May 12, 2026 By Conner Goetz 2 min read

Washington City Council approved motions regarding grants that will finance two maintenance projects during its meeting last week.

If awarded, the grants will resurface the 10 tennis and pickleball courts to modern playing standard and overhaul the frontage of Washington City Hall.

The first motion Thursday reallocated $270,000 of previously awarded Redevelopment Authority of the County of Washington funding to satisfy a required local commitment match for a $770,000 Department of Community and Economic Development Greenways, Trails, and Recreation Program grant.

According to City Administrator Rich Cleveland, work on the courts will begin sometime in spring 2027, depending on how soon the city receives a final decision on grant application and bid timeline.

Cleveland said the work will be scheduled to offer the least disruption possible to public use of the courts.

The second motion approved a $25,000 grant application to the Washington County Tourism Promotion Agency to redo the landscaping in front of the City Hall building on West Maiden Street and install a new flagpole.

According to Cleveland, the current design of the small patch of brushes surrounding the flagpole is too difficult to trim consistently, so council is interested in pursuing a lower-maintenance alternative.

The current flagpole requires periodic repainting to prevent rust, Cleveland said, which has also been difficult to maintain with regularity.

Cleveland said the new flagpole will be made of metal and will not require paint to preserve the exterior surface.

According to Cleveland, the city should receive a decision about the grant soon, with work to ideally begin by June, although some planting of the new front may have to wait until fall due to potential inclement weather.