board view alderman
Lots of new, fun things at McFee Park
For several months I have been fielding questions about when the new section of McFee Park will open to the public. (There have been delays due to construction issues, but let me assure you that these issues are all being addressed and corrected by the general contractor at no additional cost to us.)
The good news is that, by the time this article goes to print, most of the new section of the park will be open. The biggest issue still to be resolved is the poor drainage on the Great Lawn. It continues to pool water and will be corrected as soon as the weather permits. So, for the time being, the Great Lawn will be fenced off to the public to allow it to dry out. It should be open to the public by summer.
The park is open for tennis, pickleball and basketball use. The special event pavilion and restrooms are open, as well as the sidewalks and walking trail around the Great Lawn.
From March until June, two of the four tennis courts will be dedicated to tennis and two will be dedicated to pickleball. At the end of this period, the schedule will be re-evaluated based on use. Drop-in play is allowed, but if someone with a paid reservation shows up, they will have priority. A QR code at the court can be used to see reservations. Courts can be reserved from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., seven days a week, and lights will only be turned on when there are reservations. For information about fees and reserving courts, see farragutparksandrec.org/tennis.
Planned for the future are more tennis courts, lights for the basketball court, a shade shelter for the court area and additional parking. I also want to add that the old Dimmick house, in the northwest corner of the park, will soon be demolished. We hope to build a dog park in this location. I have been working with an organization that offers grants for building dog parks in Tennessee.
The Town will soon seek one of these grants from DogParkDash.com. To be awarded one of these grants, we will need support from as many citizens in the Town as we can muster. The grant is based on a contest to see which communities in the state want a dog park the most. So far, this organization has provided grants for over 80 dog parks in the state and plans on offering 16 more. The application process starts March 1 and closes on May 1.
The winners will be awarded in August. In early March, our Parks & Rec Department will apply, and we hope to have more information to share about how you can participate soon.
We also want to add a walking/running/biking trail in the wooded area along the far western end of the park. We are seeking donations to build this trail and hope to announce possible donors soon.
My vision for years has been for McFee Park to be the crown jewel of our park system. I have been a strong advocate of our parks and greenways, and I hope many of you are as well. Next to our great schools, our parks and greenways are our most valued assets. With the town nearly 80 percent built out, we must protect and expand as much green space as possible to allow us to enjoy the great outdoors here in our own backyards. Please help support our public green spaces and help take care of them.
If you or someone you know are interested in donating funds to add additional amenities to our parks, please contact me at rpinchok@townoffarragut.org.
