BATON ROUGE — Mayor-President Sid Edwards' Office announced it is offering $200,000 in grants to beautify the Scotlandville Gateway at the intersection of Harding Boulevard and I-110.

Edwards invited nonprofit organizations, arts and cultural groups, artist teams, design professionals and other qualified entities to apply.

"We are inviting Baton Rouge's talented and creative people to transform and beautify this major corridor that is seen by thousands of citizens and visitors every day," said Edwards. Nonprofit organizations, arts and cultural groups, artist teams, design professionals and other qualified entities are encouraged to apply. 

Applications open Friday and must be submitted by Aug. 21.

The Scotlandville Gateway Beautification Initiative focuses on the area near Veterans Memorial Boulevard, Harding Boulevard, I-110, the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport and the Scotlandville Parkway. The corridor serves as a prominent entrance into Baton Rouge for residents, visitors, travelers, students and businesses.

"When you leave the airport, and all you see is our Juvenile Jail, when you make the left, you know to get on the interstate, for me, that's tough, I think our babies sitting in Juvenile should see something beautiful on the other side of that fence, to say when I leave this place, I am not coming back. I think you deserve to see something special before you get on the interstate," Director of the Office of Community Development at the City of Baton Rouge, Kelly LeDuff said. 

Grants will fund several improvements that the mayor's office projects will be completed by January 2027, including lighting enhancements, a family-friendly play space near an existing park, a gazebo, a picnic area and a cleaning and restriping of three existing courts for tennis and pickleball use.

Additional improvements include a decorative fence wrap along the basketball and tennis courts, public art enhancements such as murals on the basketball court, pedestrian walkways and interstate pilings along Harding Boulevard and a permanent gateway mural structure designed to serve as a prominent entrance feature and future mural canvas.

Proposed artwork and design elements will celebrate the culture, history, character and resilience of the Scotlandville and Southern University communities.

Funding comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grant Program, the mayor's office said. Selected applicants will have to comply with applicable federal, state and local requirements.

A panel of professionals will score the applications and recommend funding based on qualifications, credentials, certifications, experience and the quality of past projects.

 "A lot of people ask we need to bring back the vibrancy of Scotlandville, so this Scotlandville Gateway, the Gateway for Baton Rouge, is another great example, investment, for the mayors office, my office, to ensure that when people come to Scotlandville, when people drive into Baton Rouge, Scotlandville is one of the first examples of what Baton Rouge has to offer," East Baton Rouge Metro Councilman Anthony Kenney, Jr. said. 

Written questions about the funding opportunity must be submitted to OCD@brla.gov no later than 12 p.m. on July 31. Responses are scheduled to be published by 5 p.m. on Aug. 4.