Several of the people at the Soddy-Daisy commission meeting on September 17 had helped build Scramble Alley with their own hands in 1995. According to Chattanoogan.com, every one of them said the same thing that night. Sentiment was the only reason left to keep it, and the wooden castle behind City Hall could not be saved.
In June, the argument was about whether the playground should come down. By October it was about money and dates. The commission has now set aside $100,000 for a replacement. That covers only part of the city's likely share of the cost, and the date children get a new playground behind City Hall will depend on a state grant calendar that runs through the spring.
Thirty Years, One Survey, One Vote
Scramble Alley went up fast and came down slowly. The steps below show how the decision changed shape along the way.
- Mid-1990s. The community raised donations and built the playground in a single week, according to Local 3 News, which dates the build to 1995. The city's own survey page gives 1996.
- 2024. The city asked residents whether to repair or redesign. It cited splinter complaints and estimated that restoring the original structure would cost more than $150,000 to $175,000. Officials later told Local 3 that most respondents favored tearing it down.
- June 2026. The city announced the playground would close by June 8 and be torn down. A "Save Scramble Alley" Facebook group grew to nearly 360 members, and NewsChannel 9 reported a petition with more than 600 signatures. The city then made minor repairs to keep the playground open through the summer.
- September 2026. After a special called meeting on September 8, the commission voted unanimously on September 17 "to destruct what there is there now so we can begin plans for a better playground," according to the draft minutes.
- October 2026. The commission committed $100,000 toward the replacement.
Even in June, the Save Scramble Alley group was asking for more than preservation. Founder Lindsey Walker told Local 3 News the effort was about "wanting safe, thoughtful investment in a place that has been part of our community for over 30 years." She said she hoped to hear about long-term solutions, partnerships, fundraising or grants. Those last few items are what the city is now working on.
Why the Old Structure Ran Out of Repairs
Commissioner Steve Everett explained the problem at the September meeting, as Chattanoogan.com reported it. The support posts had largely rotted. Replacing them meant taking apart everything attached to them. Once old boards were swapped for new ones, the boards next to those would need replacing too, and so on until the whole thing was new. An independent study had already found enough problems to fill many pages with photos.
Leaving it standing also costs money. The minutes record the city paying $600 a month to rent the fence around the closed playground. Volunteers offered equipment and labor to help with the demolition, and City Manager Burt Johnson said Public Works would take it down once crews and trucks were free.
The commissioners were clear about the land. Commissioner Travis Beene said he would not vote for anything there except a playground for kids. Everett said the board never intended to tear the castle down without putting something back.
The Price Mostly Depends on What's Underfoot
Johnson got quotes from GameTime the day before the vote. A basic playground came in at $300,000 and at $500,000, and the minutes say the difference was the surfacing. That $200,000 gap is the biggest single choice in the project. It is a bigger factor than which climbing pieces go on top.
The plan is to apply for a Tennessee Local Parks and Recreation Fund grant, which TDEC describes as requiring an equal local match. If the city wins it, the city still pays half. Here is how the $100,000 compares with that half:
| GameTime quote | City's half under a 50/50 grant | Left after the $100,000 reserve |
|---|---|---|
| $300,000 | $150,000 | $50,000 |
| $500,000 | $250,000 | $150,000 |
The reserve comes close to closing the gap on the less expensive version. It leaves a wide gap on the more expensive one. Other money is already lined up. Former mayor Bob Privett, who was a commissioner when Scramble Alley was built, had pledged Lions Club money toward the new playground months earlier, Johnson said in September. Johnson also said any donations would go into a fund set aside only for the playground.
Johnson added that "the money quoted is not set in stone," and any proposal would need a commission vote. Vice Mayor Mark Penney urged the board to make the playground unique to Soddy-Daisy, not generic metal. That kind of design choice could push the final cost either way.
The $100,000 Came From School-Zone Speeding Fines
The money has a clear connection to children. On October 1, Chattanoogan.com reported, Penney told the commission that the city's school-zone speed cameras were never meant to raise revenue. They were installed to slow traffic near schools, and the fines had built up over time. He proposed putting $100,000 of that money into a new playground on the Scramble Alley site.
The October 15 agenda listed the item as "Action to reserve funds for Scramble Alley." In its October 20 report, Chattanoogan.com said commissioners chose to use $100,000 of the accumulated fines to help build the replacement, and hoped grants and offered donations would cover the rest.
A Spring Calendar Sets the Date
Johnson told the commission the city would apply for the grant in early 2027 and expected the deadline in March or April. TDEC has not yet published dates for the 2027 cycle. The 2026 cycle, listed on the state's outdoor recreation grants page, ran like this:
- Intent-to-apply forms opened December 4, 2025
- Intent-to-apply forms were due January 14, 2026
- Full applications opened January 29, 2026
- Full applications were due April 1, 2026
If 2027 follows the same pattern, the first step comes up in early December, only a few weeks after this post goes out.
The other piece is planning. In September, Johnson said the city needs a parks and recreation master plan less than ten years old before it can apply. In June, the city told Local 3 News it was working with a consultant on that plan. TDEC's 2026 application workshop slides set planning requirements by grant size. A full systemwide plan was required only for awards of $500,000 or more, and projects named in a recent, adopted systemwide plan could earn extra scoring points. Either way, the plan affects how strong an application Soddy-Daisy can file.
This route has fallen short before. The city told Local 3 it had applied twice for a BlueCross Healthy Places playground grant and was not chosen either time. It is now pursuing the state grant while building up its own share at the same time.
Where the Swings Are This Winter
Until the new playground is built, the city's parks page lists a playground at the Soddy Lake Recreation Complex. The north-side baseball fields are at 150 Depot Street and the south-side softball fields are at 105 Durham Street. The complex also has a walking track, basketball and pickleball courts, creek fishing and eight lighted ball fields, so one parent can watch practice while another walks the loop.
Parking near there has improved. By the September 17 meeting, Johnson said a new north-end lot with about 80 spaces had opened, though curbs were not yet in. It is meant to get cars off Depot Street.
Veterans Park at 9009 Dayton Pike has a fenced dog park, a walking track, a pavilion and restrooms. The city's list of features there does not include a playground. Back in June, the city estimated that adding play structures at Veterans Park would cost about $120,000. Everett also pointed out in September that there are playgrounds at both the north and south ends of town, plus school playgrounds open to the public.
The next public step will come in the commission's minutes and on the city's grant application. Agendas and minutes are posted on the city's commission page.
The Robinson Team follows Soddy-Daisy at the level of commission votes and park budgets, because projects like this one help shape what a street feels like to live on. If you'd like to talk through how projects in your part of Soddy-Daisy are coming along, Contact Us.
