Norris weighs $1M park upgrade plan
Norris City Manager Bailey Whited shows a slide of a plan for improvements to the city park next to the Norris Community Building during a parks workshop held last Tuesday, April 7. (photo:G. Chambers Williams III )
On a unanimous vote, the council agreed to send the so-called Norris Sports Complex plan to the engineers to develop a bid package for the work, for which the city already has $750,000 budgeted – including a $375,000 state recreation grant.
The plan the council approved was one of two proposals that were presented to council members and residents during a parks workshop last week, conducted by City Manager Bailey Whited.
Council members approved the so-called Plan 4, with an estimated top price tag of $1.035 million, which as shown would include four new outdoor pickleball courts, two upgraded tennis courts that could also be used for pickleball, a high-school regulation-size basketball court, and a new restroom building.
The second plan presented by Whited, with an estimated $880,00 price tag, would leave out the new restrooms, but pay for some renovations to the current restrooms. It, too, would include four pickleball courts, upgraded tennis courts and a basketball court.
Both projects would be financed in part by the $375,000 state recreation grant approved for the city in 2024 that requires a 50-50% local match, plus the $375,000 the city already has in the bank. Additional city funds or perhaps some private donations would be used to make up the deficit.
“As the Norris Sports Complex project moves into the next stage, the city will be working with the project engineer to develop final construction drawings and bid documents for the selected layout,” Whited told The Courier News on Tuesday morning.
“Once that work is completed, the project will be put out for competitive bids so the city can determine the actual construction cost.
“The city has already committed $375,000 from General Fund reserves to match the $375,000 grant awarded through the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation,” Whited said. “Based on the engineer’s current opinion of probable construction cost, the selected layout could exceed that combined $750,000 project budget by approximately $200,000–$300,000, depending on which project components are included.”
Whited said that when the city receives bids for the project, the council “will review the project line items and determine which elements should be included in the initial construction phase.”
“Certain features (such as two of the four pickleball courts or lighting) may be treated as optional items depending on available funding,” he said.
There was some pushback from the council and members of the meeting audience Monday night on whether the city should be spending so much on a park right now when other needs might be more pressing, such as repairing neglected city streets.
Councilwoman Loretta Painter suggested cutting out two of the four planned pickleball courts and limiting the size of the new restroom building to one unisex stall, instead of the three now included in the plans.
“There are other capital projects that need to be done,” Painter said.
Resident Joe Feeman, who serves as chairman of the Norris Planning Commission, said he was “concerned about the overall cost.”
“With the condition of our roads, spending even $750,000 on recreational facilities seems somewhat pie-in-the-sky,” he said.
Spencer Boardman, a frequent volunteer on city projects, also expressed concerns about the $1 million-plus potential cost of the sports complex.
“We need to save our money any way we can,” he told the council.
In his comments Tuesday morning, Whited noted that “some community members have also expressed interest in fundraising to support specific components of the complex, including two of the four proposed pickleball courts. Any private fundraising contributions could help offset the overall project cost.
“The city of Norris maintains a healthy General Fund reserve, which provides flexibility to support priority capital improvements,” he added. “Final funding decisions will be made by the City Council once bid pricing and project options are fully known.”
Council members seemed open to cutting the four pickleball courts down to two, saving about $111,000.
The city also has two indoor pickleball courts in the Community Building, and Whited said those would not be affected.
Last week’s meeting was the third public workshop the city has held on plans for park upgrades. Workshops in 2024 and 2025 explored options for the sports complex next to the Community Building, along with other city parks, as part of a master plan for park improvements.
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 initial plans were to include “improvements and reconstruction of various elements of Eric Harold Park and adjacent recreational facilities,” including:
• Development and grading for the construction of a new sport complex.
• Construction of a multi-sport complex with spaces to play tennis, pickleball, and basketball.
• Lighting for the multi-sport complex.
• Refurbishment of the existing restroom structure allowing for two public restrooms (one ADA-compliant).
• Improvements to the pavilion at Eric Harold Park, including replacement of roof.
• Accessibility improvements to parking lots (including new striping and signage) at each facility, and construction of ADA-compliant walkways between and throughout each facility.
• 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.
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 the first workshop meeting in late January 2024. The second workshop came in January 2025.
A consulting firm the city hired in 2023 to develop the master plan was on hand in the first workshop to give the initial details of their efforts to devise the plan.
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 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 could be scheduled for improvements, expansion or upgrades include Oak Road Park, Ridgeway Park, Eric Harold Memorial Park, Norris Commons, Creamery Park, the gymnasium in the Community Building, and the disc golf course and tennis courts adjacent to the building.
The master plan was developed mostly from a community survey than was begun after an initial parks and recreation master plan workshop 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.
People 65 and up were interested in more low-impact fitness options, while “everybody wants a dog park,” the survey summary said.
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.
