Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

BY NIC MILLER
STAR STAFF
nic.miller@elizabethton.com

Members of the Little Milligan community in Carter County met earlier last week to discuss their plan to build a community park in honor of a teacher who impacted the lives of hundreds of students.

The area of Fish Springs located on Highway US-321 between Hampton and Johnson counties is home to Little Milligan Elementary School,  where for 40 years teacher Kathleen Smith impacted the lives of her students.

“This spot of land behind Fish Springs Baptist Church belonged to Kathleen Smith, who taught school at Little Milligan for 40 plus years. Because of this and the impact she had on her hundreds of students, we were hoping to build a park and name it after her,” said JR Campbell, principal of the school and a member of the Carter County Parks and Recreation Board.

“There is about four and a half acres of land to build the park on, and it is a prime location for a park with this spot being right along this highway,” Campbell said.

When Smith died, she donated the land to Union Church. “Because of the generosity of the people of Union Church, we have been able to move this into more than an idea and towards a plan,” Campbell said

Campbell said no cost estimates have been developed.

“I am a part of the Carter County Parks and Recreation Board, and they have been wanting to build more parks around the community. And with this area of the community not having many places to stop, it is the perfect spot for a community park,” he said. “It’s just an area for people who are driving by to be able to stop and relax will be a great addition to the Fish Springs community.”

Campbell explained that the next step in regard to the potential park is to receive funding, and once a fully developed plan has been put in place, to receive approval from the County Parks and Recreation Board.