Clay Searching For Recreation Consultant

Clay County working with UCDD to find a consultant that can help them design a master plan for parks and recreation.

UCDD Community Development Planner Megan Reagan said they need a consultant to conduct needs assessments, determine the feasibility of different ideas, and gather community input that can be incorporated into plans. Reagan said their consultant will create a large document showing what the county has, what it is missing, and what it should do to move forward in terms of recreation.

“We advertised in the newspaper,” Reagan said. “We posted on the Tennessee Governor’s Office for minority and women-owned businesses for a, to seek diverse candidates. We have directly solicited some well-known firms.”

Reagan said they are now waiting for firms to reach out to them with a statement of qualifications. Reagan said they will meet with the county’s special steering committee created for the master plan to choose a firm by mid-November.

“We will talk to the firm and the person who will be heading up the master plan and setting up a meeting with them and the steering committee,” Reagan said. “And then we’ll talk about what needs to be done, how the community can help with it.”

Reagan said having a parks and recreation master plan will allow the county to be eligible for much more funding from the state’s Department of Environment and Conservation as well as from various federal and foundation grants.

“They like to see some kind of planning component so you’re not just shooting in the dark,” Reagan said. “They want to see that this has really been thought out, the project is feasible, and that the community has had a chance to provide input on it.”