Public input and grant dollars are fueling Louisville’s park improvements, with several hundred thousand dollars set to enable work on the Poland Creek Campground and Recreation Area and Town Hall Playground.
Town officials have also approved plans for a disc golf course near the town hall.
The plans stem from consultation with citizens obtained while drafting the city’s parks and recreation master plan – a document Mayor Jill Pugh said was necessary to obtain grant money.
During the creation of the plan, town officials asked residents what parks they visited, how they heard about events and what they wanted to see in the future.
That plan was completed in 2024, with residents overwhelmingly citing a draw to nature, playgrounds and walking/running opportunities. By early 2024, Pugh said the town was working to implement it, and now the town has just under $400,000 in combined grants to start bringing those ideas to life.
Improvements to the Town Hall Park – one of the city’s most-visited offerings – aim to meet residents’ requests for items like disc golf and aquatics. A $255,000 grant from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation will fund renovations to the seating area near the playground. It’ll also help install a 1,800-square-foot pavilion alongside ADA improvements and a new entryway.
In the future, a concept plan provided by the town imagines the park equipped with a splash pad.
In December, the town approved a plan to install a nine-hole disc golf course near the back of the park property. The plan will cost $10,000 in engineering fees, but town officials hope to manage the rest in-house. That project, Pugh said, should be completed in 2027. Once completed, it’ll save residents the drive to nearby courses in Maryville or Knoxville.
On the other side of town, a $100,000 grant from the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development will go to repairs at the Poland Creek site – one of the area’s less-visited parks.
When asked how frequently they came to the park, which opens onto Fort Loudoun Lake, residents often indicated they weren’t familiar with the offering. At best, many visited “rarely.”
The coming work could change that.
“It’ll be some grading, gravel and cross ties around the campsite,” Pugh said, “as well as work on the fishing pier and upgrades to the bathhouse.”
Louisville plans construction during the off-season to affect the least number of visitors, with completion aimed for 2027.
The property, which Pugh said originally fell within town limits, is now owned by the Tennessee Valley Authority and leased back to Louisville. All work requires TVA approval.