As the calendar flips to October, Knoxville Parks & Recreation staff will soon be winterizing the outdoor facilities. Director Brandon Nemmers says this is because these facilities are not heated.

“We always shoot for October 15th to winterize our bathrooms and drinking fountains. We’ll try to post when those things are happening, it’s based on staff availability and the weather. Those areas will be closed until about the middle of April. None of those areas are heated, that’s why we can’t keep those amenities on. Sometimes people are confused as to why those have to be shut down. But we don’t want pipes freezing and things bursting.”

Access to parks and trails will remain open, as this only affects the park buildings.