Parks and Recreation

Accomplishments and Initiatives

greenwaysAccomplishments and Highlights: 1999-2007

  • Thirty-two miles of new greenway added to the Metro Parks system
  • Seventy-six new playgrounds built at parks and schools with 18 more in progress.
  • Construction of 10 new nature and community centers as well as a new youth sports complex, and a skate park.
  • Park Police staffing has increased nearly 50%
  • Centennial Park became Metro’s first wireless park, allowing patrons to connect to the internet on their laptops, PDAs, and other wireless internet devices.

spraygroundParks and Greenways Master Plan

Completed in 2002, the Master Plan for Nashville’s parks and greenways is a comprehensive blueprint for the development of the city’s parks and recreational resources over the next 20 years. Developed with extensive public input from across the city, the plan not only assesses Metro’s existing parks and facilities and makes recommendations on their development, but also serves as a catalyst for protecting important natural resources and valuable open space throughout Davidson county.

Highlights of the Master Plan’s proposals include:

  • Acquiring nearly 2,000 acres of new parklands.
  • Sets a goal that most Nashvillians be within one-half mile of a park and that all residents be within two miles of a greenway.
  • Creating nearly 200 miles of greenway trails to link parks, neighborhoods, and schools.
  • Construction of new regional community centers.
  • Providing playgrounds at all Metro elementary schools and creating adjacent “community campuses” to increase public recreation space.
  • Expanding environmental, teen, and cultural programming.

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1999-2007 METRO PARKS ACCOMPLISHMENTS

In 2001, the city’s park system celebrated its 100 year anniversary. To commemorate the event, Mayor Bill Purcell initiated the development of a Master Plan for the city’s parks and greenways. The plan, which comprehensively documented existing park and recreational resources and facilities, is not only the roadmap for future development of the parks system, but the main catalyst for protecting important natural resources and valuable open space throughout the county. Comprehensive in its approach, the Master Plan documented and accessed existing park and recreational resources, identified under-served areas, and aggressively solicited input and involvement from the entire city, which resulted in more than a dozen public meetings and over 1,000 comments from residents.

The Master Plan proposed acquisition of nearly 2,000 acres of new parklands, expansion of cultural programs, new regional facilities, and improvements that will impact every Metro park within Nashville/Davidson County. A major goal of the plan is to make sure the majority of the population is within one-half mile of a park and for all residents to be within two miles of a greenway. Additional highlights of the plan included: building a skate park; constructing new regional community centers at Hadley, East, Richland, Coleman, Sevier Parks; revitalizing the partnership with Metro Schools by providing playgrounds at all elementary schools and creating adjacent “community campuses” to increase public recreation space; expanding environmental, teen, and cultural programming; building nearly 200 miles of greenway trails to link parks, neighborhoods and schools; and making significant enhancement to Wave Country, the city’s popular wave-action pool.

Also in 2001, after almost a decade of fences and exterior repairs, the Metro Board of Parks and Recreation officially unveiled the newly restored Parthenon. The $12 million renovation ensured Nashville’s historic landmark will continue to serve as a Tennessee icon for future generations. The celebration also marked the 100-year anniversary of Nashville’s park system.

In 2002, Mayor Purcell recommended and Council approved funding of $34 million to improve and add new parks and facilities to our system. It was the largest appropriation in the history of the department and an important step in building a world-class park system. Funds were earmarked for building the city’s first state-of-the-art community center at Hadley Park.

Second year funding, in September 2004, totaled more than $27 million and included appropriations for:

  • new community centers at Parkwood and McFerrin Parks, totaling $2 million each;
  • atotal of $5 million for a recreation center at East Park;
  • $2.5 million for a new youth sports complex, including, multiple soccer and athletic fields near the Metro Nashville Airport;
  • $500,000 for continued improvements at the Harpeth and Heartland soccer fields;
  • $1 million to develop Peeler Park in Madison;
  • an additional $750,000 for continued enhancements at Wave Country;
  • more than $1.6 million for additional Elementary School/Park Playgrounds to serve areas of the county underserved by Metro Park facilities;
  • $1.7 million for expansion of several greenways, including Downtown, Mill Creek, and Harpeth River, and$3 million for deferred maintenance of existing facilities.

