John Hunt Park offers runners and walkers the option of a cross country grass course or soft, chipped-rubber track, which are super assets to the community.
For some reason, though, the grass on much of the cross-country course is dead. D.E.A.D. Hammer dead. Brown dirt and dust in the wind dead.
Ugh. The cross-country course is closed to the public for now, as city officials strive to get something growing again.
We have experienced a large amount of winter kill at the cross-country course in John Hunt Park,” James Gossett, director of parks and recreation for the City of Huntsville, told TVO. “The reason we closed the course is to give the new sprigs and sod that we are installing a chance to grow without any foot traffic on it. We believe it will be ready for the fall season.”
About John Hunt Park
John Hunt Park is about 450 acres for public use, located on the site of Huntsville’s first major airport. It’s a multi-use facility, which means there are a lot of working parts. Runners think, “Oh, John Hunt Park, where we run” and may not think about the disc golf course or tennis or beach volleyball. Bikers may wonder why some goob is running near their biking trails. More specifically planned development is on the way, too, with the addition of pickleball courts and other facilities.
For years, much of the current running course was an 18-hole municipal golf course. It was hit by the 1989 tornado that devastated Airport Road but bounced back. That’s an appropriate turn of words, though, because the course was — in areas — hard as a rock. Golf balls could get a nice bounce in summer. The city was losing money on the course when it smartly decided to remake it into a multi-purpose facility.
The cross-country course is described as “a 10-meter wide, manicured grass surface course with multiple spurred loops providing various distance options including 2-mile, 5K, 6K, 8K, and 10K.” The course has been host to NCAA Regional championships along with the Running Lane cross country championships. Other events, such as the Big Run, Recover from the Holiday 50K and upcoming Race for Justice, use the park.
Some runs at the park have been modified and others canceled. Huntsville Track Club’s weekly summer runs are on hiatus due to the dead grass. Club officials haven’t found a backup location, and thus the pause. Sometimes, things just happen including dead grass in the heat of summer.
