The City of Knoxville will hold a ribbon-cutting celebrating the recently completed renovation of Inskip Pool and Park at 10 a.m., Tuesday, September 27.

The park is located at 4204 Bruhin Road and was renovated with a portion of Pilot Corporation's generous gift to the City of Knoxville's Parks and Recreation Department in late 2008 as part of the company's 50th anniversary celebration.

"We're grateful to Pilot for its wonderful gift that has helped the city make this a much better park with more to offer. These improvements make a great difference to a lot of people who live in this neighborhood," said Mayor Daniel Brown," and this is just part of what we've been able to do in our park system thanks to Pilot's generosity."

"Pilot is, and always has been, a company that gives back to the community, whether it's to our parks, schools, hospitals or in other areas. We appreciate what they do, we're proud of them, and we're glad Pilot calls Knoxville home," the mayor added.

Carol R. Johnson Associates Landscape Architects developed the park's new design following a series of public meetings to obtain input from local residents.
 
Improvements to the 12-acre park include:

Construction of a large pavilion in the center of the park
Leveling of a previously unusable hillside increasing open space
Construction of a near quarter-mile paved loop greenway
Renovated tennis courts with better access for individuals with disabilities
Mulch trails cut through the property's wooded area Landscaping improvements
Sealing and striping of the parking lot
Fencing changes around the outdoor pool to make more park property accessible to the public

"We are extremely pleased with our newly renovated park in Inskip. Neighborhood parks are the backbone of our park system and any enhancements we can initiate that makes them more inviting to the public is a plus," said Joe Walsh, Director of Parks and Recreation. "We are grateful to Pilot Oil and their willingness to partner with the city to make this renovation a reality."

Design and Construction Services as the contractor for the project and the City Engineering Department monitored progress.

Walsh says Inskip Park is also slated to receive a new playground.

The renovation was completed with $250,000 from Pilot Corporation, part of the company's $1 million gift to Knoxville's parks.

Another $250,000 is being invested in renovations of Morningside Park and $500,000 is being used to preserving land in the 1,000-acre Urban Wilderness Corridor in South Knoxville. The City is currently evaluating proposals for Morningside Park's upgrades.