Knox County parks and rec master plan opens doors for improvements, funding opportunities

Knox County residents who have to get in the car to enjoy their parks might see some relief soon. Thanks to the Knox County Parks and Recreation Department's new master plan, greenways can be extended and see some needed repairs.

It's the first time in 13 years the county has updated its systemwide parks and recreation plan, a roadmap for the department's future endeavors, including applying for state grants and improving existing parks based on public feedback. With an updated plan, Knox County is eligible for state grants it otherwise would not have been.

The master plan is in conjunction with Advance Knox, the county's initiative to guide explosive growth for the next 20 years, Joseph Mack, senior director of Parks and Recreation, told Knox News.

"The key to this whole thing is public input," Mack said. "The real emphasis where we're going to focus our attention is on the feedback we got from the public."

The department started seeking public comment in late 2022. Mack admitted it took longer than expected, but he's thankful for the thoroughness.

"It took some time, but I think it's good that it took as long as it did because we wanted to make sure that we engaged the public as much as possible," Mack said. "We wanted to make sure we captured everything we have in our parks system."

Knox County residents want more greenways

So what did that input yield? Knox County residents enjoy using the county's system of greenways.

The county has eight paved greenways that connect libraries, parks and schools. A team of county leaders identified greenway work as a strength and a source of opportunity.

Mack said people want greenways to become even more connected. The ultimate goal will be for people to avoid getting in cars to enjoy parks.

"I think the transportation plan will play a major role in satisfying the requests of constituents with regards to the distance they have to travel in order to get to a park," he said.

The master plan exposed the desire for more connectivity, and Advance Knox will help the department target ideal locations for greenways, Mack said. In its findings, Advance Knox outlined exactly which greenways participants care about.

Knox County parks plan already has impact

Though the master plan was approved by the Knox County Commission Dec. 18, Mack and his team already have started making improvements.

One of the weaknesses identified in the plan is ADA accessibility. Out of the 45 facilities analyzed, accessibility was included in the scope of improvement for 13 of them.

"Part of the plan was that we wanted to make recreation and getting outdoors (available to everyone)," Mack said.

Accessible playgrounds are being built at Melton Hill Park and Hardin Valley Community Park, as well as ADA-compliant kayak launches at multiple parks and an intergenerational playground at Beverly Park.

"The idea behind an intergenerational playground is that everyone has an opportunity to play," Mack said. "There's also some physical therapy aspects to it for our senior folks."

According to the Legacy Parks Foundation, the intergenerational playground features therapeutic, rehabilitative, nature and play activities for all abilities and ages.

"Benches and a walking Storybook trail feature will be added to the loop, encouraging users to walk the loop to read the story – an ideal intergenerational activity," Legacy Parks' website says.

The most immediate impact will be a slight increase in fees at some facilities to pay for improvements. The biggest increase is $25, to use open space for an event, but most increases are between $5 and $10.

Having a master plan can lead to more dollars

Besides laying out improvements to existing facilities, having an updated master plan allows the county to apply for state-funded grants that require a plan from within five years.

Mack told Knox News that state requirement is recent, but he "wanted to make sure (they) got out in front of it."

He also said the master plan provides justification for his departments' asks for the 2024-25 budget. The department got all the funding it requested in 2023, but it's good to have that extra evidence.

"We refer to the plan and say, 'These are the things that we found when we were doing the master plan that we need to address.' ... When we go and submit our budget request, we list in the justification section (that) this (improvement) was identified in the parks master plan."

Allie Feinberg reports on politics for Knox News. Email her: allie.feinberg@knoxnews.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @alliefeinberg.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knox County parks will benefit from a new and improved master plan