Hendersonville Parks Board approves summer community events, bluebird boxes and seasonal vendor-fee change

The Hendersonville Parks Board on June 23 approved multiple community requests and a temporary vendor-fee change intended to support nonprofit events and summer outreach programs.

Board action included formal approvals to host a Sumner County Health Department sun-safety outreach at Memorial Park; to allow a First Baptist Hendersonville free ice-cream truck to serve at parks with conditions about solicitation and scheduling; to permit the Lakeside Bluebird Club to install and maintain bluebird nest boxes in city parks; to light the Memorial Park fountain teal on July 22 in recognition of Fragile X Syndrome; and a change to how vendor fees are assessed for a summer college baseball team’s recurring food trucks (one $50 seasonal fee per truck instead of a $50-per-night charge).

The approvals were made during the regular Parks Board meeting and were presented by community organizations and staff members. Lily Miller, a health educator with the Sumner County Health Department, requested permission to set up a tent at Memorial Park in August to distribute sun-safety items including hats, sunscreen, SPF lip balm and sunglasses and to provide educational materials about skin-cancer prevention. A motion to approve the health-department event passed (mover: Miss Ratherd; second: Miss Hellman). Miller said the department will staff a tent near the playground area and hand out pre‑purchased sunglasses and other items to park visitors.

Brian Smart, representing First Baptist Hendersonville, described a free ice-cream truck the church operates for community outreach. The board approved the church’s request for the ice-cream truck to operate at parks with two conditions recorded in the meeting: First Baptist will not distribute solicitation materials or organized church solicitations at the event, and it will coordinate dates and locations with parks staff. The board’s amendment and approval process included a direction that the church work with parks staff on scheduling and logistics before each event (amendment moved by Mister Terry; amendment seconded by Mister Montoya; final approval recorded by voice vote).

Brandon Jaggers, representing Full Count Ministries, asked the board to waive the nightly vendor fee for food trucks that serve at the nonprofit’s Full Count Rhythm college summer baseball games. Parks staff confirmed the city’s standard vendor fee is $50 per event (with a $150 fee for multi-day events treated as one event). After discussion about the number of nights food trucks attend and the public benefit of vendors selling to attendees, a motion passed to treat participating trucks with a single $50 seasonal fee per truck rather than charging $50 each night (mover: Miss Ratherd; second: Mister Perry; approved by voice vote). Parks staff noted vendors still must provide required insurance certificates and meet city vendor approval processes.

Julie Roman and Philip Williams presented on behalf of the Lakeside Bluebird Club, a newly formed Sumner County nonprofit affiliated with the Tennessee Bluebird Society. The board approved the club’s request to install and maintain nest-box trails in city parks, with the club saying it would build, help install (with parks staff assistance as needed), and maintain boxes free of charge to the city and report observations to the North American Bluebird Society (motion: Mister Bennett; second: Mister Boddy; approved by voice vote). Club representatives said they planned to begin with a small number of boxes at Memorial Park (three to four) and would space boxes about 100 yards apart where appropriate; they emphasized maintenance visits during breeding season and data reporting to Cornell/bluebird monitoring programs.

A separate motion to light the Memorial Park fountain teal on July 22 to recognize Fragile X Syndrome was approved (mover: Mister Pike; second: Miss Hellman). Director Gilley told the board staff could approximate the requested color.

Several staff reports and briefings followed the votes, including updates on field maintenance, tennis-court drainage and resurfacing, upcoming tournaments and events (USSSA Southeast Nationals opening ceremonies and other summer tournaments), and progress on a bike pump-track archaeological clearance. The board recorded appreciation for maintenance staff working long days to complete field and irrigation repairs after spring storms. No ordinances or statutes were cited during the discussion; the items were treated as permits and park-use approvals under the board’s event and vendor policies.

The board voted by voice on each item; individual roll-call tallies were not recorded in the transcript. Meeting attendees included staff and multiple community presenters; board members asked for coordination with parks staff on scheduling and vendor insurance before events took place.

Looking ahead, Parks staff said they will coordinate logistics with the requesters and follow up on scheduling and permitting steps before the events and installations occur.