HARTSHORNE, OK – The City of Hartshorne and Choctaw Nation celebrated their successful partnership with an inauguration of the newly added splash pad in the city park. Hartshorne was awarded a Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) grant, and also raised funds from local donors to improve their park. The Choctaw Nation Development Fund matched those funds, awarding Hartshorne $105,381 in February.
Funds were used to add a small splash pad and fencing. This is the second time the Choctaw Nation Development Fund has donated money to upgrade the park. In 2020, Hartshorne was awarded $25,417 to purchase playground equipment. The most recent project is near completion.
“It’s so exciting to have recreation, not just for the city of Hartshorne, but for everyone in this area,” said Hartshorne Mayor Ashley Faulkner. “[People in the community are] used to driving 15 to 20 minutes to get to anything like this, so this is exciting. We wouldn’t have been able to do it without the Choctaw Nation Development Fund. They also helped with the playground equipment previously, so they’ve truly helped with every aspect of this park. We are definitely moving in a positive direction with a lot more improvements to come, and we couldn’t do it without the Choctaw Nation.”
