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Resident urges board to prioritize Jefferson Street Park upgrades and submits petition
Summary
A Tullahoma resident asked the Board of Mayor and Aldermen to fund and plan phased improvements at Jefferson Street Park, citing outdated and unsafe playground equipment and presenting a petition of community support.
Destiny Holmes, co-founder of the nonprofit Garden Youth Outreach, told the Board of Mayor and Aldermen that Jefferson Street Park is unsafe and in need of upgrades and asked the city to prioritize funding and planning.
"Our park does not reflect that vision. Instead... outdated play structures, uneven grounds, and equipment that is not only uninviting, but in some cases, unsafe," Holmes said, describing both safety and equity concerns and presenting a petition with signatures collected online and on paper.
Holmes asked the board to consider phased improvements — new playground equipment, landscaping, and volunteer-driven projects supported by the city — and offered to provide the board with the online signature file by email. Mayor Eileen Seaborn provided an address where petition materials could be sent; the mayor read the address aloud for follow-up.
The petition and remarks were made during the meeting’s public comment period; there was no formal vote attached to the presentation. Alderman McGee later confirmed to Holmes that she had additional printed petition signatures and indicated the petition would be routed to staff for follow-up.
Why it matters: Holmes framed the request as an equity issue — families near Jefferson Street Park have seen less investment than other parks, she said — and asked the city to act so children have a safe play space.
What the board directed: The transcript records an exchange about how to deliver the online signatures and an assurance that staff and the mayor's office would accept the material for review. No formal schedule, budget proposal, or staff report was presented at the meeting.
Provenance: public comment remarks appear in the transcript (s=1059.84–1245.57) and a follow-up exchange about petition submission is recorded (s=1250.11–1263.32).
