LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Lexington's City Council has voted not to renew an agreement that allowed the University of Kentucky's ROTC program to use Hisle Farm Park as a training site, following concerns from residents who said the military exercises triggered trauma.
For Deana Mullins, Hisle Farm Park has been a peaceful retreat from city life.
"This space is very peaceful," Mullins said.
But for the past 10 years, the park has also served as a training ground for the University of Kentucky's ROTC program, creating an unexpected conflict for some visitors.
"See soldiers crawling with rubber guns and things that you don't see in everyday life, it's kind of spooky, and it triggers the trauma," Mullins said. "Takes me back to that moment when I got the phone call about Sean."
Sean is Mullins' son, who was shot and killed nearly 8 years ago on South Locust Hill Drive in Lexington.
"The scars are internal they never heal the heart's always broken," Mullins said.
When she heard the city's agreement with the university's military program was up for renewal, she joined others in urging city council members to end the partnership. The council agreed, voting not to renew the agreement for 2026.
"UK has other options that they can explore. They've begun exploring an option with Bluegrass Station," Vice Mayor Dan Wu said.
Bluegrass Station is a military-industrial business park that Wu says is already equipped for the ROTC program's needs. Mullins, who comes from a military family, sees this as a positive solution for everyone involved.
"It doesn't mean that we're against the military or we don't agree with the training," Mullins said. "Until you have lost a loved one, a child, a family member to this gun violence, you'll never fully understand what it feels like."
