ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. (WJHL) Ballad Health and the city of Elizabethton announced plans Monday to transform the former Franklin Fitness Center into a community center and the new headquarters for the city’s parks and recreation department.
A statement from the city said it has agreed with Ballad Health to reopen the building as a community center, which will trigger the next phase of a plan to transform that property into basketball courts and other recreational opportunities for Elizabethton residents.
The release states that the agreement was reached after “discussions early last summer between Ballad Health President and CEO Alan Levine, Sycamore Shoals Hospital CEO Dwayne Taylor, Elizabethton City Manager Daniel Estes and the councilor Richard Barker.”
The city agreed to purchase the facility located on the Sycamore Shoals Hospital campus for $500,000. The final agreement will be reached if the Elizabethton City Council approves it at a meeting on Nov. 9. The release said the sale, if approved, would include all existing equipment as well as the surrounding property.
In addition to opening the facility as a community center, building courts and other amenities, the city said this building would also house the Parks and Recreation Department, which is currently working on an aging facility in need of repairs.
Parks and Recreation Director Mike Mains said the department is excited and the acquisition would help them provide more opportunities for the community.
“This type of facility will offer a lot of different opportunities where we could provide classrooms for meetings, we could provide more programming and more fitness programs for our community,” Mains said.
Mains said the center is located in a great location for other recreational activities.
“We got close to the Franklin Pool that we operate, we have six pickleball courts nearby, then the Tweetsie Trail and then the linear trail, hopefully one day it will connect to this location,” Mains said. “So it’s a beautiful setting and beautiful facilities.”
Ballad Health and its predecessor have been part of the Elizabethton and Carter County community since 1998, when the hospital’s previous owner left the region, said Ballad CEO Alan Levine. In my 10 years here, I can’t think of any partnership that has been as productive and positive as the relationship we mutually share with Elizabethton’s great elected and municipal leaders. Their vision of expanding recreational opportunities for children and families is precisely the type of shared goals we have for the community.
Elizabethton Councilman Richard Barker said the partnership will improve quality of life for residents through improved recreation offerings.
Partnerships like this between private companies like Ballad Health and public entities demonstrate that our city is interested in economic growth and welcomes those who want to help improve the lives of our citizens, Barker added. We are so grateful to have this partnership with Ballad Health.
More information about the deal and plans for the former Franklin Fitness Center can be found at BalladHealth.org/news.
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