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Chattanooga may form 15-member parks advisory board

Staff photo by Matt Hamilton/ Sam McKay, 7, left, chases Neel Pasricha, 6, as they play “Pac-Man” during the final week of the Wilderwood Summer camp on Aug. 9 in Montague Park. The city is moving forward with creating a parks board.
Staff photo by Matt Hamilton/ Sam McKay, 7, left, chases Neel Pasricha, 6, as they play “Pac-Man” during the final week of the Wilderwood Summer camp on Aug. 9 in Montague Park. The city is moving forward with creating a parks board. Staff photo by Matt Hamilton/ Sam McKay, 7, left, chases Neel Pasricha, 6, as they play “Pac-Man” during the final week of the Wilderwood Summer camp on Aug. 9 in Montague Park. The city is moving forward with creating a parks board.

By David Floyd 5 min read


City officials may create a 15-member advisory panel to guide their efforts to boost the amount of park space in Chattanooga.

In June, the City Council unanimously approved a new parks and outdoors plan — the first in 25 years — that aims to create dozens of miles of new greenway trails and hundreds of acres of new parks during the coming decades.

The new Chattanooga Parks and Outdoors Advisory Commission would make recommendations about policies, rules, maintenance, operation and fees.

“It’s just good governance,” Scott Martin, administrator of the city’s Department of Parks and Outdoors, said in a phone call. “We get … maybe 10 minutes in front of council if I’m lucky on a park item. This gives us a group of residents who are engaged and can really dig into some pretty heavy-duty stuff for how we shape the city.”