Meet the new director of Gatton Park on Town Branch in Lexington
Donald Miller was named Gatton Park on Town Branch’s first park director in June. Miller will oversee day-to-day operations of the downtown Lexington park that includes a 5,000 seat amphitheater, multiple children's play areas, water play, dog parks and multiple walking trails.
The park, which has been more than a decade in the making, will open Saturday.
Here’s what Miller had to say about his background and hopes for the new 10-acre park. The answers have been edited for clarity.
Where are you from?
I’m originally from Birmingham, Alabama. I went to the University of Alabama, studied film, but then got into park, programming and event spaces
Where did you work before coming to Lexington?
I was an event coordinator with Discovery Green in Houston. We did 600 events, everything from small fitness classes and educational workshops, to the Super Bowl and the NCAA Final Four.
I had lived in Austin before and really wanted to move back to Austin. There was a new park there called the Waller Creek Conservancy, now called Waterloo Greenway. They needed an event director, so I asked for and got the job. We opened in 2021 in the middle of the pandemic. We programmed 125 events annually, so it’s similar to Gatton Park. We also had a 5,000-seat amphitheater.
What can people expect from Gatton Park?
We want to be a space for all of Lexington. We want to be Lexington’s backyard, front yard, wherever you are, we want to see you reflected in our programming and our infrastructure.
What’s your favorite part of the park?
The events are great. (The park hopes to have 15 to 20 concerts a year and will eventually add other cultural events, education and fitness classes). But I like watching people just use the space.
It’s the Tuesday morning, at like 10 a.m., where you’ve got the mom and me group with the strollers who have met up here to have coffee and let the kids play. Or maybe a small group or family who’s just playing cards. It’s the day-to-day uses I like to see. I like seeing all different types of communities intersect and use this community space.
The park is not divided. It’s one big open space.
