Lee Visits Chattanooga to talk Economy, State Parks
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee walking a trail at Booker T. Washington State Park.
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- Tennessee Governor Bill Lee was in the Scenic City today and made two stops.
One stop he made was at the Booker T. Washington State Park.
That park is 85 years old and was initially created as a segregated park for Chattanooga’s African-American community.
It has gone through many changes through the years, but officials hope a renewed focus on conservation will encourage visitation growth at the park.
The Deputy Commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Enviroment and Conservation, Greer Tidwell, said, “Well it’s obvious from the investments we’re making in Booker T. Washington that this is a critically important park.”
Governor Lee led a delegation on a tour of one the oldest parks in the city.
He got to see a community center, pavilion, and a brand new quarter mile trail designed for A-D-A access.
The ADA Coordinator and Facilities Construction Director, Don Tate, said, “We want to bring in people to the park system, especially this park, but not just this park, all of our parks.”
That new trail is part of a larger effort to improve the state park system.
Governor Lee said, “We’ve put almost a half billion dollars in this year’s state budget to improve and upgrade and restore parts of our state park system across the state.”
Commissioners believe that upgrades are essential to the park’s future, but will the once popular swimming pool be a part of one of those upgrades? (:38-:50)
Commissioner Tidwell responded to that by saying, “In terms of outdoor recreation, of course the dock is wide open on the weekends as well as throughout the week, and people are out here enjoying the lake and the water all the time. We’ll continue to look at what are the next best things to bring.”
Although no confirmed plans include a renovated pool, there will be a new hub.
Commissioner Tidwell said, “(We) are to build out a very nice event center, it’s planned to be able to hold about 200 people. So more weddings, more family reunions, more anniversaries for grandma and grandpa can happen.”
That event center does not have an announced complete date yet.
Governor Lee also spoke at the Governor’s Conference where he spoke about the state of Tennessee’s economy.
He had a question and answer session with Stuart McWhorter, the commissioner of Tennessee’s Economic and Community Development Department.
The Governor touted what he sees as the state’s economic successes, particularly in rural areas.
Governor Lee said, “I’m thinking now about the next 25 years, I’m starting to think, “I’m going to be out of here in the next three years, or three and a half, basically three years, and whether the fact of I want to be doing wanna be doing right now based on the fact that I don’t get to do this forever.”
The appearance by the Governor wrapped up the two day conference which featured speakers from across the state.
