KYLE MURPHYStaff Writer

As the soccer season kicks off into things, those going to Johnson Lane Park for the games now have access to the new restrooms and concessions pavilion.

The project was approved back in February 2024 by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen for C&H Commercial Contractors, LLC to construct the restrooms and concessions pavilion near the soccer fields at Johnson Lane Park, with the official ground breaking for the project following in April 2024.

After nearly a year of construction, city officials held a grand opening for the pavilion Saturday, March 29, and just in time for the opening day celebrations for both Tullahoma Soccer Association and Tullahoma Cal Ripken Baseball.

Parks and Recreation Director J.P. Kraft thanked the city board, Tullahoma Soccer Association President Jonathan Carroll and others for their partnership in helping to make the pavilion a reality.

“ This new facility not only provides a restroom concession facility for soccer, but also a place for team meetings, team meals, award presentations, simply shelter from the rain we’re having today or the sun,” Kraft said. “This facility completes our park.”

He added that the new pavilion sets the stage for other events such as programs and events that Parks and Rec can host that it has never been able to host before.

“Parks and recreation has changed over the years, and now we do a lot of sports tourism,” Kraft said.

Kraft said he’s been asked about the cost of the facility, and pointed out that over a third of the cost was to bring in water, sewer and electricity to that particular remote area of the park. He added that the pavilion was more than “just bathrooms.”

“We could have done is just built a prefab restroom facility. We did not want to do that,” Kraft said. “We thought about things we’re gonna need tomorrow, things that Tullahoma’s gonna need.”

Kraft then thanked C& H Construction for building the facility and the Tullahoma High School Drafting Class, led by instructor Randy Edwards, for taking his drawings and concepts into a blueprint to show to C&H Construction.

“Those kids were very instrumental in making this dream come true,” Kraft said.

Kraft then welcomed Aldermen and former Parks and Rec Director Kurt Glick to make a few remarks. Glick gave a brief history of the park and how it started in the late 1990s with the softball field with then director Joe Moon, and then when he was director he oversaw the construction of the soccer fields as the soccer league didn’t have a permanent soccer field to play on, and had to play at various fields. With the help of then Tullahoma Soccer Association President Joel Wood, parks and rec were able to complete with the expansion of four tournament-sized soccer fields in 2007.

Glick said he agreed with Kraft that the pavilion helps complete part of the process, Johnson Lane Park wasn’t just yet complete.

“As you see, there’s a lot of other park land out here that will sustain future growth, and that’s what we want,” Glick said.

Glick then touched on the recent discussions held at city hall regarding the prospect establishing the Arnold Heritage and Innovation Center and the possibility of using Waggoner Park as a location, which has since been dismissed by all parties. He said he was against taking park areas to make other fields because they need the parks for future growth.

“You never know what kind of facilities you’ll need, but we do know we’re gonna need more all the time as the population grows, as there’s more kids playing sports,” Glick said. “Everything you see is a work in progress, and this is an excellent completion to this portion of the park.”

Next to speak was Carroll, and he said the Tullahoma Soccer Association has about 350 kids for the season, and 150 kids for their travel club. He said soccer is a growing sport, and noted that the U.S. is set to hose the FIFA World Cup in 2026.

“That’s the largest sports event in the world, and the state has been adamant, ‘what are you doing to grow the game?’ And I just appreciate the city and the partnership cause this is what we’re doing to grow the game,” Carroll said.

Since moving to Tullahoma a decade ago, Carroll said he and his family have volunteered to spend 20 hours a week to help grow soccer in the community, and he thanked everyone in parks and rec for all they’ve done for both helping the nonprofit organization and for helping to maintain the soccer fields.

The final person to speak was Wood, who thanked the city for asking him to come to the grand opening as he was part of some the other parents who got involved early on to help build the soccer fields.

“There’s a lot of people that have a lot of devotion to make things happen,” Wood said. “This is just an example of what they can do if they just stick with them no matter how long.”

He finished by stating he appreciated all the effort and funding that was put in to make the pavilion happen.

Kraft concluded the grand opening by stating it took a lot of people to make the pavilion and fields happen, and thanked his staff for helping him to make sure that the parks in Tullahoma have the best facilities for the community.