Metro’s Park Board also approved in 2004 more than $23 million in park projects, which appropriated $2.3 million for two new parks in Antioch; $5.5 million for the Public Square at the Metro Courthouse, as well as $6.5 million for new recreation and community centers in East Nashville. It also provided more than $3 million for maintenance needs.

WATKINS & KIRKPATRICK PARK SPRAYGROUNDS

The water spraygrounds were identified in the Master Plan for Parks and Greenways as a much needed recreational resource for areas with limited aquatic options. The facilities, designed for the neighborhood, are free and open to the public. The spraygrounds are not a swimming pool, but rather a water playground consisting of a cluster of spray features surrounded by a playing surface. The system is automated and is activated by users touching a bollard which begins a computerized water sequence.

TWO RIVERS CLUBHOUSE

The new Two Rivers Clubhouse opened to the public in June 2005. The 11,408 square foot facility includes a Pro Shop, concessions area, men's and women's lounges, a cart facility, and office space.

WIRELESS IN CENTENNIAL PARK

Centennial Park is Metro’s first wireless internet park. Wi-Fi will allow park patrons to use wireless laptops, PDAs, and other internet-enabled devices. The city’s current bandwidth provides 15 Mbps synchronous connection to the Internet and broadcasts at 802.11a, b and g. Metro’s Mbps will increase to 45 in the future.

PARK/SCHOOL PLAYGROUNDS

The Master Plan also recommended that the department provide new playgrounds at all elementary schools, beginning in areas of the county that are not well served by Metro parkland. To date, 41 new playgrounds have been built at elementary schools and 43 have been built or updated in local parks.

CENTENNIAL, SHELBY & WARNER DOG PARKS

Metro Parks has opened three dog parks and is working to identify ways to meet the additional demands of a growing population.

BELLS BEND

In 2004, a $35,000 grant from the American Planning Association’s City Parks Forum gave the department the green light to start a master plan for Bell’s Bend Park, an 808-acre tract of land located along the northwest corridor of the Cumberland River. Identified as a possible landfill in the early 1990’s, Mayor Bill Purcell chose to preserve this undeveloped property along the Cumberland River in fall 2001.

BEAMAN PARK

In 2005, the department officially welcomed the public to celebrate the opening of Beaman Park. More than 500 people attended the event. Approximately $1.5 million was spent in the initial phases of the project. Two years earlier, Mayor Purcell allocated $750,000 for Phase One improvements, which included preservation of the natural areas of the park, the development of a hiking trail system, and trailheads. Future improvements include additional trails, an entrance from Old Hickory Boulevard, and a nature center. The park is a beautiful and rugged natural wilderness with clear springs, rock bluffs, and rare wildflowers, steep forested slopes, deep hollows, ridge tops and elevations just under 1000 feet.

EAST PARK COMMUNITY CENTER

The $5 million facility is an innovative state of the art, community center. Twice the size of previous centers, East will offer a greater diversity of programs and services to meet the growing demands of area residents. The facility features an indoor pool, art exhibits, gymnasium space, an indoor walking track, rooms for computers, music, crafts, fine arts, fitness, and community meetings. The new center will also house a very active seniors program. Metro Parks’ Master Plan recommends the construction of five new regional centers. Those at Hadley and East have been completed. The new center at Coleman is underway, and future centers are proposed for Sevier, and in the Richland Park area.

WAVE COUNTRY ENHANCEMENTS

Wave Country opened for the 2007 season with two new speed slides. The $1 million addition by Metro Parks completes the third phase of planned improvements to the popular family-priced water park, which also features Nashville’s only wave-action swimming pool, a triple flume slide, a children’s water playground, sand volleyball pits, and a well-stocked concession stand.

