Future Rotary Bicycle Playground receives new home

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn (WJHL)—In July last year, plans for a bicycle playground and dog park were announced. The park’s original location was on the corner of Legion Street and State of Franklin Road, but it couldn’t serve as a permanent spot.

“That was going to be semi-permanent, and if [the city] ever needed that for economic development, then they were going to move it,” said Developer Grant Summers.

The decision was made to move the playground and park to a place closer to the Tannery Knobs Mountain Bike Park. This move was one Summers said was a good one.

“We were in one meeting and just thought, ‘Hey, we always wanted to have something here, let’s just locate all of that over there,'” Summers said.

The future Rotary Bicycle Playground will be a collaboration between the city, the local Rotary club, and the Southern Off-Road Biking Association. The community highly anticipates the park.

“It’s just very exciting just to see them and know that there is a need for this because the kids want this,” said Rotary Club member Gary McAllister.

The location change was announced at Civitan Park’s “Kids to Parks Day” event hosted by the Johnson City Parks and Rec Department. The overall news of the park came as a welcomed surprise to community members.

“The fact that we continue to pour into those assets,” said Bo Wilkes. “If you just look around the amount of kids that are out here of various ages, as well as adults, just having an absolute blast.”

While plans for the park are still being finalized, Summers said they already have some ideas of what they hope to have on the land.

“It’s going to be progression-based,” said Summers. “Anything from little kids on strider bikes to older kids and even adults can have fun on it and just a whole range of options there.”

The public’s excitement about the new park can best be summed up in two words: ‘really excited,’ said Wilkes’ son, Hamilton.

“Really excited,” said Wilkes’ son Hamilton.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather.