News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Cookeville should look at an indoor aquatic facility, better uses for the Ensor Sink Natural Area, and an extension of the rail trail to Monterey.
Those among the recommendations in the city’s 10-year recreation plan. Nashville-based consultant group Kimley-Horn presented the draft plan Monday night with an assessment of the Leisure Services department and both short-term and long-term goals.
Kimley-Horn consultant Alisha Eley said it was Cookeville’s community engagement that was most critical to the results of the findings for the first draft.
“That guided us through a lot of the recommendations as we were looking for options for some improvements with Mr. Woods, a lot of that was going back to the public survey said,” Eley said. “We had over 1,600 responses, which at that time was the most we had ever gotten. We generally shoot for about 500.”
The 1,600 responses represented more than 4,100 people as part of that response. 35 to 50 year olds was the biggest age group responding. Using the survey data, Kimley-Horn was able to determine the biggest wants of the community. When asked what type of facilities they would want to add to Cookeville, one of the most-repeated answers from the survey was a desire for a pool or aquatic facility.
Among the short-term recommendations in the plan are adding a large pavilion to Cane Creek Park, examining long-term programming for young children and senior citizens at Cane Creek Recreation Center, considering gates or fencing at Cinderella Park, and updating parking near the Heart of the City Playground.
Long-term recommendations for Cookeville Leisure Services include
- Adding an indoor aquatic facility or a small outside splash pad at Cane Creek Recreation Center
- Expand the Cookeville Performing Arts Center
- Consider better usage plan for the Ensor Sink Natural Area
- Adding weight-lifting facilities at Cane Creek Recreation Center.
- Create a lake management plan to increase the health of the lake at the City Lake Natural Area
- Expand and or relocate the Cookeville History Museum and set aside money for restoration
- Better integrate the CPAC property with Dogwood Park once the police department moves.
- Extend the rail trail to Monterey.
- Complete a master plan for the Franklin Avenue Park
The authors of the report said Cookeville “has a strong core of assets upon which to build.” However, among similar size communities, Cookeville ranked well-below in total number of parks. Cookeville has 10 parks compared with 17 in Morristown or 29 in Germantown. Cookeville outranked both communities in full-time staff equivalents and total budget.
Eley said the health of the Leisure Services programs also provided a strong base to build the plan. 44 percent of Leisure Services programs were growing, another 44 were mature with just 12 percent declining.
Walking trails were by-far the most used items in the current list of resources, Eley said, which is not surprising since it interests the most people.
The plan used the Cookeville 2030 plan, the 2017 Envision Cookeville plan, among five documents for background. The Kimley Horn staff visited each of the existing facilities and talked with Leisure Services staff.
Kimley-Horn is asking for feedback from the community about the first draft through June 7th. The group said their current plan is to present the city with a final draft by July 15th.
City Council Member Laurin Wheaton asked the city manager to schedule a work session so the council could provide its input.
