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Subcommittee approves land acquisitions to expand Tennessee State Parks; officials discuss park growth plan
Summary
The subcommittee approved acquisitions of two Polk County tracts adjacent to the Coe River for park presence and a 448.8-acre Horseshoe Bend tract in Wayne County; department officials discussed a goal to increase state parks from 60 to 70 and mapping used to identify underserved areas.
The Executive Subcommittee approved multiple land acquisitions presented by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation to expand the state parks system, including two Polk County tracts adjacent to the Coe River intended to serve Coe River State Park and a 448.8-acre Horseshoe Bend tract on the Buffalo River in Wayne County.
Bill Advant, Senior Real Property Manager for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, described the Polk County parcels as a 2.5-acre tract and a 6.9-acre tract owned by the Rogers family and said they are adjacent to the Coe River and intended to provide a presence for Coe River State Park "for visitor connection and education and interpretive program," he said. The Wayne County property — described as an oxbow bend on Horseshoe Bend Road with roughly 2 miles of riverfront — is being acquired by the Tennessee State Parks Conservancy using Harris Conservation Trust Fund monies and will be transferred to the state for public recreation upon acquisition.
Advant described the department's mission as to "protect property and preserve, protect in perpetuity" cultural and natural resources, and explained that park creation can include subdividing existing parks for better asset management as well as acquiring new property to serve areas not otherwise served by city or county parks. He told commissioners the administration had started at 56 state parks and had announced its sixtieth; "Our goal is 70," Advant said. Commissioners asked whether maps exist to show areas not currently served; Advant said planning maps that define areas to serve do exist and offered to share them.
A commissioner raised a budgeting caveat, noting that state revenues can decline and that operational budgets for parks must be considered in planning. The transcript records the concern but does not specify follow-up action to change acquisition plans.
The subcommittee voted to approve the grouped park acquisition items by voice vote. No public comment was recorded on the items during the meeting.
