Parks & Rec holding town hall meeting Wednesday

By LYNETTE SOWELL
Cove Leader-Press

Copperas Cove residents are invited to attend a Parks & Recreation town hall meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 24, at 5:30 p.m. at the Copperas Cove Civic Center, located at 1206 W. Ave. B.
The meeting is the first quarterly meeting of 2018, with the department having held town hall meetings over the past two years.
The city’s Parks & Recreation director, Joe Brown, will update the public about the soon-to-begin improvements on the city’s park systems, as well as provide information about the department’s upcoming events in the community for the year.
The City of Copperas Cove has $3.6 million in improvements planned for the city’s park system from now through the year 2021, with The Hills of Cove Golf Course also being slated up for improvements, totaling more than $1.2 million over the same time period. 
The department is also hoping to secure grant funds to supplement the funding, and as part of that effort, Brown put out the call earlier this month for community members to sign a letter of support. 
A Texas Parks and Wildlife grant in the amount of approximately $200,000 would bolster park improvements, with funds from that particular program designated for a portion of paved path in City Park. 
First up for the park improvements planned through 2021 include ADA compliance, walking paths, parking lots, and monument signs for the city’s parks. Also on the list are pavilions, bathroom remodeling, shade canopies for playgrounds, replaced/updated lighting systems replaced/updated, water fountains, new playgrounds, fitness stations, updated pool filter systems, a splash pad, athletic field fencing upgrades, outdoor basketball courts resurfaced, seating areas re-established or created, and construction of bridges. 
For those unable to attend in person, the department will be live-streaming the meeting on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/coveparksandrec/.