The Main Street Organization received a $50,000 Hometown Grant from T-Mobile which will be used to build a park at the old farmers market on the corner of Avenue G and 5th Street. T-Mobile will be investing $25 million on small town revitalization over five years.
Main Street Manager Tania Moody explained that she became aware of the grant in 2021 when she first became the Main Street Manager. She spent the time between finding the grant and applying in the beginning of 2023 developing her grant writing skills and rendering photos of the future park. Twenty-five communities were chosen across America this quarter from over 600 applications.
“I did the grant myself and I didn’t hire a grant writer. I did not hire an architectural firm to do beautiful rendering. I basically cobbled together what I could do with my own graphic software, a vision and told our story,” Moody said. “I told them that we have a community that have wonderful people. We are definitely below the economic thresholds for the state of Texas and the nation. I went from the perspective of our community deserves the great things you can find in larger communities, and I just felt very passionate that this would be something that would be well received by the community.”
T-Mobile’s grant focuses on small town revitalization that will foster local connections in communities that have a population less than 50,000. Grant winners are selected by community needs and impact; partners, engagement and resources leveraged for the project; feasibility and alignment with T-Mobile’s small-town strategy.
“I knew that I had this vision for the farmers market to become a park because we don’t have a park in downtown Levelland and to me, there’s nothing that pulls at the heartstrings and really hits that hometown feeling with all of us more than something that caters to our family,” Moody said. “I felt that turning that farmers market into a farmers market park that would be a community gathering space would be something that I felt aligned with T-Mobiles values and their initiatives.”
Moody expressed the community need for an ADA accessible park in Levelland for children and a place that senior citizens are able to enjoy comfortably as well.
“I want to make sure that we have a park that kids that are resigned to a wheelchair or perhaps have some struggles with mobility, are able to play with other kids that don’t and that they can get on the same types of playground equipment as other kids can and they can all play together,” Moody said. “It was very important to me to hit the note for our seniors. We will have some spaces that will be totally covered with shade so you don’t overheat our older population and they will also have some abilities to play some traditional games that they may love like chess and checkers.”
Moody also discussed the rising costs of fresh fruit and vegetables that will be able to be supplemented with an easily accessible community garden. The garden will be tended to by the community and will offer an alternative option to buying vegetable in stores.
“I also hit some notes of feeding families because fresh vegetables and produce are one of the most expensive things that you can get for your dinner table and we are going to have some community planting beds that will be home to fresh fruits and vegetables,” Moody said. “We’re really excited about that and hoping that the community will come together just as they have with the planters to reap the rewards and take some home with them.” While there is already a mural at the locations of the Farmers Market Park, a new one will be painted showcasing the local agricultural community. Moody said there will also be a portion of the mural that will be a chalk board for people to add their own art to the mural.
“The mural will paint a picture of our agricultural community. This is something I was very passionate about because as the farmers market, which we’ve never been able to have a real, successful, vibrant, growing farmers market,” Moody said. “We just don’t grow enough edible commodities here. We grow cotton. We grow sunflowers. We grow grapes. We grow those things that don’t necessarily go on your dinner table and there’s nothing wrong with that, but it doesn’t make for a very successful farmers market that supports and sustains week in and week out. We’re trying to play to our strengths, so the mural will be of all of those ag industries that we are strong in this community and this county.”
Moody said the park will also include water, electricity, more lighting and a stage for events and gatherings.
“We will have a little stage in the corner for musicians that want to have an impromptu concert or an event that we might have in that little park,” Moody said. “Maybe for a birthday party, somebody wants to go over there and they want access to be able to play some music or have some announcements.”
The Farmers Market Park will include water features that can also be used as splash pads as well as free Wi-Fi installed in the later phases of the project.
“We are also going to have some water features there that will double. Our concept is they will be splash pads during the hot months and they will be fountains at night for people that would like to come and sit and enjoy and they will be lighted at night,” Moody said. “We’re not talking about something huge. We’re talking about some small water features that kids can get wet, enjoy and cool off.”
Moody is continuing the farmers market theme by locating farm style playground equipment to install. The park will also have addition lighting installed, a fence and a bicycle track on the perimeter inside of the fence.
Moody is anticipating contributing the $30,000 raised at the most recent Sip-and-Swirl towards the cost of the project as well as finding more funding through local avenues and grants.
“I’m going to present to my board at the next board meeting to recommend that we use the proceeds from this year’s Sipand- Swirl to also add to that, which would get us up to $80,000,” Moody said. “I’m also planning on presenting to City Council and seeing if there might be some money that we could earmark to also match some of that from the from the city’s budget and then I also have a couple other grants that I’m applying for as well.”
Moody understands the communities love for the previously held farmers market but believes the park will be able to remind people of what used to be there while growing downtown Levelland.
“ I know the farmers market was a big deal to some people, but it just wasn’t a big deal to enough people because one, we didn’t have very many vendors that would come out and support the farmers market and we didn’t have very many people that would come out and support the farmers market,” Moody said. “So, rather than look at this as a lost opportunity, I hope we’ll look at this as a great opportunity to transform something that just wasn’t the right fit for our community into something that will be a great fit for all of our community. I hope that it being in downtown will make a park more accessible to those neighborhoods that reside around downtown as well.”