with some long due general maintenance for the already existing park establishments. Federal grants are not just given out. The people must apply for the chance to receive a Federal grant. That is exactly what the people of Red Mill County Park did. They compiled a list of reasons that they felt they should be eligible to receive a grant. The main officials within Red Mill County park who were involved in this compilation of reasons were Tim Morgan the Superintendant of Red Mill county Park, Jean Lawson the Office and Finance Manager of Red Mill County Park, and Niki Schmutte the Chief Naturalist of Red Mill County Park. These people not only contributed to the compilation of reasons within their application for the grant, but they also were responsible for the sending out of this list to the proper federal offices.
The LaPorte County Parks Department recently received a Federal categorical grant for the expansion and restoration of Red Mill County Park. However, as with any grant the question of whether the grant was used properly is a pressing question. In my opinion, considering that I live rather close to Red Mill County Park and have recently visited the park for a wedding, I believe that they have properly used their funds, and have wasted very little funds on unnecessary projects. Red Mill County Park stuck to the basics and got done what the grant specified what it was meant for, and the renovation of the new Environmental Educational Center seems to be going smoothly.