Friday March 29, 2024
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The American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration (AAPRA), in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), is pleased to announce Louisville Parks and Recreation as a finalist for the 2018 National Gold Medal Awards for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management. Musco Lighting, LLC has been a proud sponsor of the Gold Medal Awards program for over 10 years.

Founded in 1965, the Gold Medal Awards program honors communities in the U.S. that demonstrate excellence in parks and recreation through long-range planning, resource management, volunteerism, environmental stewardship, program development, professional development and agency recognition. Applications are separated into seven classes, with five classes based on population, one class for armed forces recreation and one class for state park systems awarded on odd numbered years.

Louisville is a finalist in the Class 1 category, which includes cities of populations larger than 400,000 and most of the largest parks and recreation departments in the United States.

Agencies are judged on their ability to address the needs of those they serve through the collective energies of community members, staff and elected officials. Louisville joins three other finalists in their class that will compete for grand honors this year.

“It’s an honor for Louisville to be named a finalist for the Gold Medal Award,” Mayor Greg Fischer said. “I’d like to thank NRPA for recognizing what the citizens of our city have known for a long time: We are blessed with a world-class parks and recreation system. Our citizens and visitors have enjoyed our parks since the 1890s, when Frederick Law Olmsted’s vision began to take shape, and this is a great recognition of our commitment to keep building on that vision.”

“This is a great day for our department and its employees,” Parks and Recreation Director Seve Ghose said. “Our dedicated staff works incredibly hard every day to give all citizens of Louisville a parks and recreation system they can be proud of. We’re thrilled to be nominated for the Gold Medal.”

A panel of five park and recreation professionals reviews and judges all application materials. Judges are chosen for their considerable experience and knowledge in parks and recreation on both the local and national levels.

This year’s finalists will compete for Grand Plaque Award honors this summer, and the six Grand Plaque recipients will be announced live during the NRPA General Session at the 2018 NRPA Annual Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana, Sept. 25–27, 2018.

For more information on the Gold Medal Awards, visit www.nrpa.org/goldmedal or www.aapra.org.

Construction will soon get underway on a $330,000 project for new restrooms and other utility services for the people who use Waverly Park in Southwestern Metro Louisville.

“This is a great day for the families and neighbors who use Waverly Park for fun, exercise and recreation,” says Councilman David Yates (D-25). “Waverly Park attracts people from all over the city and state to traverse our spectacular mountain biking trails but I hope today’s investment will show them this park has much more to offer.”

Councilman Yates, along with other Council members and Louisville Parks and Recreation, officially broke ground on the project on Wednesday. The Councilman secured the funding to move this phase of the project forward.

“Waverly Park is one of the true destination parks within our collection, and we’re pleased that this work is under way,” said Parks and Recreation Director Seve Ghose. “These added amenities should help make the experience, whether it be fishing, biking, hiking or relaxing, more enjoyable.”

The $330,000 project includes civil/architectural designs and new utility services to bring both water and electrical service into the park. A new water fountain for both man and his best friend in front of the Waverly Dog Park is now operational and the new restroom will also feature two water fountains. Work includes walking paths and parking spaces.

Over the years, working with Louisville Parks and Recreation, Councilman Yates has managed to secure funding for a dog park and better parking. A water line was installed in 2017. It was funded in the budget and is fully operational. The next project will be to replace the rotted dock that was removed from Waverly Lake with a new fishing dock in the future. The Councilman is working to ensure there is funding in the upcoming budget for that project.

“I want to thank all those who have supported our efforts in Waverly Park. Like so many of the parks in our system, this is one more reason why the Southend is a wonderful place to live,” said Yates.

For more information about the improvements at Waverly Park, contact Councilman Yates office at 574-1125.

Louisville Parks and Recreation is hosting a World Cup-themed men’s soccer tournament from June 14 through July 15, 2018 to commemorate the version staged in Russia.

The tournament is open to adults 18 and over, in a 7 v 7 format, with 35-minute halves. The team fee is $150 for the three-game guarantee in the group stage, mimicking the Cup schedule, with games being played in the evening of the actual game days. There are only 32 spots available with teams representing the 32 countries who qualified for the tournament. Countries can be selected by participating teams.

Tournament sponsorships are available at $200 only through a 3’ x 8’ banner that is produced by the business or organization and will be placed on site at Thurman Hutchins Park for the months of June and July. Thurman Hutchins will also be the site of a festival on the tournament’s final day, including food trucks, music, and other entertainment options for the whole family.

Please contact Parks and Recreation Director Seve Ghose directly at seve.ghose@louisvilleky.gov or 502-415-8590 to secure a spot.

