DUANE SHERRILLEditor

The Tullahoma Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted unanimously to seek a $400,000 grant to help with a $1.2 million dollar project to improve Johnson Lane Park with a 50/70 field and improved parking that would include a connector of parking lots.

City Administrator Jason Quick said the connector for the parking lots at Johnson Lane fields is very important for traffic flow.

“Not having that roadway connector, you’re putting a lot of pressure on one egress point,” he said. “It is very difficult to come in and out of.”

Parks and Rec Director JP Kraft said the entire project, counting the fields and the road work, would come to $1.2 million with $400,000 coming from the state LPRF grant, if approved. He pointed out there is already $800,000 budgeted for the parking lot which would provide 165 additional spaces. The Sports Council has also vowed to help with the project.

Kraft noted that deadline to apply for the $400,000 LPRF grant is fast approaching.

“This is a good use of our funds,” Kraft said. “Why not go after some free state dollars to finish the park?”

Kraft said the connector road is very important to the facility as they have had 22 travel tournaments at Johnson Lane this year.

“The parking lot at Johnson Lane softball is just not big enough,” Kraft said. “This lot would be shared. That way soccer could use it, baseball and softball could use it. Also with that grant money hopefully we could bump that one lane road up to a two lane road.”

Kraft said he would like to apply for the grant so the city could get more bang for the buck when taking on the Johnson Lane project.

“The worst they can say is no,” Kraft told the board in asking permission to apply for the LPRF grant.

Jimmy Bratcher, who is president of the Tullahoma Area Baseball and Softball organization, spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting of the board of mayor and aldermen and was in full support of improvements planned for the Johnson Lane Recreational Complex.

“The addition of parking is much, much needed,” he told the board. “Anyone who has spent time there knows the parking situation. It’s overflowed and you’ve got cars circling the parking lot looking for parking.”

He said that most importantly it is about planning ahead as Johnson Lane is a major hub for youth sports.

While supporting the plan wholeheartedly, Alderman Kurt Glick had issues with the path of the improved road, pointing out it is set to go through the middle of the complex rather than around the perimeter.

“If you have a road going through the middle of the park then you’ll have kids running across the road,” he said. “If we can do it another way, that’d be good.”

Quick said they could go back to the engineer to see if it’s feasible.