Chattanooga Parks and Outdoors Director Scott Martin is calling for a bold initiative to take the city's parks to the next level.
He said it will not be inexpensive, listing deferred maintenance at current parks at $179 million.
But he said since the famed Riverpark was launched in the 1980s "not much has happened" as far as city parks.
Mr. Martin told members of the City Council that the plan will be to tackle "the elephant a bite at a time." He said he will outline the spending needed year by year for the ambitious program.
His presentation follows a recent planning process involving many stakeholders and park experts.
Mr. Martin advised continuing to update the "signature" parks like Coolidge and Renaissance, while bolstering and adding neighborhood parks as Chattanooga becomes "a city within a park."
He said consideration should be given to utilizing the spacious Enterprise South Park for active sports, not just as a preserve. It is jointly owned by the city and county and is programmed by the county.
The city's park system should include another 644 acres, he said. Mr. Martin said the city owns 550 acres of vacant land that could be put to use for parkland "immediately."
He said 35 percent of Chattanoogans live within a 10-minute walk of a park or trailhead. He said that needs to be upped to 55 percent.
The city has six park acres per 1,000 residents, but should have 10.4 acres, he stated.
Click here to see the presentation.