STONES RIVER GREENWAY

The Stones River Greenway is one of the most ambitious projects for the Parks’ Departments’ Greenway Division. The greenway, with its spur connections, adds 9 miles of paved multi-use trail to the city’s growing 33-mile network of trails. Starting at the Percy Priest Dam, this trail follows the Stones River, connecting neighborhoods, shopping areas, schools and parks, until it reaches the Cumberland River.

The 700’ Cumberland River Pedestrian Bridge, under construction now, will connect the greenway at Two Rivers Park to the Shelby Bottoms Greenway and will become a critical link in the city’s greenway and bike lane system. Pedestrians and bicyclists will be able to travel from the Percy Priest Dam to downtown Nashville and north to MetroCenter relatively free from vehicular traffic. The bridge is scheduled for completion in the fall of this year.

The three-mile segment between J. Percy Priest Dam and Lake and Lebanon Road, and its one-mile spur to the YMCA, is complete as well as the two-mile segment that runs through Two Rivers Park between the Heartland Park trailhead to the recently renovated WaveCountry pool and Metro Skatepark. The final third of the project, a segment between Lebanon Road and Heartland Park, is under construction (and not open for public access yet except for this event) and targeted for completion in summer 2007. The crossing of Lebanon Road will be the last connection to be made; it will be done upon completion of a new west bound bridge over the Stones River at Lebanon Road by the Tennessee Department of Transportation when the existing old green truss bridge will be converted to pedestrian and bicycle use only for the greenway.

PEELER PARK GREENWAY

Peeler Park is an important natural area in the Cumberland River watershed. Except for public use of the model plane airstrip located near the Peeler homestead, the property was landbanked until 2007. Development of the park has been made possible through the 2002 Parks & Greenways Master Plan.

Over a ten-year period, a total of $3,000,000 is planned for the park which will include a nature center, additional paved trails, permanent restrooms, an equestrian trailhead and parking, and a river overlook. $1,750,000 has been set aside for improvements, with $549,000 in first phase construction complete.

FORT NEGLEY VISITORS CENTER

The Center will feature exhibits, monthly activities, annual events and self-guided tours. Metro Parks is partnering with Traveler’s Rest Plantation to create educational opportunities and programs for group tours as well. The Visitors Center completes PhaseTwo of the project. The 4,605 square foot, $1 million facility includes a small multipurpose theater, exhibit space, meeting room, staff spaces, public restrooms, an outdoor plaza and site improvements.

Exhibit gallery will include touch-screen displays and other interactive elements that tell the story of Fort Negley and the Civil War in Nashville. Themes addressed will include the War in the West, Armies of Invasion, Fighting for Freedom, and Occupied Nashville. Animated graphics and historic photos will cover topics such as Weapons, Engineering, Soldiers and Refugees. An "Occupied Nashville" image bank and maps will allow visitors to graphically understand the war as lived by Nashvillians. The "Your Civil War Ancestor" interactive display allows guests to access the Solider and Sailor Database. "The Fall of Nashville" is a short film being produced specifically for the center. It will provide the context and backstory for all of the other exhibits in the center and serve as an introduction to visitors' exploration of the fort itself.

The center is intended to serve as a hub for Civil War heritage tourism in Middle Tennessee. Rather than competing with other historic sites, the intent is to develop partnerships with other agencies to enhance and expand the educational and economic benefits of heritage tourism in the area. In addition, programs and events offered by a full time staff at the center will provide students and the public at large new opportunities to understand Nashville's fascinating Civil War past.

SHELBY BOTTOMS NATURE CENTER

This new building is a clear cut example of a “green” eco-friendly structure. Sustainable features include: a Green Roof (extensive, shallow four inch growth media with drought resistant sedums); absorbs, retains, filters and stores precipitation; storm water reduction (roof runoff eliminated or reduced); longer roof life (moderates temperature swings and protects roof from UV rays); energy savings (lower cooling costs in summer, lower heating costs in winter); insulating qualities which help quiet the facility – sound insulation; reduction of heat island effect; improved air quality; sequesters carbon dioxide; roof-rain water collection (Rain Chains) into rain-basins leading to bio-swale for rain treatment; and solar shade screens.

