Marion endorses Regional Greenprint

Marion endorses Regional Greenprint

City final piece in threestate green space network

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Marion became the last city in a three-state region to officially endorse a plan to develop a network of green space across the greater Memphis Metropolitan area. The city council passed a resolution this month lending its support to the Mid-South Regional Greenprint and Sustainability Plan, an initiative to develop a regional network of parks, bike lanes, walking trails, waterways and open space. The plan is a 25-year road map containing about 170 different actions that communities can take to improve the livability of their cities by better connecting residents with parks, employment areas, schools, and health centers.

The Memphis & Shelby County Office of Sustainability was awarded a $2.6 million HUD grant to administer and develop the plan, and over the past three years has been visiting each city that would be connected with the plan seeking officials resolutions of support.

Marion was the last remaining city out of 22 to endorse the plan.

The council initially held off adopting the resolution in April 2015 over concerns that the wording in the resolution could legally obli- gate the city to pay for the projects listed in the plan.

City Attorney James “Jimbo” Hale said he was satisfied with the wording in the resolution this time to recommend it be passed. “When we first met I wasn’t happy with it,” Hale told the council. “I read it and some of the language I didn’t think applied here. A lot of it is targeted to the Memphis area. I went through the resolution and just made it to where it isn’t mandatory. I made sure there was no financial responsibility on our part.”

Greenprint Coordinator John Michels said getting all 22 cities to endorse the plan is a show of unprecedented regional cooperation.

“It is pretty impressive that everybody has contributed to this plan and sees the value in it,” Michels said.

Michels said the plan was developed over three years and involved over 80 organizations

who worked together

along with input from the public to put it all together.

“By the end of the planning process there were over 4,000 people that contributed

to give us a sense

from the communities about what kinds of recommendations

should be in the plan,” Michels said.

The plan connects municipalities in four counties — including Crittenden — with a network of 400 miles of green space across Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas.

“This network is more than just a recreational amenity,” Michels said. “It can serve a whole host of purposes.”

Marion Chamber of Commerce President Mike Demster agreed.

“I think that’s a great thing for us,” Demster said.

By Mark Randall