LEXINGTON, KY. (LEX NEWS) — Investing in the youth today for a better tomorrow — that was the sentiment on Wednesday at Woodhill Park, as city leaders unveiled the newly rebuilt basketball courts.
"I believe that investing into the community is investing into public safety," District 7 Council Member Joseph Hale said.
The project was funded locally, but Hale said feedback from the community helped drive the investment. "We just wanted to do some investment in the community here in Woodhill," Hale said.
Hale acknowledged that community members have at times felt overlooked. "Even speaking with some of the neighbors, this community kind of feels, or they do feel like they're, they've been overlooked at times," Hale said.
Marcus Patrick, Director of Youth Operations at the Lexington Leadership Foundation, said the rebuilt court sends an important message.
"We have lots of community members, youth and adults that use this space, and so to have the resurfacing and just redoing of the basketball court itself is just a nod to the community," Patrick said.
Patrick added that investing in youth today creates a better future tomorrow. "A lot of times people from communities like this feel overlooked and for something like this to be done for them it's like, OK, now let's see what else we can do to benefit the people in this neighborhood," Patrick said.
During a community event last week, Hale said he went directly to the people the investment is for and asked what else they would like to see.
"The consensus they want to see a, a futsal court. So, that'll be one of my next projects. I'll be talking with Parks about putting futsal out here, and upgrading their playgrounds," Hale said.
Leaders say the court is a reminder to young people that their future matters. "We see you and we're excited for what's to come, and what you will bring to this community so that we all can be better for it," Patrick said.
"If we want to see a better Lexington, we have to invest in our youth because they are the future of Lexington," Hale said.