CUMBERLAND RIVER PEDESTRAIN BRIDGE

The 750' bridge will connect the Stones River Greenway at Two Rivers Park to the Shelby Bottoms Greenway and will become a critical link to a 22-mile greenway corridor. Pedestrians and bicyclists will be able to travel from the Percy Priest Dam to downtown Nashville and north to MetroCenter almost completely free from vehicular traffic. The bridge will also act as an alternative form of transportation connecting schools, parks, businesses and entertainment areas. The bridge connects 10 parks along the route - Hermitage, Heartland, Two Rivers, Shelby Bottoms, Shelby Park, East Bank, Riverfront, Morgan, Ted Rhodes and Looby.

1999-2007 MAJOR PROJECTS SUMMARY

PLANNING AND FACILITIES DEVELOPMENT
  • Spraygrounds at Kirkpatrick & Watkins Community Center
  • New Entrance and Speed Slide at WaveCountry
  • Completed building of Parkwood Community Center
  • Hartman Community Center Renovation
  • Completed building of McFerrin Community Center
  • Completed building of East Community Center
  • Completed building of Coleman Community Center
  • Completed building of Youth Sports Complex
  • Phase One and Two Trail System at Peeler Park
  • Built 39 Playgrounds @ Schools with 12 more in progress
  • Built 37 Playgrounds @ Parks with 6 more in progress
  • Completed building of Bells Bend Phase I Trail System and Nature Center
  • Renovation of theater at Z. Alexander Looby Community Center
  • Richland Pool House restroom upgrades
  • Continuation of ADA upgrades
  • Nature Centers at Bells Bend, Beaman and Shelby Bottoms
  • Completed building of Hadley Park Community Center
  • Opened Dog Parks at Centennial, Shelby and Warner Parks
  • Activated Wireless Internet in Centennial Park
  • Opened Skate Park @ Wave Country
  • Completed Phase One of Fort Negley and working to complete Visitors Center
  • Opened Providence Park
  • Completed Restoration of Sunnyside Mansion at Sevier Park
GREENWAYS
  • Metro Parks has added 32 trail miles to the system with the addition of the Downtown, MetroCenter Levee, Stones River, Brookmeade Park, Mill Creek/Blue Hole Road, Harpeth Richland greenways.
  • Designed and built the Cumberland River Pedestrian Bridge
  • Reviewed numerous subdivision and storm water projects resulting in greenway dedications, developer-provided trails, and land conservation.
  • Secured grant from the State of Tennessee for the Richland Creek Greenwayproject for rehab of the Old White Bridge.
  • Completed design, land acquisition and construction of Phase I Richland and Whites Creek greenways.
  • Participated in the “Catfish Out of Water” city art festival sponsored by the Cumberland River Compact, Greenways for Nashville and Parthenon Patrons, raising awareness of the value of watershed protection.
  • Secured Stone Hall for use as a nature/visitors center on the Stones River Greenway. Received $300,000 in private donations and a $400,000 grant from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation which were used toward the acquisition.
  • Coordinated community volunteer clean-up and trail work projects: Stones \River with Deloitte employees; Mill Creek with Tennessee Scenic Association; Whites Creek with the Bordeaux/Whites Creek Greenway Alliance; Shelby Bottoms with a local Girl Scout troop; and Beaman Park with students from Montgomery Bell Academy.
  • Completed design and construction of the Cooper Creek Bridge at Shelby Bottoms.
  • Acquisition of Stone Hall for use as a nature/visitors center on the Stones River Greenway.
SPECIAL SERVICES
  • Opened new $3.5M ice rink as Predators practice facility
  • Opened new $1.2M indoor Tennis Center
  • Renovations at Wave Country including new liner, new deck surface, new gutter system, upgrade of existing bathhouse, new entrance and offices, and addition of speed slides.
  • Renovations at Hamilton Creek Sailboat Marina including ADA upgrades and dock stabilization.
  • New board system in Ice Rink A.
  • Opened spray parks at Watkins and Kirkpatrick Community Centers.
  • Renovations at Centennial Sportsplex ($4.2M) included new HVAC energy efficient automation system, new siding exterior of building, new roof and ADA upgrades.
  • Created websites for Nashville Fairways, Wave Country, and Hamilton Creek Marina
