Red Bank commissioners approve request to restart federal land-conversion process for Morrison Springs site

The Red Bank Board of Commissioners voted to authorize the mayor to request reinitiation of a Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) conversion process relating to Morrison Springs Park and to pay a $10,000 processing fee to the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC). The vote passed by voice vote; commissioners did not record any opposed votes. Parks and recreation manager Jeffrey Gravy said the city must complete a new conversion because a prior approval was rescinded in 2020 and the city is currently out of compliance with LWCF requirements. “We have 14 acres of recreation land that is protected in perpetuity via the grant that we agreed to back in 1970, and we now have to replace that,” Gravy said. The reinitiation starts a three-phase process: (1) assemble and submit a complete conversion packet to the state (appraisals, NEPA environmental reviews, maps and other documentation) within a one-year window; (2) state review and preparation of federal forms by TDEC; and (3) review and approval by the National Park Service. Gravy said appraisals will be required under federal “yellow book” standards and that the city already contracted an appraiser for $9,000 to value relevant parcels. Staff presented two primary candidate replacement properties: a municipally owned parcel on Dayton Boulevard in the Hixson area (“the Hixson parcel,” including a traffic garden and a small wetland) and the former Red Bank Middle School site on Dayton Boulevard. The city will proceed with the conversion application process while continuing to analyze which parcel or combination of parcels best satisfies the replacement-value requirement; city staff said final selection and any subsequent decisions about submitted parcels will be brought back to the commission. City staff and the parks and recreation advisory board will continue public engagement and prepare site plans to support grant competitiveness. The reinitiation is intended to restore the city’s eligibility for federal and state recreation grant programs — including LWCF, the Local Parks and Recreation Fund (LPRF) and recreational trails programs — many of which offer up to 80 percent federal funding. City staff emphasized that the $10,000 fee is a TDEC processing charge and that other costs (appraisals, site planning, environmental review) will follow and will be presented to the commission for appropriation when needed. The city manager and parks staff also noted tight external timelines for competing grant cycles and said staff will provide regular updates in work sessions and bring required approvals to the commission at decision points.