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Parks official details multi-year deferred maintenance plan, highlights $13 million Parthenon colonnade rebuild
Summary
Parks assistant director Phil Lockett presented an updated deferred-maintenance list covering paving, roofing, HVAC, playgrounds, bridges, courts and elevators, and estimated about $13 million for a phased Parthenon colonnade rebuild; council members pressed for cost breakdowns and funding plans.
Phil Lockett, assistant director overseeing maintenance for the Metro Parks Department, presented the council with an updated, multi-year deferred maintenance and capital-priorities list on June 2.
Lockett walked council members through categories including paving (rated by a paving condition index), roofing replacement schedules, athletic-field lighting, mechanical/electrical/plumbing work (including HVAC), bridges and boardwalks that require environmental permitting, playground replacement cycles and multiple painting and community-center projects. He said the department separates additions (new amenities) from deferred-maintenance needs and that the packet reflects a three- to five-year planning horizon for many items.
On the Parthenon, Lockett described a structural issue in the colonnade related to historic construction details that allow water intrusion and cause underlying support elements to bend. He said engineers are working on a phased approach that would rebuild and waterproof sections to modern standards and estimated the total project at about $13 million. He said the Parks director has asked the Parthenon conservancy to raise private funds for elements that would change the historic entrance; the department would fund repairs necessary to correct the structural failure.
Council members repeatedly asked for more detailed cost breakdowns. Lockett cited recent projects as comparators — for example, prior restroom/pool-house work that totaled about $700,000, and a Cornelia Fort bathroom project that he estimated at roughly $800,000 — and acknowledged a larger line item in the packet that some members questioned (one spreadsheet line showed a $2.5 million estimate for a larger restroom project). He agreed to provide a breakdown of costs so members could see individual line items (construction, painting, fencing, fixtures, contingency). He also noted an elevator-upgrade plan of roughly $1.2 million staged over three years (about $400,000 per year) to address components entering "legacy mode," which will make replacements harder to source.
Lockett described court resurfacing plans (post-tension concrete where unsuitable soils exist) and said some courts remain closed for safety because cracks had become hazardous. He said several bridges and boardwalks will be rebuilt with longer-lasting materials and that some sites will require special permitting due to environmental sensitivity.
The meeting included questions about funding: Lockett said he will request the FY27 capital ask this fall and that he has not received playground capital money in about two years. He flagged an intention to ask for significant future investments (he mentioned a possible $25 million request to add an indoor pool in West Nashville as part of longer-term community-center planning). Lockett repeatedly promised follow-up information and cost breakdowns to the council.
Votes at a glance: earlier in the meeting the council passed a consent agenda (6-0) that included five items read into the record: RS2026-2010 (amendment to a grant contract for the Senior Tech Academy with the National Public Library and Enterprise Center, Inc.), RS2026-2011 (amendment to a grant contract with Aspiring Youth Enrichment Services and the Nashville AfterZone Alliance), RS2026-202 (a National Parks Foundation grant to Metro Board of Parks and Recreation for Elizabeth Senior Center renovations, contingent on funds), RS2026-203 (application for a CACFP summer food-service grant for Kirkpatrick Community Center), and BL2026-1390 (ordinance designating temporary special event zones downtown for July 2–5, 2026). The consent agenda passed unanimously, with six in favor and none opposed.
Why it matters: the department's deferred-maintenance backlog touches parks that residents use daily (playgrounds, courts, trails and historic facilities). Several items described in the packet require large capital investments, engineering review or environmental permits. Council members asked for more granular cost estimates before committing funds in future capital budget cycles.
What to watch: Parks staff follow up with detailed cost breakdowns, potential grant opportunities for historic repairs and final FY27 capital requests.
