Mayor Haslam and Mayor Ragsdale hosted the third annual Mayors' Luncheon for the Parks on Wednesday, October 21 at the newly expanded Tommy Schumpert Park in north Knox County.
Ms. Carol Evans - Executive Director of the Legacy Parks Foundation was the emcee for the event. UT Lady Vols Coach Pat Summitt was the featured speaker. David Keith - actor and spokesperson for the National Association to Protect Children introduced Coach Summitt. The luncheon celebrated the recent accomplishments of the Legacy Parks Foundation and also highlighted what the Foundation hopes to do in the future.
The Legacy Parks Foundation was established in 2005 to assure that our community enjoys exceptional recreational opportunities, natural beauty and open spaces and that those assets exist for generations to come.The Legacy Parks Foundation tries to bridge the gap between what government can afford to do and the resources it takes to create the best possible park and recreational system.
The Legacy Parks Foundation has Five Areas of Focus:
Preserve our Ridges & Views Connect our Greenways Maintain the Health of & Access to Our Waterways Create Recreational Opportunities for the Underserved Exceed the National Average for Public Parks & Green Space
The Legacy Parks Foundation has initiated the Knoxville Urban Wilderness and Historic Corridor by working to acquire the land where Fort Stanley and Fort Higley are located. This is an effort to create a 1,000-acre corridor along the south side of the river containing three civil war forts, historic buildings and diverse ecological and recreational features linked to the South Waterfront by a system of greenways and trails. This corridor would be within view of downtown Knoxville and would be a tremendous addition not only to the South Waterfront but to the entire city.
In the short time the Legacy Parks Foundation has been in existence it has already made significant contributions to the city's Parks and Recreation Department. Two years ago it accepted the donation of 104 acres in South Knoxville, known as the Georgia Marble Quarry, to add it to the neighboring Ijams Nature Center.Legacy also worked on the private fundraising effort for the city's skatepark and is involved in the fundraising effort for the Fountain City Skatepark. It has also acquired the property adjacent to where the Fountain City Skatepark will be built.
Legacy Parks Foundation is a non-profit and depends on its supporters to achieve its mission.