Community Facilities and Utilities
Map 7: Existing Community Facilities

Residents of Northwest City have a wide range of public facilities, including schools, libraries and recreational resources.

Parks and Recreational Uses
The City of Knoxville has an ongoing program to replace and maintain playground equipment throughout the city park system. The City of Knoxville also has a park expansion and improvement program, which funds improvements and land acquisition at several major recreational sites throughout the city.

Approximately 90 acres of land in the sector is currently devoted to close-to-home public parks and athletic fields that serve neighborhoods and communities. Based on National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) standards that suggest 6.25 acres of close-to-home parkland for each 1,000 residents, an additional 84 acres of close-to-home parks are recommended for the sector. Private facilities, smaller school parks and the new district park adjacent to Badgett Field help to fulfill these needs, but there are several areas that are not served by neighborhood parks.

The newest and largest city park is currently under construction in the Northwest City Sector. This 110 acre district park site was purchased in 1999 and Phase I will include paved and unpaved trails, a two acre lake, a 17 acre irrigated area for youth sports and passive activities. There will also be a concession building, restrooms and paved parking. This park will be a designated site in the fall for cross-country races for middle schools, high schools and colleges.

Because of the aging population, recreation facilities that are enjoyed by the elderly are in demand. These include greenways, trails, natural areas and senior centers. The student population is also expected to increase, creating demand for improved athletic fields and school parks. These facilities can be improved and linked with pedestrian and bike paths, creating an interconnected community facilities network.

Efforts to use greenways and walking trails to connect neighborhoods to parks and activity centers are underway, and a concept to connect these activity areas has been developed by community participation during the planning process. The plan is located on page 23 in the 5- and 15-Year Community Improvements section of this document.

A complete inventory of the existing parks and greenways can be found in the Knoxville Parks, Greenways & Open Space Resource Inventory prepared by the MPC for the Knoxville Parks and Recreation Department.

Table 5: Parks and Recreational Facilities

Natural Areas are lands set aside for preservation of significant natural resources and open space, or for the protection of environmentally sensitive areas such as steep slopes, wetlands, sinkholes, caves, floodplains, etc. No designated natural areas currently exist in the sector.

Schools
Public education is provided by the Knox County Board of Education. Many of the schools that serve the sector’s children are not located within the sector boundaries.

West Hills Elementary School and playground

Libraries

• Norwood Library is located within the sector.
• Residents of the sector are also served by the West Hills and Cedar Bluff Branches.

Public Safety

• Law Enforcement is provided by Knoxville Police Department (KPD) and Knox County Sheriff’s Department (KCSD).
• Fire Protection-Knoxville Fire Department (KFD) stations 17 and 20 are within the sector, 14 and 18 also serve portions of the sector.
• Rural/Metro provides county fire protection and EMS (Emergency Medical Services).

Utilities

• The Knoxville Utilities Board coordinates distribution of most utilities
• Hallsdale Powell Utilities District serves areas in the north part of the sector along Callahan Drive
• Gas is purchased from East Tennessee Natural Gas
• Electricity is purchased from Tennessee Valley Authority