While many in the Blackman area on the west side of Murfreesboro have long been campaigning for a new public park, the city and mayor seem to be leaning toward a different plan, one that is upsetting many area residents.
The Blackman Park, which was to open in 2021 on 123 acres off of Blackman, Burnt Knob and Vaughn roads, Veterans Parkway and Interstate 840, was proposed last year but faced funding delays over the summer. At the time, Murfreesboro Mayor Shane McFarland said it was possible for the park to still open within the initial three-year goal. However, in August the city announced that they were considering a new plan: a 16-field soccer park with a hotel and commercial developments. Murfreesboro is also competing for a 20-year lease deal with the Tennessee State Soccer Association to build a soccer park for tournaments, contributing to potential value for a new soccer complex. City Council members did say, however, that the original Blackman Park may be relocated to Franklin Road off of Highway 96.
McFarland says that a new soccer park would be a great financial contributor to the city and lend itself well to residents of Blackman.
“The opportunity to be the home of youth soccer in Tennessee and to host major regional tournaments will contribute significantly to the city as well as providing the Blackman area with the type of recreational facilities that are needed in the area,” McFarland said.
McFarland clarified that no official decisions have been made and the proposals are currently undergoing study. He added that no matter the final decision, a “major park” is planned for the area. The proposed soccer facility would include 16 fields—six in artificial turf allowing for all-weather play—plus a championship field seating 2,000 and an indoor practice facility, according to McFarland.
“The development costs have not yet been determined,” McFarland said. “The facility would host practices, games, and local, state and regional tournaments. It would also serve as headquarters for the Tennessee State Soccer Association and have a facility for coach and official training.”
McFarland said that he is aware of the many complaints from Blackman residents and that the city is working to remedy any concerns.
“Although detailed planning has not begun, it is anticipated that open recreational areas will be incorporated both on the 840/Veterans Parkway land and the Highway 96 land,” McFarland said.
One such concerned resident is Andy Dickey, who has lived in the Blackman community since June 2013. Dickey is a member of and frequent contributor to the “Save Blackman Park” Facebook page who believes that the soccer park would be a bad choice.
“We don’t have a park on the west side of town,” Dickey said. “The park that most of us utilize, Barfield Crescent Park, is overcrowded, especially for sports like baseball. Most teams will have one or two practices prior to the season starting and then just play games the rest of the season. This is not exactly an environment in which one can improve their skills or actually get a great deal of exercise.”
Dickey says that the bottom line is that Murfreesboro has too little open park land when compared to neighboring cities such as Smyrna. Dickey stated that he spoke with Parks and Recreation officials from Murfreesboro and Smyrna and found statistics supporting his claims. According to the statistics that Dickey presented, there are approximately 800 acres of park land and 48,596 residents in Smyrna, meaning that there is approximately an allotment of .0163 acres per person. However, Dickey said that in Murfreesboro, there are approximately 1,200 acres (excluding the properties that may house the two proposed parks) and 131,947 residents, calculating to .0091 acres per person.
Dickey added that residents are also upset by the idea of placing commercial developments on the soccer park property.
“Many don’t want commercial development like hotels on that site,” Dickey said. “They don’t want hotels across from the church that is to be built across the street, and their homes. I would encourage you to drive the main roads like Burnt Knob, Brinkley, all the roads around that site. They are old and narrow. The city has a nasty habit of allowing an area to develop quite heavily without improving the infrastructure first or at the same time.”
Dickey said he first got involved in the cause during the 2016 City Council election. He said he supported current councilman Kirt Wade’s campaign due to his commitment to bringing the Blackman Park to fruition.
Dickey encourages anyone who is concerned about the situation to get involved by contacting the mayor, council members and city manager. He also encourages area property owners to express their views on the “Save Blackman Park” Facebook page and by signing a change.org petition created by the group, which currently has over 2,700 signatures.
“It is a quality of life issue, especially with children,” Dickey said. “It is hard enough to keep them physically active with the distractions they have these days. Then, you put them into a sport that can hardly find a place to play or practice [and] it really sends the message that sports and health are not a priority for the community. Once land is given over to development, you never get it back. Now is the time to preserve these spaces. There are no second chances.”
