Stakeholder Open House at Proud Mary BBQ
On Wednesday, August 14, the Kelley’s Landing team hosted a stakeholder open house at Proud Mary BBQ. During the meeting, representatives from organizations near the Kelley’s Landing site or with missions related to outdoor recreation and natural areas met with the project team about the Kelley’s Landing Master Plan. Stakeholder groups that participated include the Kentucky Association for Environmental Education, the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife, Durbin Memorial Baptist Church, Floracliff Nature Sanctuary, the Kentucky Water Research Institute, the City of Winchester’s Department of Parks and Recreation, and the Lexington Fire Department.
Stakeholders learned more about the Master Planning process and Kelley’s Landing site, and had opportunities to weigh in with their vision and goals for the future park. Key themes we heard included:
Education: many stakeholders saw the future park as an exciting chance for new nature and river education opportunities, including through passive resources like signage and programming for children and adults. Subjects like river dynamics, floodplains, and watersheds all make sense for the Kelley’s Landing site.
Safety: many stakeholders were concerned about safety at Kelley’s Landing, particularly water safety for swimmers. There were also concerns about how motor boats will or will not be included in the future park, with some concerns about motor boats conflicting with swimmers and kayakers, and other worries that restricting motor boats from accessing the site will negatively affect many surrounding neighbors.
Regional Connection and Tourism: many stakeholders thought that Kelley’s Landing will be an exciting draw for people beyond Fayette County, and see the future park as an opportunity to connect with Clark and Madison County and bring new tourism to Lexington.
Flooding: many stakeholders had knowledge or first hand experience of the Kelley’s Landing site flooding in recent years, and expressed interest in planning park infrastructure that can survive varying levels of flooding.
Through a series of facilitated activities, stakeholders had a chance to weigh in on their vision for the park, the key opportunities and challenges they see for the master plan, and the potential features that the park might include.
Thank you to Proud Mary BBQ and staff for their help with hosting this event!
