Chris McCrackin, of Water Works Atlanta, uses an excavator to clear the spot where the future pool will sit at the Southeast Cleveland Recreation Center on Church Street in Cleveland, Tenn. The previous pool had become a safety hazard and the race is now on to finish the new pool by summer.CLEVELAND, Tenn. - A lot of work is going on now so kids and adults have places to play in Cleveland this summer.
All four current recreation-related projects have a goal of being ready by June, said Patti Pettit, director of city parks and recreation.
At the South Cleveland Recreation Center a new pool is being installed to replace one that had been around for decades and had become unsafe for workers around its electrical filtration system. Late last year, city officials decided not to open the pool this spring without major repairs. But the City Council decided it made more economic sense to spend a little more for a new pool.
The new pool is funded with sales tax revenue from an increase approved two years ago by city voters. A splash pad is being paid for with federal money tagged for low- to moderate-income neighborhoods.
Meanwhile, on the north end of town, construction continues on a handicap-accessible playground and restrooms at Tinsley Park. The city received a $110,000 grant and matched that amount to pay for the park work.
A portion of the Cleveland/Bradley Greenway along Mouse Creek also is being completed through Tinsley Park. When the section is finished, the greenway will have a continuous four-mile walk from Seminole Drive beside the Home Depot south to Willow Street.
The greenway work is 80 percent funded by a Tennessee Department of Transportation grant, with the rest coming from local funds.
"They will asphalt that part of the greenway, because older people who walk that part were concerned by concrete," Pettit said.
"There is a study that says a heart attack costs about a million dollars to the person and the public," said Maurice Saliba, a Cleveland Middle School parent and fitness professional. "Also, Type 2 diabetes used to be in people in their mid-30s to -40s. Now it's a problem for young children."
Also, the city-owned Waterville Golf Course is being rebuilt to include 18 holes again. Last summer half the golf course closed because Dalton Pike, which cuts across the course, was being widened.
Sod likely will be installed next month, getting the back nine holes ready for play again. One pedestrian tunnel is finished beneath Dalton Pike, allowing golfers safe passage.
A tornado-damaged rest room is being rebuilt with Federal Emergency Management Agency money. The rest is done locally with funds for right-of-way for the highway.