The City of East Ridge held a public meeting on Thursday evening at the Community Center relating to the “conversion” efforts in Camp Jordan Park.
Officials said less than 20 residents showed up to the meeting that was designed to educate residents about the “conversion” and give them an opportunity to weigh-in on whether they favor the process or not. Officials said the residents at the meeting favored the “conversion” almost three-to-one.
The proposal is to use almost 55 acres of donated land on the northwestern border of the park to become part of Camp Jordan Park. That land could be used for hiking and biking trails and other outdoor activities, officials said.
More than a year ago city officials and principals from the Chattanooga Red Wolves soccer team expressed a desire to enter into a public/private partnership where about six acres of Camp Jordan Park would be leased to the Red Wolves for use as a soccer training facility. Officials from the Red Wolves intend to build several structures adjacent to the existing Weldon Osborne Stadium in the northeast corner of the park.
City Attorney Mark Litchford said then that to accomplish this aim, the city would have to acquire land adjacent to the park to replace the six acres that will be under lease. Litchford said that when the park was acquired by the city it accepted a $200,000 Land and Water Conservation Fund grant from the federal government. Under the terms of the grant, if park land was ever converted for another use – such as a soccer practice facility for a private business – the National Park Service required that it be replaced with an equal amount or additional amount of land for public use.
The process has been lengthy and full of red tape, officials said. The forms and documents related to the process – including Thursday night’s public meeting component – will now be forward to the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation for review. If TDEC approves, it will be forwarded to officials from the National Parks Service for final review.
Officials said Friday they are hopeful that the city will get approval to move forward within the next 60 days.
