KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A one-of-a-kind park designed to serve as a gathering spot for the public and a tribute to the service of military veterans is taking shape.
“I'm excited about it starting and I'll be more excited when it's finished, which should only be a few months,” said David Martin.
He is a major donor to the project and a longtime supporter of the nonprofit behind the effort, Legacy Parks Foundation.
“We all know what happened to construction costs over the last couple of years. So we have a little more (money) to raise. And we've had everyone say we need to commit to this. This is too important a park to delay any longer,” said Carol Evans, Executive Director of Legacy Parks Foundation.
The Veterans Memorial Park will be located at a 13-acre site where construction crews are building walking trails, a pavilion and parking spaces. It's specifically designed as a tribute to military veterans and their families.
“That was at the direction of the veterans groups. They told us what they needed and what they wanted to see in the site. And so we really tried to accommodate those needs for both that place of gathering and celebration, but also commemoration,” said Evans.
The park sits on a bluff overlooking the French Broad River and the East Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery. Some highlights of the project, from the Legacy Parks Foundation's website, is available below.
- A pavilion for gatherings and events to accommodate up to 250 people
- An overlook with a panoramic view of the cemetery and the French Broad River
- A one-eighth-mile ADA memorial walk with service memorial locations
- A reflective garden for more private or smaller gathering
- A natural surface nature trail extending from the overlook and looping through the woods
- A memorial wall to honor individual veterans
In 2020, the Legacy Parks Foundation first announced the fundraising campaign and donations from public and private groups to help jumpstart the now-$1.3 million fundraising goal.
The donations include $250,000 from Knox County, $10,000 from Captain Bill Robinson Chapter of Vietnam Veterans of America, $14,050 from AMVETS Tennessee and $500,000 from the State of Tennessee.
Organizers said they need an additional $200,000 to meet their goal. Once it is finished, the park will be owned and managed by Knox County. It is set to open in the fall of 2024.