Shannon Treece and Sara Greene were first on the Powell pickleball court Thursday following the “official re-opening.” Both are avid pickleball players who are thrilled to have new courts so close to home.

Credit Joseph Mack, senior director of Parks and Recreation for Knox County. He developed a master plan shortly after his appointment by Mayor Glenn Jacobs. He said the plan reflected what residents wanted.

Ribbon-cutting (from left): James Major, Tom Conaway, Joe Mack, Rhonda Lee, Glenn Jacobs, Larsen Jay and Jason Halliburton.

Concurrently, a citizens group called Enhance Powell was pushing for improvements to the county-operated tennis courts behind Powell Middle School. Tracy Heard collected over 100 signatures on a petition to get an outdoor basketball court.

See Steven Goodpaster’s video of the ceremony here.

There were also requests for pickleball courts. Mack said he looked at putting basketball goals in Powell Station Park but he couldn’t see the space. So, Parks & Rec went behind the middle school, took out four dilapidated tennis courts and replaced them with a tennis court, four pickleball courts and a full basketball court.

Mayor Jacobs said spaces like this bring people together. “The courts are for play, but also for connection.”

Commissioner Rhonda Lee said the community is excited. “We love our parks; we love being outside.” Commissioner at-large Larsen Jay also attended.

Powell Courts are located at 3204 Shropshire Boulevard and will be open daily from sunrise to sunset. The courts are first come, first serve. And on-site parking is plentiful.

Plans for Karns

“Thanks, and what’s next?” we asked Joe Mack.

He had just explained that all improvements to Powell Courts had come from the operations budget of Parks & Rec and everything had been built by his maintenance crew. “No grants, no donations, no contractors.”

Jason Halliburton, director of maintenance, did a great job, he said.

Smiling, Mack projected his next improvements will come at Karns. His team will install a dog park near the rugby fields across Oak Ridge Highway from the Karns Senior Center. They will upgrade access to Beaver Creek including installation of an ADA-compliant dock.

If y’all Karns folks are wanting something else, it might be time for a petition or a letter-writing campaign. Karns residents are the backbone of the Beaver Creek Kayak Club.

The Parks & Rec master plan calls for installation of a splash pad at Karns, estimated to cost $500,000; expansion of walking trail including better signage and shade; repair or replace playground structure.

The 198-page master plan is here with every county park listed with priorities rated high or low. My calculator won’t go high enough to total the estimated costs.