by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer
Community-building was the theme of the evening at the Feb. 11 dinner meeting of the Sewanee Civic Association. Following updates on the Community Chest fund drive and Elliott Park renovation, members and guests learned about two new Grundy County initiatives born of a desire to improve the quality of life for residents on the Plateau.
Civic Association president Kiki Beavers announced the Community Chest fund drive was within $2,200 of reaching its goal.
Beavers also announced the Civic Association had regained tax-exempt status after losing the designation a number of years ago for failure to file the required IRS documentation. The Community Chest has separate tax-exempt status and was not affected.
Parks Committee chair Stephen Burnett said the playground company designing the Elliott Park renovation recommended a larger “footprint.” The committee met with University Physical Plant Services to discuss increasing the area designated for the park and erecting a retaining wall using local Sewanee stone. Fund raising will begin as soon as design plans are final, with an estimated cost of $75,000–$80,000. A fund-raising chair is needed, Burnett said. The committee will apply for financial assistance from the Community Council project fund.
Part of the construction for the park will be done in a “community build,” Burnett said. Historically, all Sewanee parks have been community-driven initiatives, Beavers said, citing a 40-year history of complaints about lack of an adequate park system in Sewanee. Civic Association treasurer Lisa Rung said she wanted a written guarantee from the University the park would not be “torn down.” Burnett said the guarantee would take the form of a Memorandum of Understanding with the University.
Beavers called for nominations for the Person of the Year award, which recognizes organizations or individuals for “good work” in Sewanee and the surrounding vicinity. Nominations can be made by email <sewaneecommunitychest@gmail.com> or postal mail to P.O. Box 99, Sewanee, TN 37375. The deadline is March 2. The Person of the Year will be announced at the next meeting on April 15. The Civic Association will also vote on officers for the 2015–16 academic year.
Members and guests learned about two new community-inspired initiatives from the evening’s guest speakers, Lucas Finney, creator of the Guitarsome Project, and Micah Sparacio, owner and director of Tenacity Adventure Fitness Center in Tracy City.
A visiting instructor of guitar at the University, Finney saw a need for music instruction in Grundy County, where elementary school children have limited or no exposure to music in their school day.
The Guitarsome Project is an after-school program in which Finney teaches guitar via Skype. The computer technology allows Finney and the students to see and hear one another. On-site assistants offer backup support. Finney launched the program last spring, offering classes at Tracy City and Coalmont elementary schools. Every child learned at least one song and several chords.
Funding is a problem, Finney said. Implementing the program at two schools cost $3,000 for the technology and to pay assistants. This past fall, Finney offered instruction at Monteagle and North Elementary. He hopes to expand the program to Sewanee Elementary and other Plateau area schools. The Community Chest awarded Finney $500. To learn more or make a donation visit <www.sewaneeguitar.com>.
Micah Sparacio and his family moved to Tracy City five years ago. Sparacio learned about the benefits of physical fitness as a graduate student, when he suffered from depression. Sparacio saw the need for a local facility that would make physical fitness fun and confidence-building.
Adventure-inspiring equipment at Tenacity includes a vertical ramp, rope climbing, a rock wall, and for kids, a trampoline and a room filled with huge foam objects for bouncing on and into. Instruction is offered in martial arts, tumbling, yoga, Zumba, Parkour and self defense.
Sparacio said the biggest challenge is making the gym affordable in a community where many residents live paycheck-to-paycheck. The gym does not bind users to a long-term contract. Visitors pay by the day or month.
The gym sponsors 20 local children who participate in all activities fee-free.
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