Nashville’s newest Metro park is open in Antioch and seeks to fill in a gap in city services that has long bothered residents in the ethnically diverse area of the city. The 10-acre Mariposa Park has forested trails, play areas and courts for basketball and pickleball.
More: Nashville boosts spending on parks, reaching national average
In opening the park, an array of officials acknowledged a generational lack of Metro investments in the area. Councilmember Sandra Sepulveda recalled beginning her term seven years ago as one of the only districts lacking a community center, library branch, or park.
“People deserve spaces that are free and open to everyone,” she said. “It’s hard to put into words how much work went into this to make it happen.”’
The park’s name is Spanish for “butterfly” and is meant to be symbolic and intentional for an area home to many immigrants.
“A symbol of migration. A symbol of Nashville and its diversity,” Sepulveda said.
Plans to add to the park are already in motion, including the planting of 80 native trees by the Nashville Tree Foundation and a public art installation to be overseen by Metro Arts.
“We celebrate what is possible when we are intentional about bringing parks and green space to communities where those opportunities have not historically existed,” Metro Parks Director Monique Horton Odom said at the dedication.
On Air - 90.3 WPLN-FM