VIDALIA — City of Vidalia officials are hoping residents can get active and provide feedback on ways to keep the future city park on the move.

The Vidalia Board of Aldermen will have a hearing to seek public input on the city park during its regular monthly meeting tonight at 6.

The Dr. William T. Polk City Park, located on 25 acres of land to the west of the new municipal complex on U.S. 84, is currently in the final stages of phase one construction.

Funding for the city park project comes from matching grants from the Department of Interior in the amount of $250,000 for each phase.

Vidalia will pay $250,000 to match Department of Interior funds.

The park is currently operating under a five-phase, five-year plan, bringing the approximate cost of the new park to $2.5 million.

Phase one includes three basketball courts, tennis court lighting, shelter and restrooms and overall utility work.

Phase two construction includes a fishing pond with amenities and a spray ground fountain area.

Phases three and four include a playground area, gazebo with stone fireplace, walking trail, disc golf course and other amenities.

Phase five is being left open for future projects or projects from previous phases that couldn’t be constructed within the budget.

Grant coordinator Teresa Dennis said the city has already applied for phase two funding and is awaiting response to begin construction.

In order to begin the pre-application process for phase three funding, Dennis said the city is seeking public input on those phase projects and the park as a whole.

“We just want input from the people that will be using the park to see what they think,” Dennis said. “We know that this community wants to play ball, but what do these parents and their kids want to see at the park?”

Each phase of construction is slated to take approximately 10 months to complete.

Mayor Hyram Copeland said he is looking forward to hearing what residents of Vidalia want from their future park.

“We’re always looking for input from the citizens of Vidalia,” Copeland said. “We want to listen to the citizens, see what they have to say and take their recommendations into account.”

While the park is separate from the new recreation complex on the other side of the municipal complex, Copeland said both areas will play a large role in the further development of the city.

“What this is doing is generating more recreational opportunities for our young people and all of our citizens,” Copeland said. “The end result is that we’ll be able to say we have 85 acres of recreation available, and that’s a big selling point for us.”

Completion of the park is estimated for 2016.