Chattanooga is seeking 15 residents to serve on the newly created Parks and Outdoors Advisory Committee, which will provide input on planning, programming and improving engagement with the community.
Six appointments will be made by Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly and one from each of the nine Chattanooga City Council districts. The panel will begin meeting monthly in November. Members must be residents of Chattanooga, and at least one must be under the age of 21, which is part of an effort to engage younger people in the planning process.
Those interested in a position can apply online at cha.city/boards.
The committee will enable residents from different City Council districts to provide their input on:
— Park maintenance and planning.
— Programming, fee structures and expanding access to parks and outdoor resources.
— Improving the park system’s ability to identify and engage partners, donors and community leaders and to earn national certifications.
(READ MORE: Chattanooga plans to add hundreds of acres of new park space in coming decades)
In June, the City Council unanimously approved a new parks and outdoors plan, the first in 25 years, that aims to improve facility maintenance and create dozens of miles of new greenway trails and hundreds of acres of new parks during the coming decades.
A third of the city’s population lives within a 10-minute walk (or a 15-minute bike ride for those living in the suburbs) of a park or trail, according to city officials.
Chattanooga has about 8 acres of park space per 1,000 residents, short of the national average of 10.4. To bridge that gap, the city would need to add 443 acres today and 1,222 acres by 2050, a number that accounts for population growth.
(READ MORE: Chattanooga may form 15-member parks advisory board)
— Compiled by David Floyd