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Axios
31-07-2025
- Business
- Axios
Mayor O'Connell's parks strategy: Add new parks, repair existing ones
Welcome to Day 4 of Tennessee Trailheads: This week, each edition of Axios Nashville will explore a different aspect of the parks where we picnic and play. Nashville's park system is at an inflection point. At the same time it scored below its peers in national rankings, the Parks Department is asking residents to help map out the system's future. Why it matters: Mayor Freddie O'Connell has noticed the rankings of the most populous cities' parks. His approach to parks so far has been a mixture of big-ticket spending and unsexy investments in deferred maintenance to address the backlog of needed repairs. State of play: The updated vision, called Plan to Play, is meant to identify and prioritize parks needs for the next five years. It will draw on residents' suggestions. Thursday is the last day to answer the public survey. What he's saying: After taking office in 2023, O'Connell's administration refreshed the Plan to Play focus. In an interview with Axios, O'Connell said his administration's goal is to bring the ideas it produced to reality as quickly as possible. That requires a balancing act between splashy new park openings and under-the-radar repairs to existing parks. "It's establishing a cadence," he says. "You don't grow the new stuff at the expense of needed repairs at existing facilities without a clear strategy." By the numbers: O'Connell's first two capital spending plans included a combined $60.8 million for the Parks Department. The bulk of the spending has been on addressing a backlog of maintenance projects, including repairs to the Parkwood community center. That amount also included $8.3 million for the new Mill Ridge Park and $5 million for Mariposa Park. Both of those parks are in southeast Davidson County. "We knew there were parts of the city that had not historically seen investments," he said. Another focus has been on parks safety, with addition of more lighting and electronic entrance gates. Zoom out: Part of O'Connell's approach to parks has been serving as chief cheerleader, using his megaphone to tout the department's constant stream of programming. He mentions a full-moon hike, water balloon fight and coffee with birdwatchers among the unique, free offerings. "For years, I've been the dork that goes and looks at the nature centers' monthly calendars," he says. "It's a great way to explore parts of the city." The bottom line: The Trust for Public Land rankings shows Nashville has room for growth in terms of parks investments.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Metro Parks seeks community feedback as updates come to the countywide parks and greenways master plan
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — As Metro Parks and Recreation looks to update the countywide parks and greenways master plan, leaders want to hear from community members about what they want to see. The master plan, called 'Plan to Play,' was originally completed in 2017. This year, the plan will be updated as a lot has changed since its completion. Metro Parks and Recreation hopes to determine what new or different needs have emerged as well as prioritize projects and actions through a series of public meetings. MORE NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS | Some Metro Parks get tasty new additions The man behind the public meetings is Tim Netsch, who said that the biggest struggle has been keeping up with park and greenway demand created by population growth. Netsch wants community members to come to meetings with ideas in mind and a vision for what Nashville's parks need. 'In any scenario, we're going to have limited funds [and] limited resources, so we're going to have to pick and choose and prioritize,' Netsch said. Five meetings have been planned for June with more to be announced in the future: June 4 from 5:30 p.m. until 7 p.m. at the Hermitage Police Precinct June 10 from 5:30 p.m. until 7 p.m. at the Bellevue Community Center June 11 from 5:30 p.m. until 7 p.m. at the Southeast Community Center June 14 from 11 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. at the Parks Headquarters board room. If you can't make it to an in-person meeting, but you still have feedback, you can follow this link to complete a survey. The survey will be open until July 31. Do you have news happening in your neighborhood? Let us know by sending an email to neighborhoodnews@ Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
