An Upper Cumberland resident wants to see a Parks and Recreation Department in Celina.
Jackson County resident Luther Barden said he realized there were few opportunities for residents to be exposed to unique outdoor activities like mountain biking and kayaking in nearby communities. With this in mind, Barden decided to bring the idea before Celina’s leadership.
“The thing that I tell people all the time is we have the Olympics,” Barden said. ” And can you tell me where your next Olympian is coming from? Because a lot of them come from little small towns like Celina. If they’re not exposed to the sports that get them there, you’ll never hear the name.”
Barden said adding an organized Parks and Recreation Department would have a positive economic boost for the city, given Clay County’s distressed status and Celina’s financial situation. Barden said this would help attract more tourism.
The Aldermen heard Barden’s pitch, and informed him that the department would still need to put together a charter and bylaws to officially become part of the city government. Barden said the next steps are dependent on the city attorney.
Barden said this as clean tourism, because more people from out of town would be coming in just to participate in the events. Barden said since these people live outside of the city, there is no burden from providing them services.
“The people that would come to events that the parks and rec would have, they come, they spend their money, and they go home,” Barden said. “So you don’t have to educate their children or house them, and so, it’s a win-win for everyone in my book.”
Barden said part of the idea came from his love for mountain biking, and a desire to cut mountain bike trails at Donaldson Park. He said the park is a perfect location for mountain biking, and increasing access to it is a goal.
“If you cut trails, not only does it bring tourism during the week and on the weekends, but you can also have a place for events,” Barden said. “You have little races and things that people can pay money and enter. It’s also good for the community because the community could also see that mountain biking is a pretty big thing.”
Though Barden does not expect to draw any big time riders, he said the trails could help people be exposed to different levels of riding. In addition, Barden said he could see Celina students using trails to create a high school level mountain biking team.
Barden said he does not have any concrete plans for the department, as it is still very early in the process and nothing is on paper yet. Barden said it may be a few months before the ball gets rolling