Norris council to apply for grant under $750k park plan
Eric Harold Memorial Park in Norris is on tap for some up- grades under a recreation master plan that the city hopes to use grant money to finance. (photo:G. Chambers Williams III )
The projects have been developed as part of a master plan for recreation in the city that a city consultant has been working on for more than a year, and is still a work in progress, the council noted.
Titled the “2024 City of Norris Sport Complex and Park Accessibility Project,” the initial projects would include “improvements and reconstruction of various elements of Eric Harold Park and adjacent recreational facilities,” including:
n Development and grading for the construction of a new sport complex.
n Construction of a multi-sport complex with spaces to play tennis, pickleball, and basketball.
n Lighting for the multi-sport complex.
n Refurbishment of the existing restroom structure allowing for two public restrooms (one ADA-compliant).
n Improvements to the pavilion at Eric Harold Park, including replacement of roof.
n Accessibility improvements to parking lots (including new striping and signage) at each facility, and construction of ADA-compliant walkways between and throughout each facility.
n New restrooms for the sports complex.
“In addition to improvements to those facilities, the grant would address accessibility issues at the city’s other two parks, including the construction of ADA-compliant walkways and parking spaces,” the plan stated.
The grant would come from a state program that provides funding for such facilities, but with a 50% local match. The Norris plan as of now would be spread out over five years, with the city spending $75,000 of its own funds each year.
Already, Norris has two years’ worth of that recreation project match money waiting in the budget, $150,000, City Manager Adam Ledford said.
The projects included in the list the council approved Monday night will be used in a letter of intent to apply for the grants, which the council gave Mayor Chris Mitchell the authority to sign.
There is a Feb. 22 deadline to submit the letter of intent for this coming year’s available parks and recreation funding from the state Department of Environment and Conservation.
But Mitchell noted during the meeting that the list could change between now and May, when the grant application must be finalized.
The 10-year master plan the city is developing calls for these and other improvements and additions to city parks and recreation/sports facilities. The preliminary plan was presented during a special workshop meeting in late January, and it’s not expected to be finalized until May.
Mitchell, Vice Mayor Chuck Nicholson and council member Loretta Painter were among about 30 people who attended the master plan workshop on Jan. 25.
A consulting firm the city hired last year to develop the plan was on hand to give the initial details of its efforts.
Andreas Guevara-Nadeau of Community Development Partners LLC in Knoxville presented slides detailing the proposed changes and upgrades, which covered all city park and recreation facilities except for those in the Norris Municipal Watershed and some controlled by entities other than the city, such as the Anderson County Schools.
Amenities in the watershed, including the rifle range and various walking trails, are under control of the Norris Municipal Watershed Board, which is appointed by the City Council, but operates independently from the Recreation Department.
Some other recreation facilities, such as the amphitheater and the Norris Lions Club Pavilion in front of Norris Middle School, are under control of other entities.
City recreation facilities that would be scheduled for improvements, expansion or upgrades include Oak Road Park, Ridgeway Park, Eric Harold Memorial Park, Norris Commons, Creamery Park, the city gymnasium in the Community Center, and the Disc Golf Course next to the Community Building.
The plan was developed from a community survey than was begun after a workshop in 2023.
More swimming facilities and water activities, and new or upgraded restrooms were among the top items people asked for in the survey, Guevara-Nadeau said.
People ages 65-up were interested in more low-impact fitness options, while “everybody wants a dog park,” she told the group at the workshop.
Also mentioned as high priority were additional basketball and pickleball courts, more programs for senior citizens and middle school students, and more non-athletic programs, such as photography.