Creekside Community Center, splash pad, turf baseball and softball fields, youth center remodel and Christmas Break Schools Out Program all a part of parks update on "Around The Table."

Chuck Eddington, Director of Harrison Parks and Recreation, joined KHOZ’s “Around The Table” program on Wednesday to discuss additions and improvements coming to Harrison parks facilities.

Most notably the demolition of the old Harrison Junior High School continues on South Pine Street to make way for the Creekside Community Center. Eddington said he hopes to see the demolition completed in a few weeks. The old gymnasium is also being prepped for remodeling while still being used by Parks & Rec as well as the Harrison School District.

Another project that Eddington is excited to see going well, “Knock on wood, we’ve had great weather,” he said, is the installation of artificial turf on the baseball and softball fields at the Equity Bank Sports Complex. “We’re still on our target date of January 31^st to have all six fields completed with turf,” Eddington said.

He also expressed his excitement to see the coming of a splash pad to go alongside Wonder Willa Park at Lake Harrison. The splash pad is a project of the Harrison Rotary Club. Club president Spree Hilliard said, “We’re able to continue our mission, what we started with Wonder Willa Park. Because Wonder Willa Park is an all-inclusive park, and the splash pad will be all-inclusive as well. There’s nothing in a splash pad that someone in a wheelchair or someone with a disability can’t do.” Eddington said the project is expected to be completed and open to the public by May of 2022. 

Eddington also announced that the parks department will host a Christmas Break School’s Out Program which will offer daycare services to parents like that of the Summer Rec program. The program will be open on December 20-22 and 27-30 from 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM and will have games and activities for kids to participate in. Eddington said, “they [the kids] bring their lunch and we take care of them and let them play games and do activities all day.”

Other items discussed in the interview include the new softball field behind the old junior high field house on South Pine Street, repairs and remodeling to Burlsworth Youth Center, additional cameras to control vandalism at Lake Harrison & Wonder Willa Park and resurfacing of tennis and basketball courts.

The full interview can be seen below and on the Around The Table Facebook Page.

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