News Notes from DPO. 

IronMan Week!
This is a big week for Chattanooga, a week where we get to show the world why IronMan continues to return. Big thank you to our crews for helping make sure everything looks fantastic, and that the riverfront is ready to go! CLICK HERE for more information on IronMan.

Chattanooga awarded $6 million to focus on enhanced beautification, urban forestry in designated communities!
The grant will be able to fund efforts to enhance urban areas including expanding tree inventory, urban forest management planning, watering and maintaining young trees, removing invasive species in park areas, enhancing riparian zones, acquiring and processing remote sensing imagery, funding environmental analysis for graduate students, hiring new urban forestry staff, and so much more!
More information here:

Coolidge Park Fountains/The Passage and Aquarium River. 
Cool temps are moving in, Fall is in the air. We will keep the Coolidge Park Fountains open through this weekend. We will monitor the weather for the following weekend. When temps get cool, it becomes too cool for kiddos to play in it. 
The Passage and Aquarium Plaza water features will close on October 15th. 

Chattanooga Parks and Outdoors takes home awards at the Tennessee Recreation and Parks Association annual conference in Memphis. 

Congrats to Kim Battle for winning best recreation program in the state for her "Every Kid Outdoors Program".
Congrats to the outreach team for winning the state's Best Recreation and Program Marketing campaign.  
And congrats to the department for being a finalist out of 26 departments for: 
Best new facility/park: South Chickamauga Creek Greenway. 
Best renovated facility: Batter's Place Pickleball Courts from the 2020 tornadoes

Best overall Marketing for a Parks and Rec Department: Getting our name out! 

FREE FitLot Outdoor Wellness Classes Start this Week at Shepherd Park

Help Us Celebrate National Public Lands Day!
 

2 opportunities! 
Saturday, September 23rd from 9-12 at Greenway Farm in Hixson. TVA will be on hand for plant identification and "BioBlitz" while volunteers take to the trails and rip out invasive weeds! All ages are welcome. 

Saturday, September 23rd, 9am-1pm at Stringer's Ridge in North Chattanooga. Groups will meet at Spears Lane trailhead for trail clean up and cutback with SORBA, TPL, and DPO. Then stay from 12-1pm for a celebration of 10years of Stringer's Ridge with Turst for Public Land, Mayor Kelly, Mayor Berry with Red Bank and Partners! PLUS Check out the plans for a revamped pump track and Spears Ave trailhead. 

Montague Park Reimagined Plans Released Sept 27th.  

Can you imagine Chattanooga having its own "Central Park"? How about enhanced trails, shade, a market, playing fields and beautiful sculptures all in one park? 
Join us on Wednesday, September 27th at Montague Park (1800 Polk Street) at 6pm as designers, officials and friends as we unveil plans to bring Montague Park to national prominence!

Refreshments will be provided along with music, fire dancers, CFC soccer demonstrations and more. 

FREE MOVIES IN A PARK

Sunset Kayak the TN River Gorge with TN River Gorge Trust and OC! 

Save the Dates! 

Stay Connected! www.chattanooga.gov/parks

Have questions? Either respond to this email or contact the sender on dpoinfo@chattanooga.gov