As more families flock to the eastern part of Hamilton County, the county's Parks and Recreation Department is working to make sure the area's three parks are up to par.
Over the next five years, Standifer Gap Park, East Hamilton County Park and Apison Park will see much-needed renovations as part of an ongoing countywide initiative to improve the 16 parks maintained by the county.
County Parks and Recreation Director Tom Lamb said improvements for the parks in the White Oak Mountain Area - which includes Apison, Collegedale, East Brainerd and Summit - would be especially important, as it is expected to receive 32 percent of the coming housing demand.
"We need to start planning ahead now as to how we're going to be able to meet those demands for recreation and open space for then, too," he said.
The tennis courts at Standifer Gap Park and Recreation Center are seen in 2015, after recently being refinished.No funds have yet been committed for renovations at any of the three parks. The projects have simply been scheduled, and the department will move forward so long as the item is approved on its capital budget at the start of each fiscal year, which begins July 1, said Lamb. Likewise, projects could take place sooner should grants or alternative funding sources present themselves, he added.
Standifer Gap Park
The county's Parks and Recreation Department has already begun addressing some of the improvements residents near Standifer Gap Road requested for their local park late last year.
Since meeting with community members in November, the county has repaired the park's slide, which had a hole that made it a safety hazard, and replaced its swing set.
In fiscal year 2019, Lamb said the department plans to continue the renovation by allocating funds from its capital budget toward repairing the park's basketball court, which was permanently closed about 10 years ago to put an end to the suspected drug dealing and fighting that took place there.
Upon the community's request, the department plans to add shaded structures or a picnic shelter to the park's list of amenities in fiscal year 2020, and in fiscal year 2021, the department plans to allocate funds toward resurfacing the aged walking path and tennis court on the property.
Though no timetable was given, Lamb said the lights that illuminate the tennis court and athletic field will also need to be updated and replaced. He estimated that all the work needed for Standifer Gap Park would cost a total of $125,000.
East Hamilton County Park
Lamb said East Hamilton County Park is in desperate need of a paved parking lot.
A hot spot for baseball and softball tournaments, the park often draws thousands of players and spectators, making it all the more urgent that its large gravel parking lot be replaced, said Lamb. Aside from wear due to foot traffic, the lot gets washed out during large-scale weather events.
"So it's not really a sustainable model," he explained. "What they really need is something that is a little bit more permanent that's easier to get along with and is not going to have any problems with weather."
Additionally, the park is in need of lights at two of its playing fields. All of the projects, which Lamb said are tentatively scheduled to take place in phases during fiscal years 2019 and 2020, are expected to cost approximately $250,000.
Apison Park
The county is looking to get more community input before scheduling improvements for Apison Park, Lamb said.
The Parks and Recreation Department has been working with the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Agency to gauge what residents in the White Oak Planning Area are looking for in regards to recreation, but Lamb said county parks officials have been paying particularly close attention to feedback from Apison, as the area's new volunteer fire station was partially built on land formerly intended to be a ball field.
"Before we make decisions as to what we need to add or how we may need to change that we want to make sure that we've reached out and gotten as much input from the community as possible," he said. "We appreciate everyone's interest and want to make sure we can meet the needs of the community."
RPA officials held their last public input session for Apison in July and will keep residents updated on future feedback-gathering meetings. Visit chcrpa.org for updates.
Email Myron Madden at mmadden@timesfreepress.com.