The Courier-Journal (Louisville)
New park has ‘been kind of a dream’
Site set to open in late summer or early fall
Michael Fleitz had knee surgery Thursday, but made sure he was out in the brisk April air to be a part of the Windsor Park groundbreaking in southwest Louisville on Friday.
Fleitz, president of the Windsor Forest Homeowners Association, has been involved with plans for this plot of land for 20 years. The property was gifted to Jefferson County Public Schools by the Windsor Forest Homeowners Association in the early to mid-1990s with the expectation that a school would be built there, said Mayor’s Office spokesperson Kevin Trager.
After JCPS determined those plans were not feasible, it was gifted to the Metropolitan Sewer District.
There was a proposed zoning change to put storage units on the property, but Fleitz remembered it was designated for recreational use only, said Councilwoman Cindi Fowler. So Fleitz called former Councilwoman Amy Holton Stewart’s office, and she “went to work.”
When the Louisville-Jefferson County merger happened, Fleitz said the property “kind of got lost.”
“The county attorney finally tracked down the deed that had been lost in the shuffle for so many years as the land changed hands over the years,” Fowler said.
Stewart then inquired about putting a park on the land and began working to secure funding. Current Councilman Khalil Batshon continued the work after he was elected to the District 25 council seat. The $1.3 million in funding came from American Rescue Plan money and general funds, according to a statement from the Mayor’s Office. MSD gifted the land to the city for the park, Trager said.
Following collaboration between several organizations and government agencies, it will be the district’s first Louisville Metro Park.
Fleitz stood alongside Batshon, Fowler, Mayor Craig Greenberg, State Rep. Rachel Roarx, State Sen. David Yates, Louisville Metro Parks and Recreation Director Jason Canuel and Metropolitan Sewer District Executive Director Tony Parrott as they broke ground on the park.
“I’ve been with parks for 14 years and we’ve only been able to have a raw piece
of ground to build a brand new park twice,” Canuel said.
It is set to open in late summer or early fall, Canuel said, and will feature a splash pad, seating area and bathrooms. Later, Batshon hopes to add a playground and walking path, but will need more funding to do this.
“I am proud of our work to find the funding needed to complete Phase I of this project and look forward to working with the Mayor and my council colleagues to get additional funding to support the construction of even more within this much-needed park,” he said.
The park is located at 2401 Lamborne Blvd. near a section of the Louisville Loop.
“I’m glad it’s finally happening,” Fleitz said. “It’s been kind of a dream.”