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Parks board seeks $4.6 million from state LPRF to renovate six parks, use Durham Farms land as match
Summary
City parks staff and consultant Alicia Eley presented a 2025 Land and Public Recreation Fund (LPRF) grant application that would renovate six existing parks, request about $4.6 million for construction and design, and use $2.6 million in land value from Durham Farms as part of the city match alongside $2 million in PIP cash.
The Parks Board reviewed a 2025 Land and Public Recreation Fund grant application on April 1 seeking $4,600,000 in project funds to renovate six park sites and to fund design work for Durham Farms.
The application, presented by Alicia Eley, a consultant with Kenway Horn, and staff, would fund turf infield replacements, playgrounds, parking and access paving, ADA upgrades, a boat ramp and dock replacement and lighting upgrades across Drakes Creek Park, Sanders Ferry Park, Veterans Park, Memorial Park, Rugby Park and Mallard Point Park. The city proposes to use $2,000,000 in PIP (parks) cash as part of the 50/50 LPRF match and to count $2,600,000 of Durham Farms land value toward the city share, producing a combined project total the presenters said would reach $6,600,000.
The application organisers said the bulk of the $4.6 million request is for construction and site work; Eley outlined the high-level cost breakdown included in the presentation: about $2,000,000 at Drakes Creek (turf infield, concession and restroom rebuild), just over $1,000,000 for Sanders Ferry improvements (inclusive playground, restroom renovation, pavement and walking loop), $1,300,000 for Veterans Park turf and parking, $300,000 for Memorial Park tennis LED light conversion, $450,000 for Rugby Park paving and $500,000 for Mallard Point boat ramp/dock and parking. Design, grant administration and a master-plan update were included in the total request. "What we anticipate is about a $4,600,000 cost," Eley said during the presentation.
Presenters emphasized ADA access and inclusivity as central to the application, consistent with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) Office of Outdoor Recreation priorities; they noted the city's parks master plan (completed in 2021) and said an update within the next year will be required to remain eligible for future rounds. The presenters described the project timeline: application due April 1; award notifications possibly by summer or early fall; design work through roughly the first year; contractor bidding and selection late in the process; and an anticipated construction period of up to 10 months once a contractor is on board.
The board and the public asked questions about site details and alternative uses. Staff said Durham Farms is currently city-owned, not used for public recreation, and therefore eligible to be counted as land-value match; "It'll be protected in perpetuity for public recreation at that point," said Andy Gilley, a staff member, describing the legal effect if the land value is accepted as match. Board members and an attending alderman raised traffic and access concerns for Durham Farms that would need coordination with public works and possibly road improvements before any major development, and presenters agreed access and floodplain constraints will require additional study (the application includes funds to design a bridge to reach Durham Farms).
Other public questions covered operational items and neighborhood concerns: re-striping newly paved roads near Sanders Ferry Park (staff will confer with Public Works), relocating one of three replaced docks from Sanders Ferry to extend the Mallard Point dock (staff said Corps and the city's insurer had approved that plan), and disposal/dog-waste receptacles at Sanders Ferry to discourage dogs on athletic fields. The presenters reminded attendees that TDEC requires two public meetings for the grant application and that online comments and written comment cards submitted by the public will be captured and sent with the application.
No formal action or vote was taken at the meeting; the session was a public informational meeting required for the grant application. The Parks Board and staff encouraged public involvement in the upcoming parks master-plan feedback cycle and said the city must update its plan within the next year to remain eligible for future LPRF funding.
The presentation materials including site photos, parcel maps and redlined site-plan excerpts were posted online for TDEC review and to meet the public meeting requirement.
