The City of Chattanooga is seeking residents to serve on the newly created Parks & Outdoors Advisory Committee, which will comprise 15 citizens appointed by Mayor Kelly (6) and the Chattanooga City Council (9). The committee will meet monthly beginning in November, and the city is now accepting applications. Interested residents can apply here.
The purpose of the Parks & Outdoors Advisory Committee is to give residents a platform to bring learnings from across the council districts and to blend those perspectives with city objectives to help inform actions on things like:
- Park maintenance and planning.
- Programming, fee structure, and expanding access to parks and outdoor resources.
- Improving the park system’s ability to identify and engage partners, donors, and community leaders, and to earn national certifications.
More resident engagement means better governance, which means better quality of parks, outdoor spaces, and programming.
Background
Mayor Kelly and the Chattanooga City Council want our city to again get busy building great public parks for all Chattanoogans. The first step was adoption of the first city-wide comprehensive plan for the city’s parks in over 25 years. Following adoption of the Parks and Outdoors Plan, the City Council adopted an ordinance to create the city’s first Parks & Outdoors Advisory Committee.
Eligibility
Parks and Outdoors Committee members will be appointed by their City Council member and Mayor Kelly. Members must be residents of Chattanooga, and at least one member must be under the age of 21, as parks are all about building a better future for all.
This is a great opportunity for anyone who is passionate about Chattanooga’s greatest competitive advantage: our natural assets. Anyone interested in serving on this new volunteer committee is strongly encouraged to submit an application. The City aims to have the Committee’s first meeting occur in November.