Making sure communities have access to green spaces with quality equipment is the reason for recent park and outdoor improvements by the city of Chattanooga, according to a news release from Mayor Tim Kelly's office.
The new equipment includes 60 dog waste stations, 29 benches and 60 barbecue grills.
Budget savings totalling $500,000 derived from "lean operations" and "one-time staff vacancies" are being put toward work on these public areas across nine districts, the release said.
"Chattanooga's outdoor resources are our city's greatest competitive advantage, and as mayor, I will continue to invest in green spaces to ensure that every neighborhood has access to a high-quality park that will increase our quality of life," Kelly said in a statement. "I'm particularly impressed that our new Parks and Outdoors Department was able to make these investments from cost savings as we work to be good stewards of our residents' trust and resources."
The city's design team began gathering potential projects in April, and some are already installed now or are in the works, with a goal for all of them to be completed by the end of 2022. No new public dollars were used in the course of the projects, the release said.
Specific project improvements and locations are:
- Williams Island Boat Docks: new replacement docks for the only urban camping site on the Tennessee RiverLine in Chattanooga, supporting it's recent designation as a Tennessee RiverTown.
- Lookout Valley Park (District 1): new playground and swingset.
- Frances B Wyatt Park (District 2): new playground and swingset.
- Hixson Park (District 3): new playground.
- Greenway Farm Park (District 3): new picnic tables for the deck at the recently-opened
conference center and a family-sized barbecue grill.
- Jack Benson Heritage Park (District 4): new grills, picnic tables and benches.
- Sterchi Farm Park (District 5): new picnic tables for the recently reopened and renovated park.
- Shepherd Park (District 6): new shade structures at seating around the playground.
- Harris Johnson Park (District 7): eight new pieces of fitness equipment, new playground and new border for the playground surface.
- Pringle Park (District 7): new playground.
- Caruthers Park (District 7): new pavilion.
- Church Street Park (District 7): new swing and pavilion.
- Ted Bryant Park (District 8): new playground and swingset.
- Watkins Park (District 9): new playground.
- Compiled by Brandi Dixon