Page 20 - JanFeb2022 Vol 39 No 6

FARRAGUT By Wendy Smith
Town Hall BlueCross Healthy Place:

Fun and Fitness for All

On a strangely beautiful, warm day in
late November, the BlueCross Healthy
Place at Farragut Town Hall is bustling
with activity. In addition to the buzz of
children shouting and parents chatting,
the sound of music drifts on the breeze –
drumbeats, scales and deep, reverberating
notes.
This is a special park, for many
reasons. From the perspective of the
Town of Farragut, the playground is a
much-appreciated gift. Farragut Parks
and Recreation Director Sue Stuhl
applied when the BlueCross BlueShield
of Tennessee Foundation announced
that it was giving away ten Healthy
Place playgrounds in celebration of the
company’s 75th anniversary.
“As someone who has overseen several
park construction projects, I can say that
the gift of a fully-constructed playground, Above: Matthew Coker and his
as well as funding for continued daughter Sage enjoy the Expression
maintenance, is truly incredible,” Stuhl Swing, which allows parents and
said. children to interact while swinging
The playground also is special because together. Left: A child plays a
it is an inclusive, multi-generational play metallophone at the BlueCross
Healthy Place at Farragut Town Hall.
space. BlueCross Healthy Place grant Below: Town of Farragut elected
recipients choose from six packages officials and staff celebrate the
based on the needs of their communities, grand opening of the BlueCross
and Farragut picked the Thrive and Play Healthy Place with BlueCross
design. It includes a ramped playground BlueShield of Tennessee Foundation
with freestanding play elements like an members and PlayCore staff in
accessible merry-go-round and musical October 2021.
instruments, a swing area with inclusive
swing seats and an Expression Swing, a
community pavilion with picnic tables
and a Thrive 450 fitness station. The space
was constructed by Chattanooga-based
PlayCore.
The location of the new park is the
icing on what is already a pretty sweet
cake. One of the requirements for
receiving a Healthy Space was a ready-
to-build site, and the Town of Farragut
had a good one. Farragut’s Town Hall,
located in the center of town and
adjacent to a residential neighborhood
and a developing town center, had
approximately an acre behind it that
was intended as a site for a community
Continued on page 22

20 TPW January/February 2022