Priceville council says National Park Service awarded $1 million grant for new park

Priceville will receive a $1,000,000 grant from the National Park Service to help acquire land for a new municipal park, Mayor Hedlund announced during the council meeting.

"…the National Park Service has funded our grant…and the check date was, for September 30. So, we should be getting a check for $1,000,000, that we can use, at the park," Mayor Hedlund said, adding the award requires no local match. The mayor said the parcel has an appraisal figure discussed during the meeting and that the family who owned the property offered a discount to allow it to be used as parkland. He named the intended park as "Priceville Park" in honor of Lloyd and Sandy Nicks.

Council approved a separate administrative step at the same meeting to open a Traditions Bank account earmarked for park property donations and designated signatories for that account. Mayor Hedlund told the council the grant will reduce the city's financing need; in the meeting he said that, after the grant, the city would finance roughly $600,000 toward the purchase (appraisal and financing numbers were discussed during the session). The council did not take further binding financing action beyond approving the dedicated account at this meeting.

The announcement followed other park‑related items and volunteer opportunities the mayor highlighted, including volunteer work days and upcoming park events. The council did not identify a firm closing date for the acquisition during the meeting; next steps discussed were account setup and continued coordination with the property owners and grant administrators.