Green spaces are vital to a healthy community, and no one knows that better than Billy Minser.
That’s why the city of Maryville and the Foothills Land Conservancy have collaborated to create Billy Minser Park, in a beautiful wooded area just off E. Lamar Alexander Parkway and Gateway Road.
Catherine Gilreath donated the 23 acres, explained Bill Clabough, FLC’s Executive Director. But when asked if they could name the new park for her, she demurred. Clabough immediately thought of Minser, a longtime FLC board member and lifelong conservationist.
“I’ve known Billy for years, and I’m familiar with the work he’s done,” Clabough said. He called Minser “One of the very few people who talk the talk and walk the walk.” He took the proposal to the FLC Board, who were “very enthusiastic about naming [the park] after Billy.”
The park will develop in two stages, according to Assistant Maryville City Manager Kevin Stoltenberg. The city hopes to start work this fall and open the first section in the summer of 2026.
Phase One, north of the Gravelly Creek, will include a parking area, hiking paths, and a scenic overlook with a view of the water. “There’s a lot to see,” Stoltenberg said of the site, with its combination of dense forest, wetland and open space. This section of the park will also include an ADA-accessible path and benches, making the space welcoming to all.
In the future, the second phase will focus on the more rugged southeast section of the land. Developments in that section might include mountain bike trails, for instance.
“I think it’s going to be really nice,” Stoltenberg said of the project. He’s excited by the possibilities that such a large park can offer. “We are grateful to the Foothills Land Conservancy for helping make this happen,” he added.
Clabough echoed his enthusiasm for the new park. “There are an enormous amount of possibilities for the park,” he said. “But again, it’s nice to just to have a place out there for people to take a nice walk, be in a natural setting.”
If the Knoxville-Maryville bike trail ever comes to fruition, Clabough said, there’s a possibility to connect this park with it. The size and location of the land have a lot of potential, he added.
The city has been excited by the popularity of the most recent park, Jarvis Park, which opened in 2021. “So we think this new [Minser] Park will have a similar appeal,” Stoltenberg said.
Much of the green space around Blount County and East Tennessee bears Minser’s influence, if not his name. He has helped to preserve hundreds of thousands of acres of public land, including an expansion to Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Minser served on the task force that developed the Pistol Creek Wetland Center, along Montvale Station Road, and has collaborated with Carpenters Elementary School to create an outdoor classroom that has spawned many others around the region.
“It’s been a real pleasure and an honor to know Billy,” Clabough said.
In June 2024, Blount County Mayor Ed Mitchell made an official proclamation in honor of Minser. The proclamation thanked Minser for his conservation work and his efforts to help create the Vietnam Voices series of books. The project by the Blount County Friends of the Library is edited by Minser, Jim Stovall and Ed Caudill and chronicles the oral histories of people who served in Vietnam.
To learn more about the Foothills Land Conservancy, visit their website: Foothillsland.org.
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