Thoughts On Former Academy Site

Sept. 14, 2024 Editor, The News-Gazette: Would someone please explain how on earth the former Ann Smith Academy passed from being public property into W&L and Chi Psi hands? It was a mystery at the time, and still is. It is hard to think of a more visible and valuable parcel, other than the post office across the street. Retroactively, public comment and resolution are in order.

In 2018, on Halloween weekend, I called it to the attention of the president’s office that the grounds were littered with party debris, including clothing. W&L’s only response has been to drape the property lines with mammoth swaths of black plastic, even on a mid-September weekend. It is as unsightly a solution as the problem it tries to address.

Years ago, architect Henry Ravenhorst recommended making the place one end of a public mall running through to the McCrum’s parking lot. The city rejected his proposal because of the cost. Was that an opportunity lost, or can we not revisit his proposal? Let’s at least try to correct this egregious wrong. MOLLY McCLUER Lexington