New sprayground, splash pad coming to Lexington’s East Side after $900,000 donation
Lexington’s East Side has no pools or splash pads. It’s a water play desert.
But that will change in 2022.
Thanks to a $900,000 grant from the Blue Grass Community Foundation, Splash!, a new interactive water feature, will be installed at the Charles Young Community Center near its new playground in 2022. Groundbreaking is scheduled for the spring of 2022.
The new water feature and sprayground will be adjacent to the newly constructed Town Branch Trail, currently under construction along Midland Avenue. The Charles Young Park faces Midland Avenue.
“Charles Young Park is becoming a great area for family fun in walking distance for East End neighbors,” said Mayor Linda Gorton. “Thank you to the Blue Grass Community Foundation and to the neighbors who have helped us plan these improvements!”
The idea for the interactive water feature has been years in the making and was successfully piloted in the area several years ago.
In 2016 and 2017, a temporary sprayground and splash pad called SplashJam! was installed at nearby Northeastern Park.
That sprayground and splash pad increased traffic to Northeastern Park by 60 percent, city officials said. That temporary water feature was a collaboration between the city, the Lexington Downtown Development Authority, the Gehl Institute, Blue Grass Community Foundation and the Knight Foundation Donor Advised Charitable Fund.
“At that time, we had an overwhelming response from users that water play was needed in this area,” said Monica Conrad, the director of the city’s parks and recreation department.
Blue Grass Foundation leaders said investment in the Charles Young Community Center water feature and play area is a way to ensure that everyone has access to green space and water play.
“The community foundation has long been committed to equitable access to beautiful and engaging public green spaces,” said Lisa Adkins, president and CEO of Blue Grass Community Foundation. “It’s exciting to help make this project a reality after years of planning, resident engagement, piloting and evaluation. We are grateful to our charitable partners that made it possible.”
Other partners that helped contribute to the project include: Community Ventures, J.M. Smucker Co., James Monroe Homes, James and Martha Monroe Charitable Fund at Blue Grass Community Foundation and Knight Foundation Donor Advised Charitable Fund at Blue Grass Community Foundation.
A request for proposals for the design of the new interactive water feature has already been released. Proposals are due July 30.
The design of the water feature will incorporate the legacy of the park’s history and of its namesake: Colonel Charles Young, a native Kentuckian who was the first African-American to rise to the rank of colonel in the U.S. Army. The Charles Young Center and the adjacent park were built in his honor nearly 100 years ago. Both are now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
“With continued neighborhood engagement and community input, the recent investments in this park will not only benefit the families in this neighborhood but also bring others across our city to share in the rich culture and history of Charles Young Park,” said Lexington-Fayette Urban County Councilman James Brown, who represents the area around Charles Young Community Center.
This story was originally published July 6, 2021 at 2:43 PM.
