Parks departments in the northeast Shelby County suburbs are preparing for an aggressive 2023, with some already planning big projects for the years ahead.

State grant opportunities, critical for funding larger-ticket parks and recreation projects, require that municipalities have an updated 10-year master plan to qualify for funding consideration. The grants, which can total up to $500,000 per project, are awarded every two years. 

Bartlett, Lakeland officials look ahead to 2023

Lakeland completed a new parks and recreation master plan last summer, Arlington’s should be finished by next month, and Bartlett will start on a new such master plan this year.

Arlington

The Town of Arlington has delayed planning new parks and rec projects over the past year until a master plan is completed. It will be the first plan of its type ever created for the town.

“The master plan is long overdue,” Arlington Parks and Recreation Director Lee Upchurch said. “We’re waiting on it to be finished and should have that next month. Every municipality does one. It’s good for 10 years, and most municipalities have it done every five.”

Once it is done, the town can apply for grant funds to help address its most pressing needs.

Earlier this month, emergency funds were approved by the Arlington Board of Mayor and Aldermen to fix the deteriorating playground surface at Forrest Street Park.

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“Hopefully in the next 30 to 45 days we can go ahead and get that done,” Upchurch said. “It wasn’t built exactly the way it needed to be for so much traffic, so we’re going to go in and do it the right way.”

He expects more recreation development on the south side of the Interstate 40 interchange in the coming years as more homes and schools are built.

“There is a lot to ask for in the coming three to five years,” said Upchurch, who noted that the town is trying to purchase more land for potential parks. They also are pursuing the possibility of Arlington residents donating land.

Bartlett

Bartlett officials hope to create a new 10-year parks and recreation master plan this year, replacing the 2007 version. 

“It’s really going to drive all future projects,” Shan Criswell, Bartlett Parks and Recreation Director, said. “Our residents are going to be involved and that’s going to help steer which direction we take next.”

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She hopes that state grant funds made possible with the new master plan will help fund the completion of the Freeman Park vision.

“That (is) what has enabled us to do the first three phases of the Freeman Park master plan,” Criswell said.

The next phases are likely to include an amphitheater and disc golf course. Community input will help determine those, but the projects would not happen until at least 2024.

Extensive work to fix Stoneridge Lake on Altruria Road could start in July.

“We have looked at all different options, and the best one is going to be to drain the lake. We’re going to try to get as much of the wildlife out as we can, and then we’re going to reshape the lake and fix the erosion problems,” Criswell said.

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She expects completion of the work done by August.

The city is also continuing its work to bring all parks and recreation spaces in compliance with modern Americans with Disabilities Act regulations.

To do so at Shadowlawn Park will be more complicated than originally thought.

“It became apparent that this project will have to be done in phases because of the cost associated with it,” Criswell said. “The restroom sits on top of a hill...so the entire area is going to need to be graded to be able to make it compliant, and then some work needs to be done to the parking lot too.”

Engineers are working on grading plans now.

Lakeland

The city completed its newest parks master plan last summer.

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The biggest project slated for this year involves Phase 2 of the new 100-acre Lakeland Athletic Complex at Memphis Arlington Road and Canada Road. Director Patrick O’Mara said design and engineering for the three baseball diamonds in the complex could take up to 18 months.

Construction would not start until the 2024-25 fiscal year, which begins in July of next year.

Future phases of the complex are likely to include walking and hiking trails, a disc golf course, a skate park and more.

O’Mara has set aside some funds from this year’s budget for a new replacement parking lot at International Harvester Managerial Park.

“When Texas Gas came through and did the realignment in preparation for Canada Road (improvements), they took out our supplemental lot and made it difficult for our larger rentals and events to take place at IH over this last year,” O’Mara said.

He hopes construction on the new parking lot could begin before the start of the summer.

Re-visioning the city’s athletic programs is also a top priority for this year.