LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — Lexington Parks and Recreation is developing a new 10-year master plan — and this time, it comes with $8 million in voter-approved funding and a call for community input on the future of the city's green spaces.
The department creates a master plan every decade to guide the direction of parks, trails, pools, and recreation programming across the city.
"It's a ten-year roadmap to determine what happens with Lexington's Parks and Recreation in the future," Monica Conrad said.
Voters approved the $8 million in funding through a ballot measure on Election Day 2024.
"We are excited that Lexingtonians have so much invested in our parks system and want to see that improvement for our quality of life," Conrad said.
The department is now soliciting public input online, allowing residents to weigh in on specific parks and what improvements they want to see.
"They can go on a specific park and say, 'I want this park to have a new playground, or I want this park to have a pickleball court, or basketball court,'" Conrad said.
Community feedback played a significant role in shaping the outcomes of the 2018 master plan.
"From our 2018 master plan, we acquired property at Kelly's Landing," Conrad said. "We heard people wanted their first riverfront access, so that was a huge accomplishment from that plan. Trails at Jacobsen Park, more community centered programs, golf programming, aquatic programming at our pools."
The new plan will also address aging infrastructure. Basketball courts at Douglass Park, for example, are among the facilities slated for refurbishment. The plan also aims to keep pace with shifting recreational trends.
"Pickleball was not the trend in 2018, but we've more than doubled our pickleball courts since then, so it's important that we're engaged and thinking about those emerging trends," Conrad said.
Conrad acknowledged that not all residents support the spending, but noted that Mayor Linda Gorton has been a proponent of investing in parks, pools, and trails — and that a majority of voters agreed in 2024.
"Not only for our quality of life, but our mental (health), our (physical) health, our well-being. Public green space is so important to our community," Conrad said.
Residents can submit suggestions for the master plan at the Lexington Parks and Recreation Master Plan page on EngagePros.
