Parks board approves multiple grants, easements and property actions; nominations deferred to April
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Sign Up Free
Summary
The Metropolitan Board of Parks and Recreation approved several consent and grant items — including grant increases for Watkins Park and Centennial Park, a monument ownership transfer, grant amendments and in‑kind gifts — and deferred officer nominations and a conservation easement to committee review.
The Metropolitan Board of Parks and Recreation approved a slate of consent and action items during its March meeting, including grant increases, transfers of ownership and in‑kind gifts; nominations for board officers were deferred to April and a requested greenway easement was sent to the acquisition committee.
Items approved by the board included an increase by the Nashville Parks Foundation of an in‑kind grant for the Watkins Park pump track phase 2 project from $200,000 to $600,000 (no Metro Parks matching funds required), a transfer of ownership of the Centennial Park train monument to the Nashville Steam Preservation Society for restoration and reinstallation, a Metro Historical Commission marker at Fort Negley for the Bass Street community (funded by the Historical Commission’s participatory budget allocation), and a Cumberland River Compact amendment increasing bathroom renovation estimates from $8,000 to $22,000 at the Metro Parks Quonset Hut in Shelby Park with the Compact responsible for maintenance.
The board accepted Friends of Shelby Park and Bottoms’ in‑kind grant valued at approximately $150,000 to complete a one‑mile walking loop around Lake Severe and approved an additional $698,972 to the Centennial Park Conservancy master plan support grant to underwrite construction and pathways. The Community Review Board’s request for two memorial benches was deferred to the naming committee.
On nominations for chair, Shane Foster was nominated but board counsel and members noted the current chair’s service term ends March 30 and reappointment is not yet confirmed; the board voted to defer nominations and the election to the April meeting. Staff also presented a proposed conservation greenway easement to conserve 13.79 acres at 6419 Holt Road in Antioch; the easement was deferred to the acquisition committee as required by committee review policies.
All approved items were recorded by voice vote with the board chair calling the ayes; specific mover and seconder names were not recorded on the transcript for most items.