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Panther Creek State Park wins award for facilities management
December 7, 2022, 1:20 p. m.
Tennessee State Parks officials present Panther Creek State Park the award for Facilities Management as part of the parks’ Awards of Excellence. From left are Mike Robertson, director of Operations for Tennessee State Parks; Greer Tidwell, deputy commissioner of Parks and Conservation for TDEC; Jason Chadwell, park manager for Panther Creek;
Aaron Lawson, building maintenance worker at Panther Creek; and Robin Peeler, parks area manager; image by TDEC |
NASHVILLE -- The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) has named Panther Creek State Park in Morristown winner of the Excellence in Facilities Management award for Tennessee State Parks in 2022.
The award is part of the annual Tennessee State Parks Awards of Excellence and was presented Dec. 1 at the parks’ Maintenance Management Conference at Paris Landing State Park. Winners in other categories were announced earlier this year.
The Facilities Management award goes to a park that has demonstrated excellence in the care of its park and facilities. It honors staff and volunteers at the park for creating a quality customer experience. The park’s management activities include facility maintenance; preventative maintenance; grounds and trail maintenance; cleanliness and upkeep of the park; and documentation of these activities within facilities management software.
“We congratulate the staff at Panther Creek State Park for its outstanding work in facilities management,” said Greer Tidwell, deputy commissioner of TDEC’s Bureau of Parks and Conservation. “These are responsibilities that contribute to the visitor’s enjoyment of the park and Panther Creek meets and exceeds expectations. We are proud to present this award.”
Maintenance staff at the park removed 184 downed or hazardous trees along park trails; felled and removed 34 hazardous trees in highly visited areas; replaced eight trail signs; installed 20 replacement trail markers; and removed overgrowth along six miles of trail. The staff replaced 25 electrical breakers in the campground and replaced six rusted grills, eight damaged fire rings, and lumber on 10 warped picnic tables. The staff also performed 28 plumbing repairs throughout the park.
Other accomplishments included renovation of the Visitor Center; installation of a public bicycle repair station; installation of two new washers and dryers in the campground; assembly and installation of two new park benches adjacent to tennis courts; and cleaning and spreading five tons of mulch in flowerbeds.
TDEC earlier announced Radnor Lake State Park as Park of the Year. Awards in other categories were Johnsonville State Historic Park in Customer Engagement; Sgt. Alvin C. York State Park for Innovation; Henry Horton State Park for Interpretation; and Dunbar Cave State Park and Edgar Evins State Park in a tie for the best Resource Management.
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