Algood Awaits Information For Park Grant

The City of Algood needs further direction to move forward with the park master plan development.

Keith Morrison is the City Administrator.

“The park grant, we are waiting for further direction. Tennessee Department of Health is in charge of that grant and asked for additional paperwork from us, which we have submitted,” Morrison said. “I did hear from UCDD today and he anticipates that within the next few weeks we will begin moving forward with that grant for the park master plan development. So hopefully we will be able to move forward with that soon.”

Morrison said he did not believe the grant process will take much longer to set the master plan in motion.

“I think ours is going to be a high priority because we have the land and we didn’t ask for a lot,” Morrison said. “We asked for the 50 thousand dollars to do the master plan. My anticipation is that we should, hopefully, be able to move forward with that by August or September at the latest.”

After TDEC finalizes the grant, the city can put out bids for designing the park, Morrison said.

“There will have to be a bidding process for some kind of design firm, I haven’t gotten all the specific details. That is what I am hoping to have in the next two weeks,” Morrison said. “Of what we will have to do and how we will have to lay that out. And what they expect us to do to meet the requirements of the grant. It is a fairly new grant, so they are still working through some of those factors.”

Morrison said, once a design firm is awarded the bid, there will be a period of consultations between the council and the firm.

“I have a feeling they are going to have to come back before the council a couple of times to tweak the plans. Like ‘Hey here are some recommendations and here are some options. Which way do you want to go?’ So I anticipate that to take a couple of months,” Morrison said. “And we should have that master plan developed and have everything laid out and worked out. My guess would be between October and December.”

The future 22 plus acre park will be located on Main Street just before Thompson Lane. Planning for the park centers around resident recommendations.

The city held a number of public meetings last year for resident input.