Following is a letter to the Renew the Blue Co-Chair, Dave Wright, from Roscoe Righter the city's Director of Parks, Recreation, Buildings, & Grounds, announcing the grant award for the Disc Golf Course in Young Park.  My congratulations to the members of Renew the Blue, StandUp!, the Blue Springs School District, and the City of Blue Springs who worked so hard to make this happen.  This is an example where hard work and perseverance has paid off for our city! 

David, 

I wanted to notify you and the others, involved in getting the disc golf course off center, of the news I received this morning.  Please feel free to pass this along to all your committee.  I have notified David and Brandon with the School District, Dale Falck, the Rotary Club, Mayor & City Council, and of course our staff.  

Congratulations to all!  Today I received the packet of information and our notice that the Grant Application through LWCF has now been approved by both DNR and NPS.  We have the approval to proceed with construction.  I had indicated that the review and notification process normally takes through November or December.  I was beginning to get a little concerned that the economy may have caused NPS to withdraw the funding for this year, but it apparently just took them this long to process everything. 

My staff and I have been preparing for this approval.  We have worked on a plan to use GIS to layout the course.  We have the equipment and we have a GIS staff person at the City who will help lay in all the data on the map, then my staff and I will transfer that onto the ground in the park.  We will now start that process.  I will also be setting up all the required data and record keeping we must do at the City so we can be reimbursed when the project is completed.  We can begin the selection of and take bids for the actual equipment and signage systems.  I will coordinate with the School District for their students to assist with the concrete work as we get closer to that date. 

We have until the end of 2010 to complete all work and submit all paperwork, however, like all of you, I want to see this in use as soon as possible.  So we are planning to work toward a 2009 opening, hopefully in the summer months and prior to the next school year.  The Rotary Club has their funds ready for us, and the City has its funds available.  I will make sure we do a press release through the City’s PIO office. 

Thanks once again for all the work, time and effort to get us to this point.  After twenty plus years, we will finally have a disc golf course in Blue Springs!

Roscoe