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East Brainerd’s Heritage Park renamed for former councilman Jack Benson

Brenda Mayer enjoys the fall weather and has a picnic with her children Carli, 6, and Mason, 4, while at Heritage Park on Tuesday, October 18, 2016.
Brenda Mayer enjoys the fall weather and has a picnic with her children Carli, 6, and Mason, 4, while at Heritage Park on Tuesday, October 18, 2016. Brenda Mayer enjoys the fall weather and has a picnic with her children Carli, 6, and Mason, 4, while at Heritage Park on Tuesday, October 18, 2016.

By Paul Leach 2 min read

The Chattanooga City Council has renamed East Brainerd’s Heritage Park in honor of three-term former District 4 councilman Jack Benson.

photo Jack Benson

In early December, former Chattanooga mayor Ron Littlefield and a host of Benson’s family and friends asked the council to rename it Jack Benson Heritage Park in time for the second anniversary of Benson’s death on Jan. 15. Thirteen former council members, including Littlefield, signed a petition supporting the park’s renaming.

Benson, in conjunction with the Friends of East Brainerd, championed the opening of the 22-acre park, located at 1428 Jenkins Road, in 2003. He supported key park amenities, including the renovation of the antebellum-style Heritage House, the construction of a gazebo and the creation of an off-leash dog park.

On Tuesday evening, the council voted 8-0 in favor of the measure, with District 4 Councilman Larry Grohn abstaining.

“To name it for him is, to me, the most appropriate thing that the council could do tonight,” Littlefield said after the vote, describing the park as Benson’s “baby, his sweetheart.”