2002 Newsroom Archive

Department of Parks and Recreation Awarded Million Dollar Grant for Rehabilitation of Joe Mims Jr. Hagginwood Community Center

City of Sacramento to Receive Funds from State Proposition 12 (Park Bond 2000)

Sacramento California, October 24, 2002 – The State of California Department of Parks and Recreation has awarded one million dollars to the City of Sacramento Department of Parks and Recreation for the rehabilitation of Joe Mims Jr. Hagginwood Community Center.

Located in Hagginwood Park at 3271 Marysville Boulevard, the center has deteriorated due to the age of the facility and heavy use by neighborhood youth and adults. Due to budgeting constraints for maintenance of existing facilities, the City Department of Parks and Recreation has been unable to make needed renovations to the center, including improvements that would make the facility compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

“Joe Mims Jr. Hagginwood Community Center is a vital link to the neighborhood’s residents, and long due for renovation. It’s exciting to be able to look forward to so many improvements at the center during the next year, ” said City Councilmember Sandy Sheedy. “And the addition of more space to provide expanded recreation programs, especially youth programs, will be a tremendous benefit,” Sheedy continued.

The grant is awarded through the State’s competitive Murray-Hayden Grant Program, which was funded by Proposition 12, the Park Bond Act passed by California voters in 2000. The Murray-Hayden Grant Program funds capital projects that are within a neighborhood identified by the State Department of Parks and Recreation as having a critical lack of park facilities or deteriorated facilities, with economic factors such as poverty and unemployment also a consideration. The grant requires a match of $300,000 by the City of Sacramento, which has been budgeted through the City’s Capital Improvement Program.

According to Robert G. Overstreet, City Department of Parks and Recreation Director, “One million dollars is big step to making the Joe Mims Jr. Hagginwood Community Center project a reality. We are pleased to be awarded such a substantial grant, especially as grant funding from all sources is so competitive right now.”

The combined grant and CIP monies will fund Phase One of a major project to renovate and expand the center. Phase One construction will include façade improvements, new lobby area, expanding the existing library room into a larger community room, new and larger restrooms, and movement of a major gas line. A construction timeline has not been established, although improvements will be in progress during 2003.