News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Cookeville Leisure Services Department will apply for a BlueCross Healthy Place grant.
Director Rick Woods said if awarded, they hope to use the funding to develop the old soccer fields at Cane Creek Park.
“The great thing is because we did our 2021 Master Plan, what we saw in looking at the grant criteria and what we have in that layout, it’s such a great fit,” Woods said. “It just really works well for us to be able to apply to this grant.”
Woods said the request would include a large fully accessible playground, splash pad, pickleball courts, tennis courts, and more. He said with the SportsPlex and other uses available for sports, this can open up the land to more recreation activities.
“And the SportsPlex has no place for families to gather when they’re not playing,” Woods said. “This would give them an opportunity to go to the playground or go to the splash pad or have a picnic, or something along those lines that would support the SportsPlex and the activities that happen there. And also support the Recreation Center and the camps and things that happen in the summer.”
The Healthy Place Program recently funded the playground at Baxter Seminary Park. The BlueCross Foundation will provide 100 percent of the funding to develop spaces that help communities connect, form new personal relationships, and enjoy healthy activities. The deadline for application is at the end of August. Woods said he expects to hear back by the end of the year.
Woods said the Leisure Services Department will host a public input meeting on August 23rd to get community feedback on what the community would like to see happen through the grant. He said there will also be an online survey for similar data.
