The City of Chattanooga Department of Parks and Outdoors hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday to celebrate the completion of Phase One infrastructure improvements at Stringer’s Ridge Preserve. Supported by a grant from the Tennessee Department of Health’s Project Diabetes initiative, the project features a newly paved path designed to drastically improve visitor safety and park accessibility.

To commemorate the grand opening, community members and local officials walked the newly-completed quarter-mile paved section, starting at the Cherokee Trail trailhead (900 High Ridge Dr.) and concluding at the iconic Stringer’s Ridge overlook.

Guests of honor for the celebratory walk included local Therapeutic Recreation athletes Joel Westbrook and Abigail Grubbs, District 2 City Councilwoman Jenny Hill, and members of the City’s Parks and Outdoors and Public Works teams.

The completion of this paved path concludes the first year of a scheduled multi-year master development plan for Stringer’s Ridge. Future phases of the initiative include:

Year Two: Installation of enhanced wayfinding signage, benches, trash receptacles, dog waste stations, and interactive educational elements.

Year Three: Upgrades to parking infrastructure, overall visitor access improvements, and long-term environmental sustainability planning.

This multi-year initiative intentionally incorporates Policy, Systems, and Environmental (PSE) change strategies to address preventable chronic health issues, including obesity, diabetes, and cancer. Rather than focusing strictly on individual behaviors, PSE approaches modify community infrastructure to establish environments that naturally support daily physical activity. By upgrading heavily used public assets like Stringer’s Ridge, the City aims to remove mobility barriers and encourage active lifestyles.

This project is funded under a grant contract with the State of Tennessee.