The Patterson City Council canceled plans for a pocket park in the old downtown.
The council voted 3-0 to scrap the project during its regular meeting Thursday afternoon. Member Jake Echols was absent and member Jim Echols arrived after the vote.
The council had tabled a decision at its December and January meetings to seek input from the community. Council members said they did not feel they could justify the cost of the project — even with the grant funding.
Patterson received a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Redevelopment Funds (RDF) in April, 2022 for a new pocket park in the old downtown.
The project had called for the pocket park to be located in the brick shell of an old building in the historic business district on Railroad Avenue. Estimated cost was $305,847.
The pocket park would have been located at 5652 A and B West Railroad Avenue. It would have featured patios with umbrellas, landscaping in planters, lighting on poles and strings, brick-paved walkways, restrooms and storage areas.
A restaurant had been planned for the building next door to the pocket park, but those plans fell through, reportedly the victim of the economic downturn associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The city had received a RDF grant in the amount of $108,392 for the development of the pocket park. Under the terms of the grant, the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) would provide 35 percent of the costs. Patterson would be required to provide $197,455 (or 65 percent) of the cost.
The CDBG-RDF funds are used for rehabilitating blighted areas.
