Citizens Thinking about Future Red Bank Central Park
One vision of the future Red Bank Central Park presented on the Save Red Bank Central Park Facebook page. This is not an official plan. (Courtesy: Save Red Bank Central Park)
RED BANK, Tenn. (WDEF)- It’s been over a year since a central piece of land in Red Bank was kept in public hands.
The group who advocated for its preservation says there is still work to be done.
The property is at the intersection of Dayton Boulevard and Leawood Avenue in the heart of Red Bank.
It served as an essential piece of the community from 1937 to 2012 as it was initially the high school, and then the middle school.
However, citizens hope this will become an essential centerpiece again.
Save Red Bank Central Park came together in late 2020 to oppose a proposal created by the Red Bank Commission to sell off this piece of land to private development.
The head of the group, Don McKenzie, said, “The commission had a majority of people and a city manager that were interested in the money, and didn’t want to contend with making another park for the people.”
Subsequent elections have flipped the commission to members who turned down that proposal.
McKenzie says some of the new members are more supportive of turning the property into a park.
Red Bank Mayor Hollie Berry told News 12 in an interview back in October that it is one of Red Bank’s goals to have a park within a 10 minute walking distance of every Red Bank resident.
As of now, Red Bank only has 36 acres of its land in public parks, less than one percent of all property in the city.
Due to the lack of public space, the former middle school property has become important for residents like Tim Garren and his dog, Chuck.
Garren said, “To interact with other dogs plus get his exercise you know, there is no other space at all like this. I live in an apartment complex, so this is the only place I have to come with him.”
McKenzie envisions the 12 acres on this site becoming a future hub for the community being right in the center of town.
He said, “We’ve probably had 15 or 20 or 25 different suggestions, such as an arborertium, nature trails, walking paths, an amphitheater for movies, Shakespeare in the Park, concerts, a big pavilion for farmer’s markets and craft fairs. Right now Red Bank has none of those things to any extent.”
They also want to promote what could be the central attraction of the park, a Virginia Pine tree that was recently designated as the largest in the entire state.
Mckenzie said, “It actually scores higher than the current national champion Virginia Pine which is in northern Virginia.”
The future is unclear as the city is currently undergoing a study to determine the best use for the land, but McKenzie says they will be right there advocating.
He said, “Our group has already had success in stopping that sale, so we are on to the next fight which is saving this land permanently.”
The planning process by the city will continue through 2024.
Save Red Bank Central Park encourages Red Bank citizens to contact their commissioners to keep the property as public land and share their ideas for what it could turn into.
