Authored By Alina Hunter-Grah
City council members are considering extending hours in some city spaces after planning for the newly renovated Miller Park prompted discussion on the subject. With construction set to finish on Miller Park on Sept. 14, city officials are working to pass a new set of rules for the revamped downtown park. Questions about Miller Park’s hours of operation came up during city council’s strategic planning meeting Tuesday as members discussed the new park rules. Several council members, including District 9’s Demetrus Coonrod, District 6’s Carol Berz and District 8’s Anthony Byrd, said they are concerned with the how current hours limit several demographics who may use Miller Park or others spaces at the night. 
Coonrod had concerns the hours would limit Patten Tower residents who use the green space as an area to congregate with neighbors. She also said that closing Miller Park at night might be problematic for members of the homeless population who need a place to camp but could be arrested if they are in the area after its hours of operation. She also mentioned late-night joggers and third shift workers who would still like to visit a park. Berz mentioned hesitation over restrictive park hours’ effect on tourists who wander into the park and residents who just want a place to talk or take photos. Byrd also felt that it was wrong to kick residents and tourists out of public spaces that were built to be used. Following this conversation, city council members passed the new Miller Park rules on first reading to include a closing time. But they said they have plans to look immediately at the possibility of extending park hours in some locations across the city. They agreed they would need to consider operating costs and safety when looking at extending park hours. Related news Open Spaces, which is one of two city departments that handles parks business, will also be changing how they charge businesses and nonprofits that rent out the park for events. The new pricing structure uses an hourly model to charge its renters instead of a flat rate. The pricing model can be found in the original ordinance on the city’s website. City Communications Director Richel Albright said that officials made the change to improve local businesses’ and nonprofits’ accessibility to city event space. “We believe that this new fee schedule will help promote accessibility in this park as well as generate activation, which is what we want to see,” she said. Alina Hunter-Grah is a contributing writer. She is a graduate of The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where she received a bachelor’s degree in communication with a minor in political science. Alina has over three years of journalism experience including time spent with CNN and 2nd & Church, a magazine based in Nashville, Tennessee. You can reach Alina at ahuntergrah@gmail.com or on Twitter @alinahuntergrah.
