Chris McKee, president and COO of McKee Foods and sculptor, Alex Paul Loza
Lloyd and Rusty McKee, Sr.
Sculptor Alex Paul Loza takes a selfie
Collegedale Mayor Monty Lloyd
The City of Collegedale and McKee Foods Corporation together held the grand opening of Little Debbie Park at The Commons in Collegedale on Friday. The event marks the culmination of nearly five years of discussion, planning, design and construction.
“As a city, we couldn't be more excited about the opening of Little Debbie Park,” said Morty Lloyd, mayor of Collegedale. “This imaginative space will allow children to play and families to enjoy quality time together. Little Debbie Park will be a wonderful addition to the existing green space in the Collegedale community."
McKee Foods purchased the 10-acre plot of land from Southern Adventist University with a stipulation that the land be donated to the City of Collegedale for use as a park designed with people of all capabilities in mind and including open green spaces for the community to enjoy.
“The McKee family has always encouraged people to go outside and enjoy nature,” said Rusty McKee, senior vice president of Stewardship for McKee Foods. “Preserving this green space and building this park is one of the best gifts for our community today and for future generations.”
The park is anchored by a beautiful pavilion that is open on three sides. This pavilion includes multiple picnic tables, restrooms, running water and electricity. Several smaller pavilions dot the landscape. In addition to multiple swing structures, the park features an inclusive playground, benches, block seating, swing structures and picnic tables. The park connects to the existing greenway. There are more than 80 parking spots available and two bicycle racks.
The landscaping, performed by Ooltewah Nursery & Landscaping, features all trees, shrubs and flowers native to Tennessee. These plantings populate a large hill, two knolls and two storm water ponds. There are enough different plant species to classify the park as an arboretum.
"The City of Collegedale is ecstatic about the opening of the Little Debbie Park,” said Wayon Hines, city manager for Collegedale. “This incredibly generous donation is a perfect addition to our park system and will be an amazing benefit to the community for decades to come. The Little Debbie Park is beautiful, and the playground is spectacular. We cannot wait for the community to enjoy it."
Several Chattanooga-based businesses were involved in the park’s development. Designers from Barge Design Solutions Inc. and Tinker MA LLC worked with PlayCore to cultivate the park’s plan. Construction was executed by P&C Construction.
Featured events included brief remarks from speakers representing the City of Collegedale and McKee Foods, a ribbon-cutting to open the park and the unveiling of the Little Debbie sculpture created by local artist, Alex Paul Loza.