Friends of Rotary Park

This is a service provided to the users of Rotary Park in Clarksville, Montgomery County, Tennessee. It is hosted by Friends of Rotary Park, a newly formed volunteer group that is dilligently working to improve the trail network at the park. This site provides information about current, past, and future trail development.

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Rotary Park is a county-owned natural park in Clarksville, Montgomery County, Tennessee. It consists of two adjoining tracts of land that make up about 95 acres of mostly undeveloped, wooded land. There is one park entrance/exit that is paved and runs to the back of the park. There are three pavilions along the roadway with the largest being at the road's end. Rotary Park has an extensive trail network and is open to hikers and bikers. The new push for extensive trail work is necessary because most trails were improperly built by ATVs and motorcycles. Motorized vehicles are now banned from the park. Furthermore, the trails are showing signs of serious erosion. Most recently, a large amount of sustainable trail located outside of the park's boundary has been taken by development. The Friends of Rotary Park is dedicated to restoring and improving the park. Those interested in joining Friends of Rotary Park can do so by contacting Chris Clark at 931-801-3898. Dues are $25.00 for a family membership.

Friday, February 24, 2006

February 24, 2006

Good news everybody.

First and foremost, a special thanks goes to Ms. Suva Bastin for her generous donation to Friends of Rotary Park. Suva joined the organization and made an additional donation in January. I'm sorry, Suva, that I am just now getting around to giving you the public recognition that you deserve.

Also, I have been in contact with Gary Hamm and things are moving forward with the park. Gary has been working hard to get the park re-opened. Unfortunately, there had been a breakdown in the communications between our group and the county since December's Conservation Board Meeting. I am very happy to say that the bugs have been worked out and the lines of communication are once again open. Gary tells me that the insurance details are worked out and the park facilities will be covered by the county's risk management pool (insurance). Additionally, insurance is going to cover facility upgrades that will make at least one of the restrooms (probably at Pavilion III) A.D.A. compliant.

The county has had three different loggers come and look at the park. All three said that the conditions were too dangerous for them to come in and remove the downed/damaged trees. Gary and the County are actively exploring other options. Furthermore, for those of you worried that the County may sell the park, you can put those worries to rest. Gary tells me that the County has used federal money for funding at Rotary Park. This means the County is prohibited from selling the park unless they provide a similar park with the same amenities. This is way too costly and not going to happen. Gary and I will be meeting in the near future to begin forming the strategic plan for the park's rebirth. Stay tuned.

Also, based on the site counter below, I see that a lot of people are viewing this blog. However, I don't get a lot of feedback. If some of you who are reading this would post a comment or drop me an e-mail with your thoughts I would appreciate it. If you think of ways this site could be improved or provide more useful information, please don't hesitate to let me know. This is a service that Friends of Rotary Park provides for you and I want you to get the most possible from it. Thanks for reading.

Chris

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yay!!! Great news, Chris. I am ready for spring and ready for the park to open again! Any word on volunteers being able to help with the cleanup?

Thanks for keeping the blog up to date and letting us know what is going on.

7:03 AM  

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