More Lexington park activities will open next week. But city nixes summer youth jobs.
The city of Lexington is opening up more athletic courts and activities in city parks.
Some city tennis and pickleball courts will reopen. Rental paddle boats and kayaks will also be available at Jacobson Park. Golf operations will also be expanded.
All activities will have some restrictions.
“There are some new rules to provide for social distancing, but there’s still plenty of room for fun,” Mayor Linda Gorton said.
Tennis and pickleball nets will be restored on approximately 50 percent of courts starting Monday, city officials said. Many benches around the courts will be removed to encourage social distancing.
Also on Monday, city golf operations will expand. Changes include curbside sales of food, beverages and merchandise. Driving ranges will be open to allow for practice. All purchases are limited to credit cards.
Jacobson boat dock will open Wednesday. Hours are 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday- Friday; Saturday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sunday: 1-7 p.m.
Two- and four-person pedal boats, and two-person kayaks are available for rent.
This week, the city reopened McConnell Springs and Raven Run, two popular hiking areas that have been closed for a month. The number of the visitors allowed in the recreational areas has been restricted. People must first register at RecTrac at https://parks.lexingtonky.gov/wbwsc/webtrac.wsc/splash.html). Print receipt and bring it with you for admission of one car only. Call (859) 489-9835 for registration assistance. Registration will open on a weekly basis to adjust hike times and vehicle capacity. Registration is good for two hours at Raven Run and one hour at McConnell Springs.
The city had to close Raven Run, McConnell Springs, athletic courts and playgrounds on March 27 after the parks became packed and social distancing became impossible.
City officials have also said the city’s pools will not reopen this summer due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The city also announced Friday that its popular youth summer job training program, that typically employ more than 300 teenagers in Lexington during the summer, will not resume this summer.
Nor will its summer senior intern program, which allows seniors over the age of 50 to learn more about local government. The senior intern program has been in operation for 35 years. Last year more than 45 senior interns participated in the program that is operated in conjunction with several agencies such as AARP and PNC Bank.
The programs will return next summer, city officials said.
“These popular programs are traditional highlights of our summer programming, but taking the necessary precautions for COVID-19 is now our immediate focus,” said Chris Ford, commissioner of social services. “Senior Interns and summer youth jobs represent true community engagement, and we fully intend to reconnect these partnerships next summer.”
Monica Conrad, director of the city’s park and recreation department, told the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council on Thursday that more than 600 part-time seasonal staff that typically help the parks run programming in the summer months were not hired this spring because of the drop in programming in the parks related to restrictions on mass gatherings.
The city is also projecting a $9 million shortfall in the current-year budget that ends June 30. The projected shortfall for the fiscal year that begins July 1 is more than $40 million. Cutting those part-time staff is one way to make up for the shortfall.
Conrad said if the city’s revenues improve and restrictions on large gatherings are lifted, the city is hoping it will be bring back some of those part-time summer staff at a later date. l
This story was originally published May 8, 2020 at 9:09 AM.
