KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Knoxville leaders were near Baker Creek Monday afternoon to commemorate the opening of a new amenity for a nearby bike park.
The Baker Creek Preserve Pavilion was a $2.6 million project to build more amenities adjacent to the Baker Creek Bike Park. The park is located at the gateway to the city's Urban Wilderness — an expansive network of trails and outdoor activities that include Ijams Nature Center, the Gateway Park, the Forks of the River Wildlife Management Area and Baker Creek.
The pavilion includes new restrooms, picnic tables, hardscape areas, a water-filling station and more parking spaces. It's located at 1530 Taylor Road, near a cafe area and a restaurant built out of a former Baptist church built in the 1930s.
That restaurant and nearby amenities were part of a Baker Creek Bottoms development project. The city also built a sidewalk near the pavilion connecting nearby homes, businesses, and a middle school to the Baker Creek Pavilion site.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony is started at around 4 p.m.