“Louisville has seen a spike in soccer interest over the last few years and to further engage the community we are seeking teams to sign up and participate in a soccer tournament,” Ghose said. “The goal is also to continue the tournament in the non-World Cup years with several more teams participating. Playing the ‘beautiful game’ on quality fields, under the lights will be a novelty and we encourage teams to sign up now and reserve your spot – we only have thirty two.”

The Beargrass Creek Greenway trail, in its entirety, is closed indefinitely due to the recent flooding event in Louisville.

Floodwaters and flash flooding have damaged – and even washed away – major portions of the paved bicycle path.

A major section of the trail has already been closed since last summer due to an MSD basin project and is scheduled to be closed through 2019. A map of the previous closure can be found here.

There is no timetable currently available on repairs or when the path will re-open.

Photo: Louisville Metro Parks and Recreation

After a successful inaugural season in 2017, Louisville Parks and Recreation will again be operating youth baseball and softball leagues at Wyandotte Park in south Louisville for children ages 6-18.

Sign-ups are available online now at this link.

Tee ball ($20 entry fee) will be available for children ages 6 and under. Softball and baseball league ($40 entry fee) divisions are as follows: ages 7-8, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, 15-16 and 17-18. In addition to the cost of joining the league, entry fees cover the cost of the uniform and rental of a glove if necessary.

Player sign-ups will take place through March 20 online and at three Parks and Recreation Community Centers; Cyril Allegier, Southwick and South Louisville. Games will begin on Saturday, March 26 at Wyandotte Park. In addition, Parks and Recreation is seeking volunteer coaches for league teams.

Those interested in participating should call Steve Edwards at (502) 744-0498.

“We’re hoping to find enthusiastic role models who will mentor the players, teach them fundamentals and how to be team players,” Parks and Recreation Director Seve Ghose said. “We’re hoping an abundance of kids sign up, but the league will only continue to be successful if we have a good number of coaches willing to take on the challenge.”

Construction work has begun at Boone Square to replace the outdated restroom building in the 126 year old park. Olmsted Parks Conservancy and Louisville Parks and Recreation are investing $400,000 to make improvements to Louisville’s first park designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. In addition, Boone Square will have new area lighting, connecting sidewalks, and a new water fountain.

Boone Square is a four acre parcel in the Portland Neighborhood. Prior to becoming park land, in 1865, it was the site for the first organized baseball game in Louisville. In 1891, the land was gifted to the city by Eliza Boone, a descendent of Captain William P. Boone and original owner, and became the first park in Louisville to be designed by Frederick Law Olmsted.

The park became known for recreation activities including handicrafts, volleyball and story hour for children. The park also included a wading pool, swings and seesaws. In the mid-1960s, the city built a new baseball diamond and basketball court which increased the use of the park. More improvements were made in 1982, when Trees Inc. planted 59 trees and with a $150,000 investment by the Boone Square Park Association.

In the last several years, more trees were planted and a portion of the historical wall was restored, thanks to financial support from donors of Olmsted Parks Conservancy including James Graham Brown Foundation, along with support from City of Louisville, Mayor Greg Fischer, Councilwoman Cheri Bryant- Hamilton and Louisville Parks and Recreation.

Louisville Parks and Recreation has assumed responsibility for the operation of Quail Chase Golf Club, a 27-hole championship-level course located on the Jefferson/Bullitt county line 20 minutes south of downtown Louisville.

The addition brings a marquee golf destination to Parks and Recreation’s portfolio of courses, including nine municipally run tracks located within the Louisville Metro area. Metro acquired the facility and improvements Feb. 1 from Golf Development Company Inc. for $850,000.

Through the agreement, Golf Development Inc. will make an annual $25,000 donation to the First Tee of Louisville for youth golf programming at Quail Chase each year over the next 10 years.

Quail Chase, located within McNeely Lake Park – one of 120 Metro-owned parks – will be overseen by PGA Professional Craig Heibert. Heibert is the Kentucky Section PGA Golf Professional of the Year in 2017. He is currently the Vice President of the PGA of Kentucky and serves on the organization’s board of directors. He is the current pro at Shawnee Golf Course and has overseen the First Tee’s growth at that course and others, building the program to six program locations, 34 elementary schools and nurturing numerous community and business partnerships.

The course will continue to operate as normal, and greens fees, passes and membership rates will not change this season. In addition, Parks and Recreation is evaluating the grounds and facilities for maintenance needs and possible upgrades. A grand opening celebration is anticipated this spring.

To view the course layout, greens fees and other information, visit quailchase.com.

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