  • Implemented a state-of-the-art Point-of-Sale Computer System to handle: Facility Booking, Membership Management, Sports Scheduling, Golf Tee Times, Inventory, and Concession/ Museum/Retail operations.
  • Made significant improvements in our revenue collection operation by training outer location staff on computer reporting using email and spreadsheets.
  • In the process of converting our current revenue collection system to a new in-house program to increase efficiency and data entry time.
  • Currently implementing a new Gift Certificate program at the golf courses to increase revenues.
  • Laying the groundwork to expand our customer’s ability to pay by American Express. Parks is currently the only Metro department to do this, but only at the Parthenon. We have been working to make the data flow correctly under our new system and once perfected, AMEX will be available at all golf courses, the Sportsplex, Tennis Center & Marina.
  • Completed McCabe Middle and South Course Renovation
  • Completed McCabe North Course Renovation and Paving of Cart Paths
  • Two Rivers Irrigation Project - The Two Rivers double row irrigation system has been completed on the back nine and the front nine irrigation system will be complete by mid-April 2007.
  • Two Rivers Golf Course Practice Putting Green Construction - A new 9200 square foot putting green was constructed at Two Rivers Golf Course and was open for practice on July 4th weekend, 2006. The green is located in close proximity to the first tee and has provided an excellent practice area for the golfers at Two Rivers.
  • Harpeth Hills Irrigation System -A double row irrigation system was installed at Harpeth hills Golf Course in Feb/March 2004.
  • Shelby Golf Course - The greens at Shelby Golf Course were replanted with tif dwarf bermuda in the summer of 2006. Also included in this project #1, #10, #12 and #14 greens were modified to improve drainage and slope.
  • School Days Tournament - The School Days Tournament, hosted by the Metro Parks golf staff and the Tennessean, is the longest running golf tournament in the state of Tennessee. It has been an annual event since 1924 and has over the years has evolved into one of the most elite titles for junior golf.
NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
  • $300,000 in private donations and a $400,000 grant from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation which were used toward the acquisition.
  • Metro Parks hosted the NRPA Annual Congress in 1999.
  • Metro Parks hosted the TRPA Annual Conference in 2005.
  • Warner Park Learning Center and campus improvements (greenhouse, teaching pond, amphitheater, library and administration building renovations, etc.) completed in 2000 through a partnership with Metro Parks and Friends of Warner Parks
  • Warner Parks Equestrian Center and Sports & Special Events Area Master Plan published in 2005; implementation of recommendations underway in 2006 & 2007
  • Metro Parks Recycling Program established in 2005, Curby bins at 29 facilities, recycling of materials at selected special events and activities, Metro Public Works recycling trailer provided at selected special events, public recycling at golf course clubhouses, pilot program started to recycle at baseball field tournaments
  • Metro Parks Water Quality Program established in 2005, projects include vegetation buffers along water conveyances, green architecture, rain gardens & bio-swales, and certification efforts with the Audubon Golf Course Sanctuary Program.
  • Friends of Warner Parks purchases 120+ acres of land with intention to donate to Metro Parks in 2007.
  • Metro Parks Natural Areas Program established in 2004 with identification of 6 natural area parks totaling approximately 7000 acres (Warner Parks, Shelby Bottoms, Beaman Park, Bells Bend Park, Hamilton Creek Park, and Peeler Park)
PARK POLICE
  • Park Police staffing has increased from 17 personnel to 25.
  • Increased covert operations in local parks.
  • Administrative assistant added to Park Police Division.
  • Created a full time day shift. Previously day shift was 1 administrative officer.
  • Added ATVs to our available response options. (Greenways)
  • Laptops in cars (Spring 07)
  • 6 cameras in Parks (Spring 07)
  • Acquired speed measuring devices to enhance enforcement efforts.
  • Signed MOUE with Metro PD - Added Captain.