Letter: Chattanooga does it the right way with Coolidge Park

Published 7:29 am Friday, April 22, 2011

In 1999, the city of Chattanooga acquired a parcel of land on the north shore of the Tennessee River and built a beautiful park with a very large fountain and a carousel (which had formerly been located in Grant Park in Atlanta).

The city named the park Coolidge Park after the decorated war hero Charles E. Coolidge who not only was injured in the invasion of Normandy but in 2005 became one of only a handful of U.S. citizens to be awarded “La Croix de Guerre,” a medal for valor and bravery given by the French government.

The fountain is operated by an underground computer system which performs a variety of functions, primarily turning the fountain on and off at specific times and making constant changes in the pressure and height of the water.

Playing in the water is the whole purpose of the fountain having been installed. Children and adults alike are encouraged to strip down to swimsuits and stand over the water, which at times can have pressure strong enough to knock you over.

It is the next best thing to going in a swimming pool and you don’t have to change clothes. No one is permitted in the park after closing and anyone attempting to wash clothes is told by park police to go to a Laundromat.

This is how Chattanooga is on its way to becoming a world class city and is leaving Dalton in the dust.

Charles Hyder

Dalton