Johnson City Parks and Recreation
A Walk in the Park Your Parks and Recreation Connection
Special points of interest: ~ One-of-a Kind Playground Opens ~ Administration Highlights ~ Athletic Division Highlights ~ Park Services Division Highlights ~ Recreation Services Highlights - Kudos Corner ~ Dashboard
Wall of Fame Banquet November 8, 2018 6 p.m. Memorial Park Community Center
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One-of-a-Kind Playground Opens! About 100 children stood behind a yellow ribbon near Carver Recreation Center’s new playground last week, shifting their weight from side to side and shielding their eyes from the sun until the ceremonious barrier was cut and they finally were allowed to sprint onto the colorful equipment. Johnson City officials declared the state-of-the-art structure open on Aug. 29, bringing to life a longawaited outdoor amenity for the historic community-service facility. “This is designed to be our most challenging playground,” said Sam Miller, JC Parks Recreation Services manager. “It’s meant to encourage imaginative play – meaning there is no one way to utilize its features. It is also physically challenging, requiring balance and core strength.” Johnson City Parks and Recreation Director James Ellis said the playground’s completion is a benchmark within the city’s long-range plan to improve playgrounds. North Carolina-based Playworld Preferred manufactured the equipment. The company named this new model type “Branch Out,” and Carver is the first location in Tennessee to have it. The playground includes designated areas for ages 2-5 and 5-12, and features several handicapped accessible components.
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Administration Highlights ~
Lakeside Concert Series - This year’s series attendance totaled 3,876 , which is a 682 increase over last season. This year’s number did not include the Johnson City Symphony concert which was moved to Memorial Park Community Center.
Liberty Bell Tennis Center - Pete Zannis fundraising committee are finalizing plans for submittal. The department has committed to provide Paul Zanoni to assist with column work and pavers.
Carver Park - A LPRF matching grant in the amount of $200,000 has been awarded to the department for construction of a splash pad. A mandatory grant meeting is scheduled for Oct. 3 in Farragut, Tenn.
National Recreation and Parks Congress will be held in Indianapolis Sept. 24-27. Several staff members will be attending.
Metro-Kiwanis Chief Junaluska sculpture - the parks director has spoken with the original artist regarding the repairs. A recommendation is being developed.
Liberty Bell Tennis Center - Pete Zannis project, Paul Zanoni will be providing assistance with the column work and pavers for the project.
Athletics Division Highlights ~
Adult fall softball has 42 teams registered.
Fall you soccer began on Sept. 11 with 1,150 participating in the program.
Adult and youth basketball registration begins Oct. 1. Games will begin Dec. 3.
Park Services Division Highlights ~
A Walk in the Park
Rotary Park - estimated cost for main entrance fencing is $18,000, which would totally enclose the park when completed. The splash pad officially closed on Labor Day.
Civitan and Winged Deer Parks - field maintenance continues.
Lions Park - painting and structural repairs are underway.
City school practice fields - Roger Cox presented the plan of work to the Park Advisory Board on Sept. 12.
Kermit Tipton Stadium - Prep work for football season
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Recreation Services Division ~
Memorial Park Community Center - The Johnson City Symphony concert was Sept. 9 with approximately 300 in attendance. Pool decks and back entrance has been pressure washed and Osborne Electric has completed lighting repairs throughout the center. Arts and Crafts room flooring has been refinished. The teen room at Keystone Community Center is being stocked and ready for use. Dolly and Me Tea Party had 1o participants. Two new fitness classes were added this month, Bells and Barre and WERQ as well as a treasure hunt program and toddler/preschool classes. Start Smart basketball began Sept. 15 with 20 enrolled. Hidden Heroes Retreat was held on Sept. 15 with 20 families participating. The Adaptive Recreation class continues to grow with 40 participants.
Carver Recreation Center started their 60th year anniversary programs on Sept. 16 with a dinner for dignitaries and the reading of a proclamation. Month-long activities included basketball, yesteryear tributes, high school and community tributes, free lunch for first responders, school bus drivers and mass transit, a community memorial event, dinner for Science Hill High School football coaches, staff and team and a meal with family and friends at the Daniel Boone/Science Hill football game which included a halftime tribute for Bob “Snake” Evans, coach from 1967-1977. The celebration ended with a community festival on Sept. 22.
Nature - Connie Deegan participated in the Meet the Mountains Festival leading two hikes: Buffalo Mountain Sunrise Hike with six participants and Jacob’s Park at Sinking Creek with 18 hikers. The tree arboretum signage at Jacob’s Nature Park at Sinking Creek is complete, matching 30 identified trees to a pollinator support item that the tree provides. A pollinator value fact for each tree was also completed. This information will be placed on future tree identification signs for the park. Nature programs were presented to 117 children from Coalition for Kids and at 45 children at the Xtreme Kids Nature Rally held at Roan Mountain State Park. Sam Droege, a nationally known native bee expert and TED Talk speaker, visited the Tri-Cities area on his bee collecting travels, doing two programs at Jacob’s Nature Park at Sinking Creek. One was for area naturalists and instructors from local colleges and universities. He also stepped in as a guest lecturer for an ETSU entomology class in the park. Finally, he spent an afternoon with an ETSU Professor and the nature program coordinator in some prime bee areas as we added to his collection.
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Golf Highlights ~
Johnson City Parks & Recreation 4137 Bristol Hwy. 4137 Bristol Highway Johnson City, TN 37601 Johnson City, Tennessee 37601 Phone: Phone: 423-283-5815 423-283-5815 Fax: 423-283-5829 Fax: 423-283-5829 Email: jcparksinfo@johnsontn.org Website: www.johnsoncitytn.org
Golf course employees assisted with spraying and shrub trimming at Freedom Hall.
Hosted the following activities: University High tryouts, Tri-Cities Pro-am (182 participants), SHHS match and a SHHS soccer fundraiser.
Installed drainage to bunkers at hole #8, #4 and #18, sodded #1 and #3 tees and added new planter bed at #1 tee. Weed control application was also performed. Fungicide application was conducted on the greens. Sod work was completed on new green and tee at the Learning Center.
Drainage improvement project began on hole #7.
Upcoming Events September 28: Memorial Park Community Center - Teenage Manhunt
October 25: Winged Deer Park - Park Advisory Board Meeting
September 28-30: Winged Deer Park - USA Play for the Cure
October 26: Memorial Park Community Center - Pumpkin Swim
October 1: Athletics - youth and adult basketball registration begins
October 26-28: Winged Deer Park - Future Stars of Sports Halloween Classic
October 5: Senior Services - Friday Night Dance - Limited Edition
October 27: Carver Recreation Center - Halloween Festival
October 5-7: Winged Deer Park - Co-ed softball tournament
October 27: Winged Deer Park - Behold the Bat Hike
October 12-14: Winged Deer Park - USA No Place Like Home Classic October 31: Athletics - Youth basketball registration ends October 19: Senior Services - Friday Night Dance - Big Band Theory November 1: Memorial Park Community Center - Pickleball Clinic October 19-21: Winged Deer Park - USA Halloween Havoc
November 2-4: Winged Deer Park - NSA World Series Tournament
October 20: Memorial Park Community Center - Super Spooky Saturday
November 8: Memorial Park Community Center - Wall of Fame Banquet
October 25: Memorial Park Community Center - Touch a Truck Trunk or Treat