Look for Columbia’s city council to vote Monday evening on a bill that would authorize Parks and Recreation to submit a grant application to the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for improvements at the Rainbow Softball Center on the Business Loop.
The issue is listed on the council’s consent agenda, so passage is expected. The council’s two-page packet says DNR’s Land and Water Conservation fund grants provide up to $500,000 in funding and would require at least a 50 percent match. Columbia Parks and Recreation says it would cost $1.2 million to replace all the sports field lighting at Rainbow, as well as replacing the concrete seating areas at each field.
Columbia officials have identified $750,000 from the voter-approved 2021 park sales tax to be the grant match. The Missouri Amateur Softball Association honored Rainbow as the 2000 facility of the year.
Tonight’s council meeting starts at 7 at city hall.
