Grundy County is building a new public facility that is believed to contain the largest inclusive playground in Tennessee, Miracle on the Mountain Play Outside Park.
“We stand on the foundation of a dream,” Grundy County Mayor Michael Brady told a crowd gathered at the construction site in the town of Coalmont on Thursday.
Brady recognized the long-range goal of the group Mom and Pop — which takes its name from Miracle on the Mountain and Play Outside Park — in reaching the groundbreaking milestone on the project.
In a phone interview, Brady said the county’s special needs children have few recreational opportunities, and a recent study showed there were at least 4,600 children within a 30-mile radius of Grundy County with special needs who could enjoy an all-inclusive park with their friends and family. The facility will offer a high level of access under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The park, playground and nearly all its features will be constructed at the same level so wheelchairs can access them as easily as anyone else, said Adam Walton, Middle Tennessee play consultant for Cookeville, Tennessee-based design firm Recreational Concepts. Brady and the Grundy County Commission wanted a park anyone with any disability can use, Walton said, and the county-themed concept makes the park unique. The company was responsible for the design of the playground and splash pad.
“There’s components like the ‘We-Go-Swing,'” Walton said in a phone interview. “They can stay in their chair, roll up there or be rolled up there, and then they can swing together with their friends and their family. And then similarly, there’s another piece called a ‘We-Go-Round.’ It’s a merry-go-round — same idea — they can stay in their chair, roll into this thing. It’s a big merry-go-round, and then they can get in there and spin around with all their friends.”
Walton said a splash pad at the park will be one of the largest in the state. Waterproof wheelchairs will be available to those who need them.
Inclusion and ease of use are the primary goals.
“Inclusivity is not just about them being able to roll onto something,” Walton said. “It’s about them being included, really included, and it’s about playing together.”
Another feature, which does require a transfer from a wheelchair, is a zip line that has an inclusive seat that provides a ride through the Grundy County-shaped park, he said.
“They can feel like they’re flying through Grundy County on this zip line, which is really cool,” Walton said. “There’s an inclusive structure that looks like the county courthouse. That structure is wheelchair accessible with ramps on the back side.
“When this project started, I guess 10, 12 years ago, they wanted it to reflect the history of Grundy County,” Walton said, “so if you were to look from a bird’s eye view, it’s actually in the shape of Grundy County and everything we designed with the mayor, all the different play structures, reflect the different parts of the county.”
The county-shaped park recalls features of the communities on the “map” and shows off the county’s hiking trails, off-road vehicle trails, the Caverns music venue in Pelham, along with a Swiss-themed home that pays homage to the town of Gruetli-Laager‘s history, Walton said. The swing will have a Swiss carriage design with horses on the front.
“It’s really, really incredible what the mayor’s vision was and marrying this history and legacy of Grundy County, making it an inclusive playground the likes of which we just haven’t seen anything like that in the state,” Walton said. “You know, there’s a lot of inclusive playgrounds, but none of them to this level and none of them to this customization of theming and celebrating the rich history of Grundy County.”
Matt Griffith, Grundy County’s emergency management director and administrator of the incoming park’s Facebook page, credited Brady with keeping the faith through the years.
“He is so passionate about the citizens of Grundy County,” Griffith said in a social media message. “I have seen first hand the long hours and around-the-clock work he has done to make Grundy County better. I know he won’t say much about himself, but he is a go-getter.”
In a phone interview, Brady said the park project was something he felt called to do.
“Back in 2012, Audrey Nunley and her husband had contacted me about an idea and a need that they had,” Brady said. “Their child had a disability. There were a lot of children in Grundy County that had a disability, and they were having to travel great distances to have any recreation for their children.”
Brady was a county commissioner at the time.
“They formed a group called the Mom and Pop Miracle on the Mountain Play Outside Park,” he said. “They tried so hard to get money. We even applied for grants on their behalf, and it was just a really hard thing for them to do.
“During that time, she was diagnosed with cancer, and she succumbed to her disease,” Brady said.
The idea idled until Brady felt he’d been directed to take action.
“The truth is, the Lord had laid a burden on my heart for our youth, and it was something I could not figure it out,” Brady said. “I was driving by North Elementary, and I saw a young girl in a wheelchair and she was having a ball playing with her friends on that walking trail, and the Lord was like, ‘This is it.’
“A lot of folks thought I was crazy and everything, but you know, it’s amazing thing to see the Lord at work,” he said. “I think he doesn’t do anything haphazardly. I think it’s for a purpose. And we knew it was going to be tough. I have lived and breathed this for two years.”
Meanwhile, the county and supporters began to collect funds to get the project started, Brady said. Then, county leaders wanted something special, so the idea grew.
“For once, we did not want to have to settle,” he said. “We want it to be one of the safest places on the planet, so we’re giving a great deal of attention to the safety and security of the location.”
As the idea grew, so did the work and responsibility, Brady said. The cost estimate is $6.2 million, and the project hasn’t been fully funded.
(READ MORE: All abilities park approved for Walker County)
“We kept pressing forward, and now, we’re breaking ground,” he said. “We’re getting closer and closer to getting all the funding. We don’t have all the funding, but we are going on faith that we are going to get that. You know, it’s in God’s timing.”
When completed, the park and its features should draw lots of attention, according to Brady.
“It is the only splash pad in the state of Tennessee that has LED lighting,” he said. “So on those hot summer nights that we have at night and, let’s say it’s the Fourth of July, those sprays are going to be spraying up red, white and blue. If the Tennessee Vols win the National Championship, we’re going to be shooting up orange.”
A timeline for milestones in the project hasn’t been developed yet, but work will start immediately, and completion is set for May 25, 2026, Kimley-Horn architect Alisha Eley said in a text message.
Brady said the project has room for more volunteers and needs more financial support.
“We’re still searching for funds,” he said. “If anybody wishes to make a donation for this or would like to see how they can be a part of it, just call the mayor’s office, 931-692-3718.”
Contact Ben Benton at bbenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6569.