November 3, Town Branch Park Update
LEXINGTON, KY – The Rotary Club of Lexington held its weekly meeting Thursday, November 3, LexArts, Mill Street, Lexington, KY. The program’s guest speaker was Allison Lankford , Executive Director, Town Branch Park and Ann Bakhaus, Board Chair.
This meeting will also be on Zoom. For the Zoom link please email, [email protected].
“They paved paradise to put up a parking lot” lamented singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell in her 1970 song “Big Yellow Taxi”. Fifty years later that heartfelt lyric has been turned on its head as Lexington moves forward with the Town Branch Park Project (the “Park”) in the heart of downtown. The Park will tie in with the Town Branch Commons Trail (the “Trail”) which is already serving residents and visitors alike. When completed the Trail will serve to connect downtown Lexington with Masterson Station Park and the Distillery District, along with other parks, neighborhoods and historic sites as it follows the westward course of Lexington’s historic Town Branch waterway.
Located between the recently expanded Lexington Convention Center and Oliver Lewis Way, the Park will be a nine plus acre, world-class community gathering space. As described on the Park’s website (found at townbranchpark.org and highly recommended for more information) it is being designed by world-class design firm Sasaki, assisted by local firms, is privately funded by the community and led by a volunteer board of directors and a volunteer staff. It is estimated that in excess of 600,000 people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities will be served by the Park each year. Ground breaking is expected to occur in the Spring of 2023, with completion expected in 2025.
Of special interest to the Rotary Club of Lexington is the planned children’s area in the center of the Park. This “Children’s Adventure Playground” (“Playground”) will include climbing walls, a twenty-seven foot slide, and a full water playground with a splash table and educational opportunities for young children. The Playground dovetails nicely with Rotary International’s focus on children, leading to our Club’s decision to support the Park and the Playground by providing funding for the nature plantings within the Playground. The total commitment is $100,000, to be funded over five years beginning in 2022. Name recognition will be given to our Club on Town Branch Park signage. Final plans for the Park were unveiled this past September, with plans for the Playground well underway.
Today we are joined by Ann Bakhaus, Chair of the Town Branch Park Board of Directors and herself a former Lexington Rotarian and Allison Peck Lankford, its Executive Director. Together they will share with Rotarians all the latest news on the Park and the Playground.
For additional information, or to attend this meeting, please contact Peggy Trafton at [email protected].
401 West Main Street • Suite 305 • Lexington, KY 40507 • (859) 389-8100
