Plan calls for nature park, rec parks, retrofit of Town Centre

SMYRNA — The Parks Department has done a good job of providing the essentials, but should add more programing, a consultant said.
Doug Tennant, a planner with Barge, Waggoner, Sumner and Cannon, the firm hired to draft the parks department's second master plan, said Smyrna has been successful in completing 80 percent of the plan it launched in 1995. The town has the "meat and potatoes" part, meaning playing fields, down to a science, he said.


"That usually happens with most systems. The leagues grow, then programs need to be developed," Tennant said during a parks planning meeting this week.
He said the programming sector is important as it can help the town embrace people of all backgrounds and ethnicities.
"A diversity of programs means a diversity of participants," he added.
Once drafted, the master plan will guide the direction of Smyrna's parks system until 2016.
More than 4,200 people take part in Smyrna's youth soccer, basketball, baseball, football and softball leagues and an adult softball league. With upwards of 1,200 members, North Rutherford Soccer is the largest league.
When it comes to providing facilities, the department looks at the town's population, when it really should consider a marketplace, said Tennant.
"You're building facilities for people that don't pay taxes here. That's a hard thing to do," he said.
Parks Director Mike Moss said about 35 percent of league participants live outside the city. About 750,000 people visit Smyrna's parks each year.
Because Smyrna is growing geographically, resident Gary Richmond doesn't want the master plan to cause the town to overbuild any recreational facilities. But he said a second large park like Lee Victory Recreation Park on Sam Ridley Parkway is needed.
"Victory Park is good, but it gets saturated quickly," said Richmond.
Lee Victory Recreation Park is home to the adult softball, youth football and junior baseball leagues. Close to 1,600 people participate in those leagues.
Tennant presented a plan that divides Smyrna into three large zones to service the northern, central and southern areas of town. The plan drafted in 1995 split the town into eight zones.
He recommended a nature-based community park in the north zone, which goes out West Jefferson Pike and onto State Route 840. Because Smyrna's town limits end at West Jefferson Pike and Stones River, that area is designated as an urban growth boundary. Two smaller community parks and a multipurpose recreation park, all to be located near Almaville Road, were recommended for the southern zone.
In the heart of Smyrna, Tennant said, the Town Centre could be renovated to serve as a community center, similar to Murfreesboro's Patterson Park Community Center . The adjacent tennis courts could be covered and converted to an indoor complex, and the pool could remain an outdoor facility. Though a gymnasium could be added, space would still be available to host receptions and meetings, he said.
"You've got four walls and a roof. I think you could save a lot of money" by converting the Town Centre and not building a separate indoor facility, Tennant said .
The Town Centre was built in 1986 and approximately 77,000 people visit its fitness center and pool annually.
Debbie Hines, Smyrna Junior Basketball League president, said when the league begins play Dec. 2 it will use gyms at four county schools around town simultaneously.
"At the end of 10 years, a six-court indoor facility is reasonable," she said.
Resident Virginia Travis endorsed Tennant's preliminary plan.
"It sounds like it's open to creativity and can keep Smyrna known for athletics," she said.
A third community meeting is being planned. Those unable to attend Tuesday's meeting can still give input by downloading a survey from the town's Web site, www.townofsmyrna.org, or by contacting Smyrna Parks and Recreation at 459-9773.