The next milestone in rebuilding a safer and more accessible Fort Kid will come on Thursday, July 16, 2020, when the City, PBA and Hedstrom Landscape Architects will unveil schematic drawings for a proposed new Fort Kid. The public meeting will be held from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Civic Auditorium.

COVID-19 safeguards at the public meeting will be enforced: Wearing a mask and physical distancing (staying 6 feet apart) will be mandatory.
 
Community Television of Knoxville will also be live-streaming the public meeting. Go to www.ctvknox.org or watch on television: Xfinity (Comcast) – Channel 12; Charter (Spectrum) – Channel 193; WOW! (Knology) – Channel 6; or AT&T U-verse – Channel 99.

The presentation from the July 16 public meeting and renderings of the schematic drawings will be posted after the meeting at www.knoxvilletn.gov/fortkid.

At the last public meeting on Fort Kid on March 12 at the Knoxville Museum of Art, attendees were shown images from existing playgrounds in other cities as possible inspiration for what an upgraded Fort Kid might look like. At that time, a community survey was initiated, asking about color scheme preferences and which elements and play activities are most valued.

“We were pleased to have nearly 400 people complete the survey, and the responses have helped guide the design process,” Deputy Chief Operating Officer Chip Barry said.

Additional feedback from the upcoming July 16 public meeting will be considered as Fort Kid plans are finalized and construction gets underway. Comments also can be made through the City Communications Department by emailing communications@knoxvilletn.gov.

The architects are designing the new Fort Kid play structure to be more inclusive, allowing more people to enjoy creative play at the park. 

The City anticipates reopening Fort Kid in spring 2021.

The 30-year-old Fort Kid play structure was removed to complete the demolition and removal of a decaying retaining wall and bad soils causing safety issues. A new grassy slope has been completed and provides unique design opportunities for a better connection between Fort Sanders, Fort Kid and the Knoxville Museum of Art.

The City of Knoxville designated $300,000 to prepare the site for a new, more inclusive Fort Kid play structure. Old City business owner Thomas Boyd, who has fond memories from his childhood of playing at Fort Kid, has donated $200,000 to the project.

For more details, visit www.knoxvilletn.gov/fortkid.