LCRA, City of Lampasas award $25,000 grant for upgrades to 580 Sports Complex

Lampasas Lions Club will add endurance exercise equipment stations, paved walking path at popular park

Nov. 8, 2023

Representatives from LCRA and the City of Lampasas present a $25,000 grant to the Lampasas Lions Club for upgrades to the 580 Sports Complex. The grant is part of LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program. Pictured, from left to right, are: Ross Oliver, Lampasas County Chamber of Commerce membership and events executive and club member; Tasha Bates, chamber board member; Jamie Garrett, club member; Nancy Eckert Yeary, LCRA Board member; Chris Eicher, Lampasas Parks and Recreation director; Melissa Unger, chamber executive director; Carol Freeman, LCRA Board member; Herb Pearce, Lampasas mayor; Margaret D. “Meg” Voelter, LCRA Board member; Tim Herning, Pam Hunter, Kelsi Davis and Joyce Franklin, club members; Alexis Thompson, club president; Mindi Pratus, Lampasas Parks and Recreation board member and club past president and member; Molly Patteson, club treasurer; Donna Clark, Lampasas Independent School District director of school health services; Christy Lavender, chamber treasurer and club member; Steve Dyer, LCRA Regional Affairs representative; and Ryan Ward, Lampasas assistant city manager.
LAMPASAS, Texas – The 580 Sports Complex park soon will get an endurance exercise course and other upgrades, thanks to a grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority and the City of Lampasas.

The $25,000 Community Development Partnership Program grant, along with $35,041 in matching funds from the Lampasas Lions Club, will pay for the construction of a paved walking path and the addition of several exercise equipment stations.

“The Lions Club has been looking for different projects to do in our community, and we are ecstatic to be able to do one at the 580 Sports Complex,” said Alexis Thompson, Lampasas Lions Club chapter president. “This project is an avenue for our organization to give our community something that both kids and adults can enjoy without any additional expense.”

The endurance course will feature a cardio walker, push-up station, leg press, balance board, walking trail and more.

“Lampasas is a growing rural town with expanding public park options,” Thompson said. “We hope the course will encourage a healthier lifestyle and help encourage members of the community to get outside and be active.”

Thompson said Lampasas has an extensive and ongoing development plan for the sports complex, and the Lions Club is proud to play an integral role in the plan by providing the exercise course.

“Everyone in our organization has giving hearts, which is why supporting our community is so important to us,” she said. “The Lions Club has put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into making this project happen over the past two years, and we are excited to get it up and running.”

The community grant is one of 45 grants awarded recently through LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program, which helps volunteer fire departments, local governments, emergency responders and nonprofit organizations fund capital improvement projects in LCRA’s wholesale electric, water and transmission service areas. The program is part of LCRA’s effort to give back to the communities it serves. The City of Lampasas is one of LCRA’s wholesale electric customers and is a partner in the grant program.

Applications for the next round of grants will be accepted in January. More information is available at lcra.org/cdpp.

About LCRA

The Lower Colorado River Authority serves customers and communities throughout Texas by managing the lower Colorado River; generating and transmitting electric power; providing a clean, reliable water supply; and offering outdoor adventures at more than 40 parks along the Colorado River from the Texas Hill Country to the Gulf Coast. LCRA and its employees are committed to fulfilling our mission to enhance the quality of life of the Texans we serve through water stewardship, energy and community service. LCRA was created by the Texas Legislature in 1934 and receives no state appropriations.

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