Residents urge city to keep Wagner Park youth fields as Arnold Heritage Center is discussed

Scores of residents and volunteers urged the Board of Mayor and Aldermen to preserve youth sports facilities at Wagner Park rather than relocate them to make room for a proposed Arnold Heritage and Innovation Center, during the board’s public-comment period.

Speakers said the fields at Wagner Park host long-running youth programs and generate local economic activity and volunteer opportunities. “I just personally feel that relocating the Cal Ripken Baseball, Frank Mullins youth football and cheerleading fields to an alternate location would be a detriment to the children who participate in this program,” said Greer Stevenson, a Tullahoma resident and youth coach. Several other speakers — including Mark Moran, Lisa Mullins Beasley, Travis Moore and Charles Bridal Rogers — told the board the site is central to hundreds of local children and that recent city and private investments have upgraded lighting and fields.

Why it matters: Wagner Park currently supports multiple youth leagues, volunteers and occasional out-of-town tournaments that bring business to local restaurants and stores. At least one speaker said more than 500 children participate annually in the town’s youth football program, and others described shared history and long-term volunteer relationships that they said would be difficult to replicate at a new site.

Residents’ concerns and details cited in public comment - Longstanding community programs: Speakers said Frank Mullins Youth Football, Cal Ripken/organized youth baseball and travel-ball tournaments have used Wagner Park for decades, and that the football league feeds players to middle- and high-school teams. - Recent investments: Residents said more than $1 million has been spent since 2023 on lighting and field upgrades; Cal Ripken contributed $10,000 toward improvements, according to comments at the meeting. - Operations and local economy: Commenters noted that high-school athletes work at concession stands and that tournaments draw visitors who spend at local businesses. - Cost concerns: Lisa Mullins Beasley said replacing facilities could cost the city an estimated $3.5 million to $4 million and that the proposed facility operator asked the city to absorb a projected annual shortfall of $300,000–$400,000.

City response and next steps When asked to update the public, City Administrator Cook said the matter had been placed on the agenda to solicit feedback and that the reaction from the community differed from earlier expectations. Cook said the board is now looking for an alternative location for the proposed Arnold Heritage and Innovation Center: “I think the current understanding is, yeah, we're looking for another location to do that.”

No formal vote to relocate Wagner Park occurred during the meeting. Board members and staff said they will discuss details individually with commenters and explore other sites; city staff did not present a replacement location at the meeting.

Context and process notes Speakers repeatedly distinguished opposition to the Arnold facility itself from opposition to removing fields from Wagner Park. Several public commenters emphasized that their comments were meant to urge preservation of the existing youth-sports programs and to ask the city to prioritize the children and volunteers who use Wagner Park.

Ending: The board heard several detailed public appeals and acknowledged the concerns; city staff said they will seek alternative sites and follow up with more information at a later meeting.