Bartlett mulls park revamp

Mayor seeks public input on Freeman plan

Bartlett Mayor Keith McDonald wants to look at revamping heavily used W.J. Freeman Park because of damage to soccer turf from constant play and the need for other improvements, including a park access on the northwest corner.

While McDonald is promoting the idea, any discussion about changes is preliminary. There would need to be a master plan, citizen input and the discussion of cost for the work.

“That’s just my idea,” McDonald said of the access, parking and soccer field work. “If we do a master plan and some kind of meeting and questionnaire, we might uncover something else. ... It appears to me that soccer is one of our primary needs.”

The 100-acre park is on Bartlett Boulevard south of Ferguson. It features an almost mile-long walking trail, pavilions, a playground, gazebo and picnic areas. But one of the biggest attractions for the recreation parcel is athletic facilities, such as tennis courts, Elrod Field, home of the Bartlett High baseball team, an adjacent field used by the school’s softball team and a spread of soccer fields that are heavily used.

While the wide- open space on the north half of the property provides flexibility, it’s not the perfect setting.

“It’s not really dressed out for regular use. That’s what we need,” the mayor said, adding the field needs dirt brought in, the area leveled and crowned for soccer and possibly different turf. Lights also are a possibility. He said they need to “dress out the field in a way that it is more usable so people could actually practice. People play out there like you would play on a pasture now.”

The only access into Freeman’s 100 acres is from Bartlett Boulevard, and the bulk of the parking is on the south side of the park. There is a small parking lot on the northeast corner of the parcel where Veterans Park is located.

“On Saturday mornings, it’s treacherous over there,” McDonald said, noting the congestion and lack of parking. “... It’s a traffic nightmare.”

The lack of access makes another drive and parking area off the northwest corner near Ferguson’s crossing of the CSX railroad attractive but expensive, since it would require bridging a wide branch of Harrington Creek that runs between Ferguson and the park.

“I’d love to see that,” the mayor said. “That would make the rest of the back side of the park more useful than it is right now.”

Cost and timing of the work are unknown until a master plan is developed. McDonald said if there is support for the work at Freeman, the city could get the money to start studying the idea through reserve funds. Landon Thomas (left), Toby Thomas, Erica Thomas and Kensley Rhea enjoy a sunny day at one of the soccer fields at W. J. Freeman Park in Bartlett. Mayor Keith McDonald has proposed revamping the popular park.