Baxter To Submit Grant For Splash Pad & Farmers Market

Baxter will apply for a Blue Cross Blue Shield grant in August to build a splash pad and farmer’s market in Seminary Park.

Baxter Mayor John Martin said the park upgrades will add to the appeal of Baxter and help fill job openings for the Portobello plant opening in the future.

“We have four great schools, but the thing about it, people look at parks also,” Martin said. “Every municipality you have that is a big impact to your city. People want to bring their kids to good places to enjoy the parks.”

Martin said the grant can be worth up to $1.5 million dollars.

“We applied for a Blue Cross grant last year, and we were in the running for that,” Martin said. “We were in the running for that, and they said they wanted us to reapply to that.”

The city recently completed construction of a new amphitheater and sidewalks for the park. Martin said the new arch with three different historic venues that branch off from the sidewalks still is under construction.

“We would love to see a splash pad, which we are going to do,” Martin said. “We want to see a farmer’s market go in our park. We have plans to put benches down the side of the sidewalks going to the amphitheater along with some lampposts.”

Martin said the city will lay new grass in the area this fall.