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Commission approves grants for Black Heritage Walking Trail digital work and Willow Springs Park improvements
Summary
Commissioners approved a $20,000 grant to build the digital component of the Johnson City Black Heritage Walking Trail and moved forward on an $890,000 Willow Springs Park revitalization project (city match roughly $445,000) that includes a new inclusive playground and splash pad.
Johnson City staff described two parks and heritage items on the consent agenda that the commission approved Nov. 20: a digital grant for the Black Heritage Walking Trail and a state-matched LPRF grant for Willow Springs Park improvements.
Dr. Maggie Darden, planning and project manager for Parks and Recreation, said the Black Heritage Walking Trail began as a community project to preserve local Black history. She said the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee Foundation funded $5,000 for initial research and the Tennessee Department of Health awarded an $80,000 Healthy Built Environment grant to support the trail's infrastructure. The $20,000 grant on the consent agenda would fund the project's digital component — a website and interpretive signage to preserve oral histories and other research.
Parks staff also described an LPRF (Local Parks and Recreation Fund) grant to revitalize Willow Springs Park. The total project is estimated at about $890,000, with the city's matching portion roughly $445,000. The work would replace a 20-year-old playground with an inclusive playground and add an inclusive splash pad for community use.
Both items were discussed during the consent agenda explanation and approved during the roll call vote.
The approvals allow staff to proceed with design, procurement and implementation steps for the trail's digital materials and the Willow Springs playground and splash pad project.
