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Friends of Warner Parks has purchased the Hill Tract, a 324-acre property that's home to an old-growth forest of trees more than two centuries old.
The Parks are truly the bridge that links generations of families together. Take for example the Coble family. Elizabeth Coble is a native Nashvillian. She attended Ensworth and Harpeth Hall, but opted to head for Texas and SMU for her college experience. She returned home after graduating, and went to work for an investment firm. Shortly thereafter, Elizabeth got invited to go to lunch with David Wilds, Raymond Pirtle and Les Coble, three young turks in the investment industry. It became apparent to the guys that Les wanted to go out with Elizabeth, but was too shy to come right out and ask her. He finally worked up his courage, and on their first date he took her to a July 4th Pig Roast out at Matt Dobson's farm. The rest is history.
They have been married for twenty-two years (same age as Sunday in the Park), and have three children: Olivia 19, Stella 15, and Davis 5. Les is a member of the Board of Friends of Warner Parks, and Elizabeth's father, Bruce P'Pool serves on the Advisory Board.
Since that first date, Les has never lacked for courage. About eighteen months ago, he and Greg Burns started a new business called NEIGHBOR MD, a full service walk-in medical clinic. Their first 24/7 clinic opened in Hermitage, TN, and their second one not long ago in Brentwood, both staffed with licensed medical physicians.
I asked Elizabeth why she so readily agreed to chair Sunday in the Park? She told me that from the time she was 7 years old she rode with the Pony Club in the parks. She was also a Girl Scout and camped out in the Girl Scout Lodge in Edwin Warner Park. Throughout her entire life , she and her family used the parks as their backyard, and she has fond memories of the time she spent in them.
She, Les, Davis and the girls hike frequently in the Park. She added, "It gives me a distinct feeling of pleasure to realize that our children are trekking the very same trails that Les and I hiked when we were growing up. We have passed along our love of the Parks to the next generation."
Kristin Taylor was born in Utica, New York, but her family moved to Connecticut when she was five. She attended the University of Rhode Island, graduating with a degree in Textile Design. Not knowing exactly what she wanted to do, she moved back home and took a job with an advertising agency. One of their clients was a local bank. The bank made no decisions without first checking with the agency Kristin worked for, and they asked Kristin if she would talk to a young man who was trying to sell them a bank product, created by Madison FISI Financial, a company based in Nashville, TN.
The young man turned out to be Don Taylor. It was definitely a case of love at first sight, and they were engaged three months later. They have been married 24 years, proving that snap decisions are not always unwise. The company moved them to Nashville in 1989, and their first son, Chase, was born a month later. She recounts that her first memory of the Warner Parks was strolling her baby in them.
Her second son, Brooks, was born two years later, and FISI moved them to Surrey England. During that time she attended a horticultural college, earning a degree in Garden Design and Masonry. When they returned to the U.S., she continued her education and became a Master Gardener. Kristin's boys are now grown. Chase is 21 and attends Bowdoin, and Brooks is 19 and goes to Gettysburg College.
Kristin joined the Board of Friends of Warner Park in 2005, serving as Secretary in 2007. When I asked her why she agreed to chair Sunday in the Park she replied, "I am in this park five days a week. Don bikes and runs regularly, and each Mother’s Day, our boys celebrate by taking a hike with 'their Mom'. I couldn’t wait to give something back to the parks. In fact, I have been waiting for the past four years to be asked to chair this event."
She ended by stressing that she and Elizabeth want to encourage the next generation to enjoy the Parks and show their support by attending Sunday in the Park, so that we can truly emphasize that the Parks are intergenerational. Speaking on behalf of Friends of Warner Parks, I would like to add how much we not only appreciate Elizabeth and Kristin, but Les and Don, their husbands, who are chairing the Underwriting Committee.
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The Preliminary Master Plan was created by the Planning and Design Team through a process of public participation with input from the Friends of Warner Parks and the Metropolitan Board of Parks and Recreation Department. This plan was presented at a public meeting held on March 22, 2011. Various elements of the plan including the proposed program for park uses are included. Download the plan
A heartfelt thanks to all of you who helped us meet the matching grant from the James Stephen Turner Family Foundation to purchase the Hill Property, with its ancient forest.
The outpouring of support for the acquisition of this unique property has been overwhelming, and has proved over and over again how big your hearts are, how much you value the Warner Parks, and how important it is to you that the ancient forest be saved for future generations.
It is quite gratifying to know how many of you wanted some ownership of this project, and each of you gave what you could to help us over the top. As outstanding pledges are paid, we will be able to pay off our bank loan and then convey the Hill Property to the City for inclusion in the Warner Parks.
Together, as a community, we achieved what none of us alone could do. It is a crowning achievement!
Many people have expressed an interest in knowing when the land can actually be used by the public. The process will be as follows:
Warner Park