City of Knoxville City Council Packet Summary — 2026-07-13
Meeting: — Posted 9:43 AM Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting Monday, July 13th at 5:00pm Download ▼ HTML Packet
The packet is for a Parks and Recreation Commission meeting scheduled for 5:00 p.m. It includes roll call, review of the March 9, 2026 commission minutes, the July 2026 Parks and Recreation Commission report, and adjournment.
Key Items on the Agenda
March 9 Commission Minutes
The commission is scheduled to consider the March 9, 2026 Parks and Recreation Commission minutes. Those minutes document a meeting attended by Brandy Snodgrass, Jyl DeJong, Aaron Fuller, and Brandon Nemmers that began at 5:05 p.m. and adjourned at 5:25 p.m.
The March minutes record several previously completed or ongoing items, including tennis-court maintenance, trail signage, two zero-turn mowers ordered from the July 1 budget, preparation of renderings for a future Ball Field Complex at Young's, and recreation-center facility work. They also state that changing fire-inspection contractors for the Recreation Center, Parks, and Cemetery was expected to save $2,000 per year.
July Parks and Recreation Report
The July report provides operational updates across parks, recreation, cemetery operations, city facilities, wellness programs, youth and aquatic programming, and Recreation Center staffing. It is presented in the packet as a report rather than as a proposed policy or financial action.
Parks and Facility Updates
Parks staff report ongoing storm cleanup after large limbs and trees came down, along with weekly mowing and trimming. Tennis-court crack repairs are scheduled for the end of July, and additional windscreens are expected to be installed when received.
Two new zero-turn mowers have been delivered, with two existing mowers traded in. The report also notes recent community use of city parks, including a local garden club's "Sitting Pretty" competition at Brooks Garden and the Family Fun Fair at Auld Park.
At the Recreation Center, the annual fire-alarm inspection has been completed and upgrades to the system are expected. Installation of the batting cage is still anticipated in August, and two changing stalls have been added to the men's locker room.
Ball Field Complex and Youngs Ballfield
The Parks and Recreation Department reports ongoing behind-the-scenes work on a capital campaign for the Ball Field Complex. Current work includes gathering participation figures, economic-impact reports, and information about potential donors.
The program report separately notes that rentals at Youngs ballfield have slowed, while people continue to use the area as a BMX track. Staff expect activity to remain similar through the rest of July and anticipate rentals could increase again during the fall AAU season.
Recreation and Community Programs
Fitness Programs
Summer water-fitness participation is reported as strong. Five morning classes are offered each week; three routinely draw more than 30 members, while the other two approach 20. Monday-through-Thursday evening water-fitness classes generally have 15–20 participants.
Land-fitness participation is lower than normal, although no classes have been canceled under the policy requiring at least two participants. The 10:00 a.m. Silver Sneakers classes consistently exceed 25 participants and often reach 35 or more, triggering a requirement for two instructors.
The Wellness Supervisor reports receiving multiple personal-training inquiries and beginning work with a new client. No additional fitness challenges are planned for summer or fall, with a possible New Year's challenge being considered for 2027.
Swim, Soccer, and Youth Programming
The summer swim-team season is scheduled to end July 18 with a conference meet in Marshalltown. Fall soccer registration is expected to open the following month.
The second group swim-lesson session is underway and includes groups from Stepping Stones and Kids Klub. The third and final group sessions are scheduled to begin July 17, with several new and first-time instructors participating.
Walk a Million Steps Challenge
The Recreation Center's Walk a Million Steps Challenge is halfway complete. The Office Manager reports that participants continue to submit their step totals and remain engaged in the program.
Staffing and Operations
The Office Manager reports that summer facility operations have been running smoothly and that building supervisors have been covering shifts and additional hours as needed.
The facility currently has two janitors. While the report does not recommend adding a third full-time janitor, the Office Manager indicates interest in considering an as-needed janitorial staff member to provide additional coverage for holidays and employee time off.
Other City Facility and Cemetery Updates
Cemetery staff and local groups placed flags in the cemetery for July 4, and staff have also been handling storm cleanup, burials, mowing, and trimming.
For City Hall, the report states that staff have been working on the building's chiller to keep it operating until the new building is constructed. The packet provides no additional project timeline or financial details for the new building.
What to Watch at the Meeting
- Whether the commission accepts or requests changes to the March 9, 2026 meeting minutes.
- Any additional information provided about the Ball Field Complex capital campaign, including participation data, economic-impact work, and potential donors.
- Updates on the planned August batting-cage installation and end-of-July tennis-court repairs.
- Whether the possibility of adding an as-needed janitorial staff member receives further consideration.
- Any additional discussion arising from the July departmental report on recreation participation, facility operations, youth programming, or Youngs ballfield.
The official public-body source used for this packet is the City of Knoxville meeting material supplied for this meeting.
Civic Translator summarized publicly available meeting materials.
