Update, 2:45 p.m.: The Clarksville Speedway posted a statement Wednesday afternoon to clarify that they are open for their normal weekend events and will remain so at least through 2025, including racing and the Christmas lights display.
They are looking for land to relocate their annual events, the post said.
Previously:
CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The City of Clarksville announced on Wednesday that they have finalized a deal to purchase the site of the Clarksville Speedway and its 83 acres for $7 million, as they look to transform it into a recreation complex for North Clarksville.
According to a city news release sent to Clarksville Now, the deal will also further facilitate — at a cost savings to the city — the completion of Needmore Road widening work and improvements that had been specified in the Transportation 2020+ master plan.
Funding for the purchase had been previously approved by the City Council, budgeted for and is in hand.
‘First step toward world-class recreation center’
The news release said that they have been negotiating a deal with Speedway owner William Scogin for some time that would give Clarksville the 83 acres suitable for the development of the Hazelwood Recreation Complex.
“The time has come to take the first step toward a world-class recreation complex in North Clarksville, while making infrastructure improvements for this fast-growing part of our city,” Mayor Joe Pitts said.
“When William approached me in 2020, we were not ready to discuss the acquisition of this property. The pandemic was in its early stages and the city had not fully developed Transportation 2020+, our infrastructure plan, so the time wasn’t right,” Pitts said. “When he came back in early fall of 2023, we were ready to move forward with discussions.”
Possibility of indoor aquatic center
The property, at 1600 Needmore Road, will address citizens’ requests for a recreation center in this area of the city and could potentially include, among other features, an indoor aquatic center. The press release highlighted there is no public indoor pool facility in Clarksville at this time, following the city’s pool dome in New Providence being destroyed in the Spring of 2023 by a windstorm.
“This is just one of the elements under consideration for this property,” Pitts said, “And more-definitive plans reflecting the layout for this site are still to come. We will gather public input and develop a recreation complex that will truly represent the desires of the neighborhood,” he said.
Other amenities for Hazelwood Recreation Complex could include:
- Gym space.
- Meeting and program rooms.
- Fitness center.
- Multi-use fields.
- Accessible playgrounds.
- Walking trail loop.
- Alternate canoe access point.
“The Parks and Recreation team is excited about the future of this site as a recreational complex, and all of the programming we can provide for North Clarksville,” said Jennifer Letourneau, Director of Clarksville Parks & Recreation Department. “We’ve been actively seeking a site for our citizens on this side of town, and 83 acres is more than we dreamed possible.
“Our citizens have told us that they want indoor aquatics and another recreation center to serve this area, and this gives us the opportunity to provide both, and much more,” Letourneau said.
Consolidating two capital projects
The $7 million associated with the purchase of the site also includes the right-of-way for the road. Along with the recreational component, there are other benefits from this deal for the 83 acres between the City of Clarksville and Scogin, in the form of transportation improvements and related cost savings, said the release.
“This purchase gives us the opportunity to consolidate two capital projects, the Needmore Road widening and Hazelwood Recreation Complex,” said David Smith, director of the Street Department. “The acquisition essentially shifts the property needed for the road widening away from the adjacent residences, eliminating the impact to those owners.
“Also, the purchase should provide enough land for us to maintain the existing traffic pattern while the roadway is developed in this stretch, minimizing lane closures and other interruptions.”
Smith said the completed roadway will have five traffic lanes, a 10-foot multi-use path and a five-foot sidewalk on the opposite side of the roadway adjacent to this property.
The acquisition of right-of-way is expected to begin later this year. As the city begins its process of planning and developing a world-class recreation complex, the sale is also contingent on a one-year lease back to Scogin for $1 a year, to comply with his current contracts.
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