.jpg)
Lexington City Council members got a first-hand look at Jordans Point Park July 20 as they reviewed planned improvements called for in the park’s Master Plan. Director of Public Works Patrick Madigan and City Manager Jim Halasz led the tour, which took place prior to council’s meeting.
Madigan went over construction and price estimates of planned improvements to rejuvenate the park. He presented council members with a tentative diagram, which incorporated aspects of the Master Plan along with developments to consider with respect to the Gold Star Memorial. Throughout the discussion, the group focused on ensuring that all amenities of the park are handicapped accessible, and that the park’s natural aesthetic is preserved.
“One of the things we’re not even thinking about at Jordans Point Park is that there’s a goal to enhance it, not change it,” Council member David Sigler said at the meeting.
He continued, “So, when I think of the projects – we already have picnics there, we already have people walking there – let’s enhance it, let’s make it easier for people to walk there and enjoy the nature or have a second structure for a picnic, because you’re right – [the pavilion] is used all the time, that existing structure. … That’s my personal preference to enhance Jordans Point Park and not let it lose its character.”
The city has about $335,000 budgeted for any work to be done at Jordans Point, City Manager Halasz informed Council. To stay within budget, Madigan has diligently inspected construction and building projects to determine what can be done “in-house” and what will have to be contracted out.
A few smaller tasks will be updating the bathrooms or paving the parking lot and entrance for better ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) access.
The proposed plan includes a number of facets for ADA accessibility into the park such as paved parking next to the pre-existing pavilion, an ADA picnic area, a concrete trail, and a concrete path leading to the Gold Star Memorial, Madigan said.
Council member Marilyn Alexander commended Madigan and his team for being conscientious of ADA needs, but Halasz reminded her of the opportunity cost.
He said, “Well, I will say we didn’t arrive at that yet. I mean, that’s not what the plan calls for. You put [ADA] parking there [and] you’re taking out the butterfly garden and three or four other features that are called for [in the Master Plan] where the parking is. Those are the tradeoffs we haven’t decided yet, but Patrick was very careful at looking at that.”
Another area of the park subject to trade-offs is the open lawn nearby the Gold Star Memorial and the shelter protecting the historic batteaux. At the work session, there was some dispute between council members on whether the batteaux shelter would be moved or removed to incorporate a children’s playground.
In the blueprint presented at the meeting, the batteaux shelter was moved, but Council member Leslie Straughn didn’t want to reorient the shelter too much without allocating the space for the playground. Some of her fellow council members didn’t feel the playground was a current priority.
Sigler said, “… of course, the playground – we can get to that. I mean, we’ve got $335,000 budgeted and a new playground would cost all of that when we have other playgrounds that need desperate help in Lexington.” According to Madigan’s diagram, the additions for ADA access alone would cost about $60,000. Another aspect of the Jordans Point Park Master Plan will be landscaping to stabilize water entrance areas. Madigan has been working with Louise Finger, a biologist with the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, to develop a landscaping design that will conserve the park’s natural resources while appealing to the public’s recreational needs, the public works director noted.
On the bridge side of the Jordans Point island, there is currently a 15 foot drop that will need to be leveled out. Madigan plans to create an attractive, natural barrier that will deter park goers from unsafely moving around the water but will also be appealing to the public. The soil removed from this area will be utilized to stabilize the bank around the boat launch area, which is the second location for landscaping.
None of the landscaping done on either side of the park will require input or acknowledgment from government agencies as the work will not be done beyond the high-water line, Madigan said. According to the diagram, landscaping could potentially cost $8,500.
Perhaps the biggest endeavor will be redefining the service road from the far end of the game field to the boat launch. Establishing a cement service road will deter driving on the trail by the river. Installation of the road, which Madigan believes will be about 20 feet wide with two lanes, would take about three weeks to complete and would cost roughly $112,300.
Creating the service road would have a trickle-down effect, demanding work to be done in other parts of the park to accommodate the road. A split-rail fence similar to what is currently surrounding the game field would be built along the service road to create a safety buffer between the road and field. With this in mind, the sprinkler and irrigation feature situated at the field’s entrance would need to be relocated, which would cost $15,600, Madigan said.
None of the ideas from last month’s meeting are final, but according to Madigan’s diagram, some of the smaller projects around the park are set to begin in the fall of this year. City Council will continue to evaluate options that will enhance Lexington’s “most desirable” recreational park.
