Flyer: Why did you get involved with this as the point man?
Ron Terry: Over three years ago, I was
invited to talk at a Friends of Shelby Farms meeting and was told the last keynote speaker
was the late Lucius Burch, a personal friend as well as a friend and
protector of Shelby Farms. I guess it was the fact that Lucius
had been the last speaker that inspired me to say yes. But
I didn’t find out until two weeks before the meeting
that it was a meeting to oppose a road that involved a
big interchange on the western side of the park. So I
studied the plan, and in my talk, I called it dumb. And that
led to a two-year dialogue I had with Mayor Rout …
And about a year ago, he proposed a new concept, and
everyone agreed that, subject to design constraints, this
one had a possibility of working.
With the road fight behind us, I suggested to
the mayor we take another step and see what could be
done to develop the open space further. He told me to
dream a little bit and come back. I wrote a vision
statement, circulated it to several dozen people whose opinion
I respected, and showed him a final copy. Then we
formed a partnership to put in the hands of a conservancy.
What have you learned about how things get
done in Memphis?
Big things involve public-private partnerships.
And there is a requirement in all of them that
government and nongovernment funds and ideas be combined.
It worked with the old Superfund, it worked with AutoZone Park and the Riverfront Development
Corporation, and I think it will work at Shelby Farms.
Do you feel like government just can’t get the
job done within its existing structure and with the
appointed boards we already have?
I don’t fault the appointed boards. It is just that
there wasn’t sufficient private money being put into the
partnerships. It’s quite a bit different sitting on a board
deciding how to spend taxpayer money and sitting on
a board trying to create the synergy of both private
and public sectors.
You said you contacted more than 40 potential
donors and only seven responded yes. What were some
of the things that concerned the others?
The amount of money I was asking for. A lot of
these people are going to be willing to consider projects
that come out of the master plan. I was asking for big money.
What do you hope to see happen to Shelby
Farms in your lifetime?
The beginning of a 20- to 30-year program to
make it suitable to become the major park in our
community, which it is going to be anyway. I would refer to the
vision statement.
The plan would lock the park up from
commercial development. Beyond that, what is its positive thrust?
If we can succeed in making the park a major
contributor to community health, which frankly is
foremost in my mind, then we can build programs to
accomplish that in cooperation with members of the health
community. I think recreation will be a byproduct of it.
I think the park is going to be a great benefit to this
community over the next 20 to 30 years. And it would
not have happened if Jim Rout had not substantially
assisted in making it happen.
Is there a model for this anywhere in America?
No, not to my knowledge. And neither is there a
model for a major urban park being eventually supported
with operating funds from the private sector.
What’s the matter with some intelligent
commercial development in 4,000 acres that are already
surrounded by commercial development?
We already have some commercial development in
the park. And it uses some substantial acreage. There are
leases to a major building on some of the land. And you have
the headquarters of Ducks Unlimited, one of the country’s
major conservation operations. And most of that is going to
be retained. It is all a matter of degree when you talk
about commercial development. The park is generating over
$2 million in annual revenue now. We intend to
enhance this in the future but never at the expense of
charging admission into the park. There are a few activities
using portions of the park during the year for which
admission is charged, but visitors should never be
greeted with a toll booth.
Why build a new road when you have one now that is
expandable or can be made to look more attractive like Humphreys Boulevard?
It doesn’t serve the transportation needs of the community. It
only runs east and west. The new concept takes care of major roads
running north and south.
Some people like passive parks. Others like sports involving
gasoline or firearms. Why isn’t there room for everyone in a park this big?
My opinion is that it’s just too hard to mix noise with a goal of
quiet enjoyment.
Does the plan make a value judgment
that cars are bad?
Absolutely not. In fact, I am confident
that the master plan will involve getting people
in cars to parking areas designed for whatever
uses the master plan calls for. But what Shelby Farms planner
Garrett Eckbo said 25 years ago still stands, I believe. We need a
park that is uninterrupted by vehicular traffic going across it.
The vision statement talks about marketing the park.
Can you explain?
First we have to brand it as a place where more people
are welcome. Then we’ve got to build both spaces and
programs that encourage greater use of the land. n
Ron Terry is the former chairman and CEO of First
Tennessee National Corporation.