AM850.com

Some Alachua County parks will be recieving a facelift after a state grant program will provide them with 266-thousand dollars to enhance area recreation. This years state budget, passed by the Florida legislature and signed by Govenor Charlie Christ, includes 24-million dollars to improve and enhance local parks statewide. Information Director for the Florida Park Service, Jessica Kemper, says four parks in Alachua County will be enhanced and developed in many different ways. The Alachua County projects being funded in this years budget include two parks in city of Newberry and two in the city of Hawthorne. Kemper says at a time when technology is becoming increasingly important, people need to enjoy the what the city's parks offer. Kemper adds in the past ten years Florida parks have recieved over 250-million dollars from the Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program grants. She says Alachua County has recieved over nine-hundred-thousand dollars of the FRDAP grants over the past ten years.