In an effort to increase park usage and improve the experience for residents, officials with the city of Soddy-Daisy have implemented work to the South Park in Veterans Park, most of which is now complete.
City Manager Burt Johnson said in a phone interview that the area originally built in the 1980s was long overdue for some improvements.
"The park was originally built in several phases over a long period of time, and the South Park had not had any attention in quite a while," Johnson said, adding that more phases are coming this fiscal year pending some architect renderings.
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Enhancements that have already been completed are improved basketball, tennis and pickle courts. Johnson said the tennis courts in particular should be much better now as workers installed a retaining wall to help prevent flooding that had previously been an issue after heavy rain.
New fencing has also gone up around the area as a whole, with emphasis on those for ballfields and the dog park, the latter of which also received new trees, benches and a water spigot.
Johnson added that the Soddy-Daisy Public Works Department played a major role in the renovations by removing the old fencing and asphalt, doing grade work, building the retaining wall for the tennis courts and handling the new concrete for the walking paths.
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"It's a great honor to be a part of the beautification of Veterans Park, South Park and the surrounding area as this has been needed for some time," Soddy-Daisy Vice Mayor Robert Cothran said in a news release announcing the park upgrades. "It is great to see our parks being used by our citizens and being able to be used. I hope in the future we will be able to do more, and they will be used even more."
Still to come this fiscal year, according to Johnson, is a new concession stand at the ballfields, which he estimates will be a $150,000 project. City officials are awaiting architect renderings, Johnson said, and once they receive the plans, they'll begin seeking bids from contractors. The city also plans to apply for funding through Tennessee's Local Parks and Recreation Fund Grants to purchase and install new poles and lighting for the park in the near future, according to a news release.
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To learn more about the South Park and its facilities, contact Soddy-Daisy City Hall at 423-332-5323 or visit Facebook @SoddyDaisy.
Email Brandi Dixon at bdixon@timesfreepress.com.