Public meeting Wednesday at library
By SUSAN LEATHERS
Brentwood Home Page
A few weeks ago, city commissioners, senior staff and the city’s parks board spent close to three hours at a “Stakeholder Meeting” to learn about the master planning process for the new Marcella Vivrette Smith Park. Tomorrow, the city hopes at least 75 interested citizens will turn out to add their own input into how the new passive park is developed.

On June 2, representatives of Gresham Smith and Partners shared their initial thoughts, ideas and findings on the 320-plus acres of land that will become the city’s newest showpiece when it opens to the public.

A little background...

Stabilization of Ravenswood mansion ahead City unveils plan to purchase 320-acre historic farm

The city purchased the parkland, part of the 500-acre historic Ravenswood Farm owned by the Smith family in December for $10 million. It’s located just south of Split Log Road and west of Wilson Pike. The Smiths kept 100 acres and the city has an option to purchase the remaining 80 acres. The city anticipates spending about $5 million over the next five years to improve the property.

On Wednesday, the public is invited to offer its ideas, feedback and thoughts on what the park will include and how it will look when Gresham Smith and the city host a public meeting at 6 p.m. at the Brentwood Library, 8109 Concord Road.

Don’t worry, the meeting won’t include three hours’ worth of slides, topo maps, historic home renovation details and long discussions about bridge design, brush recycling and the pros and cons of different entry configurations. It will be a fast-paced, informative 60-90 minute session of interaction where community members can gain insight and information into the park-planning process in addition to sharing their own ideas and getting questions answered.

Assistant City Manager Kirk Bednar said the point of the public meeting is twofold. First, “we want to share with the community where we are with the project and what’s ahead. Second, we want to get their input and have a conversation about things we may have not considered.”

The park is the biggest investment the city has made since it purchased  160 acres in 1991 for Crockett Park. Public input there was very important, City Manager Mike Walker said, because that property was a large swath of undeveloped land that also bumped up to many more residential areas than the Smith property does.

“The land itself at the Smith property dictates to a large degree what we can do with it,” Walker said. The most exciting part of the park for many is the historic c. 1835 Ravenswood house. Though it needs love and attention after being unoccupied for years, structurally it is in very good shape, Jim Thompson of Centric Architecture told the group gathered on June 2.  Two original slave cabins – among the very few constructed of brick – are also in good condition.

“I think we can give you a flexible venue,” Thompson said. He suggested a use similar to Two Rivers Mansion in Nashville. That historic home is rented out for social events but also retains its historical significance.

Four barns in various conditions still stand and existing horse trails on the property may serve as the start of a trail system that could accommodate both hikers and mountain bikes. GS&P has designed several possible scenarios for trails, access roads and trailheads that will likely be shared Wednesday night.

Sports fields are also a priority but how many may ultimately be built largely depends on what is decided for the Ravenswood home. Because of the topography of the land, three to five fields are possible, landscape architect Nicho Young said of the land the city already owns.  

“You can put five to nine fields in the back,” he added of the 80 acres the city hopes to purchase at a later date. That property is the flattest and most desirable for practice fields.

How people will get in and out of the park from Wilson Pike is a major consideration for the master planners  as is the design of a bridge over the CSX railroad track. “The bridge is going to be up in the air. It’s going to be a focal point and it needs to complement the house,” GS&P’s Mike Flatt said.

The park cannot be opened to the public until there is a safe way to get over the tracks, which currently has an at-grade crossing. Flatt presented four at the stakeholders meeting.

Another component the city would like public feedback on is the proposed brush recycling facility.

The city’s historic and environmental boards will also have input in the plan.