Legislators Meet With Farmington Officials

FARMINGTON — Farmington city officials recently sat down with state Sen. Uvalde Lindsey and state Rep. David Whitaker to discuss financial needs of the community.

Besides the two legislators, others at the meeting at City Hall were Mayor Ernie Penn, City Business Manager Melissa McCarville and Public Works Director Dan Ledbetter.

Farmington sits on the “edge of a gold mine,” Penn told Lindsey and Whitaker, who represent this area in the General Assembly. “The gold is on the other side of our city limits and goes north.”

The reason for the meeting was to discuss some projects Farmington would like to complete in the future and to see what the city needs to do to receive money to help pay for the projects. The city officials also asked the legislators’ advice and support for the projects.

Some of the projects mentioned at the meeting included drainage improvements and street overlays on Double Springs Road and Rheas Mill Road, additional parking for Creekside Park, decorative, old-fashioned lights around town and money to remodel and furnish the new library building on Cimarron Place.

Penn said the city received its first and only state recreation grant to build the pavilion, playground and walking trail at the Sports Complex but has not had much luck with other grants.

“We have to scratch and scrounge to get any dollars we can get,” Penn told the legislators.

McCarville said the city also has to battle the impression from the public that the city is not trying to find money for projects.

“The perception is that there is all this money and that we are not pursuing it,” McCarville said. “We’ve done everything we know to do.”

Lindsey said one fund available to legislators for projects in their areas is the General Improvement Fund or surplus funds. That money has already been allocated for 2013. He recommended the city put together a priority list for the 2015 legislative session.

Other grant programs are available throughout state government and Lindsey said the best way to apply for those is to match the city’s project with the agency’s priorities on what it will fund.

Whitaker said he would be willing to make phone calls or write letters on the city’s behalf, adding it helps him to know the city’s needs.

“I get unsolicited requests (for money) from all over,” Whitaker said. “I want to help my own area first.”

McCarville said she would put together some cost estimates for some of the projects and Penn asked the legislators to e- mail any other advice they had to help the city in finding money for its projects.