KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Legacy Parks Foundation celebrated the opening of Collier Preserve, a 12-acre park located in Powell, with a ribbon-cutting event on Friday.
Officials said the new park is located on land donated to the foundation in 2016 by Dr. Bob and Louise Collier of Powell.
The park provides an ADA walkway, a nature path, a native plants garden, a birding platform, a kayak rest stop on Beaver Creek, and a natural setting for observing wildlife.
According to a press release, the property has been in the Collier family for many generations, serving as the homestead and farm for Dr. Collier’s grandmother, Stella B. Moore, and ancestors before her.
Dr. Collier wished to honor the history of his family’s land by preserving it forever and in 2016, donated the land to Legacy Parks and placed a conservation easement on the property, requiring it to stay in a natural state as a refuge in perpetuity regardless of ownership, officials said.
To honor Dr. Collier’s life and vision, Legacy Parks is taking steps to make Collier Preserve a Level 1 Tennessee Certified Arboretum, a press release states.
The property on which the park is located will be donated to Knox County by Legacy Parks as a public park.
The project was funded by a grant from the State of Tennessee Recreational Trails Program.