News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Jackson County will soon begin upgrades to the Roaring River Park.
Jackson County Mayor Randy Heady said a $60,000 TDEC grant will help pay for planning and design. He said because of COVID shutdowns the county is about 2-months behind on the grant’s public feedback requirement.
“It’s a 10-year plan,” Heady said. “So we find out over then next 10-years what the people of the county want. What are the needs and where are the resources that we’re lacking. Are there some areas of the county where we can improve upon the natural resources and maybe improve upon some parks and recreational things the county right now is missing out on.”
Heady said putting plans together helps fulfill a requirement needed to lease additional land for the Roaring River Park. He said to secure the lease from the Corps of Engineers, the county needs a 10-year plan on paper for the land.
“There’s plenty of acreage over to try to lease from the Corps,” Heady said. “And that’s not something that can get done overnight. It takes time to get that lease done, and the first thing you have to have for the Corps to even talk to you about a lease is a Plan On Paper: what is your goals for the next 10-years for the property you’re going to lease? You actually have to have that on paper so they can see that and visualize it and approve it. Everything that is done on Corps land, even though you have a lease, you have to get it approved.”
Although the planning and design should help get the Roaring River Park project moving, Heady said it will also benefit the rest of the county, as well. He said Jackson County has a number of communities that could benefit from having parks.
“This is not just one specific plan,” Heady said. “It will be looking at Gainesboro needs and Jackson County needs. This will include Roaring River Park and all the other various places in the county, whether that be Granville, Dodson Branch, Gladdice, or whatever is feasible.”
Heady said one requirement of the grant seeks to hear from the community. He said the public is welcome to give input into what residents would like to have in a park.
“The whole thing with this is you engage the community, and you find out what the community wants and needs,” Heady said. “That’s the whole purpose of the plan.”
Jackson County previously received a $50,000 grant from Tennessee’s ThreeStar Grant program last year to also help get the park planned. Heady said he hoped moving forward with plans with community input will help pinpoint where wants, needs, and resources exist.
“I’m hoping to get the interest of the public,” Heady said. “We have renewed energy here in the community. In spite of the pandemic we’re going through, we still have excitement, and I’m hoping we can generate more of that and get something in place, get it on paper, and be able to, with that plan, start implementing parts of that plan.”
Even though he knows his voice is just one of many in the community, Heady said he envisions a Roaring River Park that can be a place where multiple generations of families can come together. He said he would like to see a space where both children and adults can be active.
“I envision a really nice playground down there with a splash pad,” Heady said. “There’s a walking track that’s not just in a circle and maybe have a cross-walk in the middle of it to make a shorter walking track so you could keep your eyes on you kids. If they’re playing you can be out exercising. Hopefully we could put some kind of botanical garden in there. Just something small-scale with some flowers and bushes that are real pretty. People like my wife like to look at that kind of thing.”
