Norris receives $375K grant for park upgrades, adding pickleball courts
The area now used for tennis courts will be upgraded into a new sports complex next to the Norris Community Building thanks to a state parks grant. There will be tennis and pickleball courts, as well as an outdoor basketball court in this area, among other improvements and additions. (photo:G. Chambers Williams III )
The grant will be received by the city over a three-year period, City Council members were told during last week’s monthly meeting, and the city must match it 100%.
Norris already designates $75,000 a year in its regular budget for parks and recreation improvements. There is $150,000 in unspent funds in the budget now, and the city will add $75,000 each year for the next three years to come up with the required $375,000 match.
The proposed projects were developed as part of a master plan for recreation in the city that a consultant had been working on for more than a year.
According to the state Department of Environment and Conservation, “The approved scope of [the Norris grant] is the redevelopment of tennis courts into a new complex to include a tennis court, pickleball courts, a new outdoor basketball court, upgrades to the existing restroom, parking, and accessible pathways at [Eric Harold] Memorial Park.”
These are part of an overall plan the city has been developing for park improvements.
Titled the “2024 City of Norris Sport Complex and Park Accessibility Project,” the 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 sport 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 $375,000 grant will come from the state Local Parks and Recreation Fund that provides money for such facilities, but requires the 100% local match.
A 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.
Mayor Chris Mitchell, Vice Mayor Chuck Nicholson and council member Loretta Painter were among about 30 people who attended the parks and recreation master plan workshop at the Norris Community Building on Jan. 25.
A consulting firm the city hired last year to develop the master plan was on hand to give the initial details of their efforts to devise the plan.
Andreas Guevara-Nadeau of Community Development Partners LLC in Knoxville psented 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 city’s 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, including the school.
City recreation facilities that would be scheduled for improvements, expansion or upgrades include Oak Road Park, Ridgeway Park, Norris Commons, Creamery Park, the city gymnasium in the Community Center, and the Disc Golf Course and tennis courts adjacent to the Community Building.
The master plan was developed mostly from a community survey than was begun after the initial parks and recreation master plan workshop was held in mid-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 age 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.