LCRA, City of Hallettsville award $25,000 grant to Hallettsville Lions Club for park renovations

Shade canopy will help cool playground equipment at City Park

Nov. 13, 2023

HALLETTSVILLE, Texas – The Hallettsville Lions Club will install a new shade canopy over the playground equipment at Hallettsville City Park thanks to a $25,000 grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority and the City of Hallettsville.
 
The Community Development Partnership Program grant, along with $53,500 in matching funds raised by the Lions Club, will be used to help keep playground equipment cooler and protect visitors from harmful ultraviolet rays.
 
The park has been underutilized, especially during the summer months, even though it has upgraded equipment and is near other amenities such as tennis courts, sports fields and picnic pavilions.
 
Michael Moore, Hallettsville Lions Club’s first vice president, said the lack of shade is to blame.
 
“We took some temperature readings of our playground equipment on a July afternoon, and they read 135 to 140 degrees on the playground equipment itself,” Moore said. “We really were concerned if it was even safe for kids to be playing on that.”
 
He said providing cooler equipment is just one benefit of the canopy.
 
“One of the other focuses of the Lions Club is childhood cancer,” Moore said. “The second part of this project is that the shade structure will provide some UV protection from ultraviolet rays, which can then lead to skin cancer in later years.”
 
In 2022, the Lions Club began raising funds for the project in Hallettsville, which has about 2,500 residents.
 
 “We’ve gotten a lot of community support,” he said. “We set a goal for fundraising and surpassed it just from our city alone.” 
 
The shade canopy will be a win-win for the city and for the safety of the children, he said.
 
“Hallettsville is the county seat of Lavaca County and there are a lot of small towns within a few miles of us,” Moore said. “People from Shiner, Schulenburg and other communities come here for events and tennis competitions. Our park is a well-used facility, and we want to give everyone a safe place to play.”
 
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 Hallettsville is one of LCRA’s wholesale electric customers and is a partner in the grant program.

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.