Wold was hired by the City of Cookeville’s Leisure Services to provide Master Land Use plans for two of their City parks. Our directive was to develop a site-specific process to upgrade the facilities within each park, to establish an estimated construction budget, and to work with the department in assisting them to secure funding.
The process included walk-through tours of the parks to study existing amenities and facilities’ conditions, meetings with city staff, and community-based planning meetings with stakeholders and citizens to listen to their thoughts and ideas for potential improvements and wish list amenities. From there, master plans were developed, and needs were prioritized and presented to the mayor and city council for consideration.
Following the completion of the land use plans and utilizing the information provided from the public meetings, including community support, the City of Cookeville applied to Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) for funding from the local parks and recreation fund program. Wold assisted the Leisure Services Department in the preparation of the Local Parks and Recreation Fund (LPRF) grant application to the State of Tennessee for the redevelopment and conversion of an abandoned swimming pool into a skate park at Park View Park. Conceptual plans, a rendering, and an opinion of probable cost were included with the application.
Upon receiving approval from the state and being awarded an LPRF grant, the project was able to move forward into design and construction. The skate park itself features quarter pipes ranging from two-and-a-half to four feet, a bowl that ranges from five to eight feet deep, and a street section with hubba ledges, manual pads, and more. The skate park is tied into the community with the addition of the Tri-Star logo prominently displayed in the center. In addition to the skate area a new restroom facility was added and both lawn and concrete areas for viewing around the skate features.