The MCDC board awarded funds for a number of projects at an Aug. 22 meeting.
The specifics
The grants will support quality-of-life projects in the community, a city news release states. The board awarded the grants after hearing presentations from each applicant regarding the project and its potential impact on the community.
Awarded project grants include:
- $5.5 million to the city’s Parks and Recreation Department for major renovations at McKinney’s Erwin Park
- $1 million to the city’s Parks and Recreation Department for improvements to Gabe Nesbitt Community Park
- $35,000 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Collin County for upgrades to indoor athletics facilities, and installing turf for soccer and flag football
- $5,000 to the YMCA of McKinney to replace equipment and prepare for the reopening of a public-accessible playground
- About $110,000 to McKinney Main Street to refresh Downtown McKinney Christmas decorations
- About $517,000 to Sanchez Charities for the creation of the Neighbor Hub, a collaborative resource center for nonprofit service providers in McKinney
The bulk of funding awarded will support projects at two McKinney-area parks.
A $5.5 million grant will support various renovations and upgrades to Erwin Park. According to city documents, planned improvements include:
- New pavilions and restrooms, including one shower facility
- A two-story overlook structure
- Road resurfacing and concrete paving throughout the park
- A new concrete trail
- Adding water and electrical service to all campsites
- Formalizing the entrance with signage, as well as other site furnishings
“Just adding that wow factor to Erwin Park,” Kinkade said of the project.
Erwin Park is the most used park in McKinney, Kinkade said, and saw over 1,500 camp site rentals in 2023. A fee increase for camp site rentals will be implemented following the renovation work, she said.
An additional $1 million grant will cover the cost of creating additional practice fields at Gabe Nesbitt Park, as well as two monument entrance signs.
The funds specifically would cover grading and drainage work on field areas between the parking lot and the existing baseball fields. The practice fields created could be used for soccer and other sports, Kinkade said. The $1 million grant will cover the entire cost of the project.
Diving in deeper
Over half a million dollars was awarded to the Neighbor Hub project, an initiative to create a resource center for nonprofit service providers.
The initiative by Sanchez Charities includes constructing three buildings totalling 9,000-square-feet that will include space for operations of five nonprofit organizations: Hope Restored Missions, Community Lifeline Center, Emmanuel Labor, Streetside Showers and McKinney Little Free Pantry.
A range of services would be available at the facility through the various nonprofits, including case management, rehousing resources, food distribution, rental utility assistance and more. An integrated service model will streamline assistance for community members in need, city documents state.
The facility will include food storage for food distributing organizations, a prep kitchen, showers as well as a carport for storage of shower trailers operated by Streetside Showers. It will also include a centralized waiting area to help community members get routed to resources.
“Our goal is not to compete with anyone,” Sanchez said of the resource center project. “Our goal is to help raise everybody up and use everybody’s services because everybody’s doing an amazing job, just to do it in a more efficient way.”
The facility will be located at 1820 White Street, just east of Redbud Boulevard, and the entire project is estimated to cost $3.2 million, Sanchez Charities Founder Kim Sanchez said at the July 25 meeting. About $1 million in land and other costs has been donated by Sanchez Charities. The MCDC funding will cover the development costs for the project, and Sanchez said she is seeking out additional grants and other funding sources for the remaining costs.
Sanchez, who also founded the McKinney Little Free Pantry, said she has been working on this initiative for about four years. She is aiming to open the facility by late 2025 or early 2026, she said.
Quote of note
“These projects align directly with MCDC strategic priorities and our mission to work as a partner to fund community, cultural, and economic development projects in McKinney,” MCDC Board Chair Angela Richardson-Woods said in a city news release. “Our vision to enhance the quality of life for residents of all ages and backgrounds is evident in these awarded grants.”
The context
The MCDC collects a half-cent sales tax on purchases made in McKinney, and utilizes that funding to provide grants to projects in the area.
Eligible projects are determined by state law but include projects that improve the city’s “aesthetic, cultural and leisure amenities,” the organization’s website states.
Grants given by the organization fall into three categories:
- Project grants for eligible quality-of-life projects
- Promotional and community event grants for activities that promote tourism and business development
- Retail development infrastructure grants for infrastructure improvements at retail properties
