Some new sights and sounds will be coming to Brookhaven’s City Park.

     Recreation Department Director Terry Reid confirmed Wednesday the Mississippi Development Authority has approved the city to complete its application for a playground grant.

     “We’re moving ahead,” Reid said.

     MDA calls the grant a “self-help community project” and requires the city to supply volunteer labor. A public meeting was held in February during which MDA representative Brenda Lacey was present to gauge community support.

     She evidently liked what she saw. The grant will be headed to Brookhaven pending the successful completion of the remaining paperwork.

     The required environmental studies were mailed out Wednesday, Reid said.

     Documents must be sent to the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to ensure wildlife will not be affected, Reid said. The Corps of Engineers must sign off that the playground will not cause flooding to surrounding areas. The Department of Environmental Quality must certify that no hazardous materials have been reported on the site.

     Even the Department of Archives and History must give approval.

     “It’s just a lot of paperwork,” Reid said.

     Reid doesn’t anticipate any hang-ups with the paperwork.

     “We had all this sent in for the walking trail,” Reid said. “I don’t foresee it changing in four or five years.”

     Reid is optimistic that by the beginning of April the city can begin advertising for bids for the playground equipment. The grant will provide $100,000 and require the city to supply $20,000 of volunteer labor and donated supplies.

     Reid hopes to have the playground installed by the summer. He has some volunteers ready to work on the project, but needs more. He said there is still plenty of time, though.

     “We’ll really make a push for volunteers when we’re a few weeks off,” Reid said.

     Among other things, volunteers can work to install the equipment, provide meals for other volunteers, or provide child care for other volunteers.

     Potential volunteers should contact the recreation department, the city clerk’s office or the mayor’s office.

     The city has previously received MDA grants to put playgrounds at Bicentennial Park and Bethel Park. The City Park playground will be larger than the ones at Bicentennial and Bethel parks and will be located next to the spray park at City Park.

     The current City Park playground has been around since the 1970s and will be torn down, Reid said.

     The current grant Brookhaven will receive from MDA will be the last playground grant awarded by MDA.