Lexington Community News – August 2021
A little rain didn’t stop the annual Keeneland Concours d’Elegance from raising funds to support Kentucky Children’s Hospital.
EDUCATION
Back to School
August 11 is the first day of school for Fayette County Public Schools. First day of classes at UK is scheduled for August 23.
Fired up!
The Lexington Fire Department invested in a new education trailer which allows the department to teach fire safety to nearly 30 kids at a time—almost three times as many kids as before. The new trailer includes a working fire alarm and smoke demonstration. The updates were made possible by funds raised through the FOF’s annual golf scramble and other fundraising efforts, donations, and with the help of the many sponsors shown on the trailer.
Read all about it
The Lexington Public Library announced it has extended hours at many of its branches as well as adding back Saturday hours at their Central Branch.Executive Director Heather Dieffenbach says “We are thrilled to expand the Library’s hours of operation to meet the needs of our customers,” adding, “and, as a reminder, for customers not ready to visit us in person yet, there are still a myriad of online and curbside services available.”
GOVERNMENT
Show me the money?
The City of Lexington has been allocated $120 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds and now the community has the opportunity to help prioritize this funding. Residents can give input via a survey. For those who have a specific transformative project for the City to consider, complete the ARPA project idea form. Both forms close on August 27, 2021. Public hearings and town halls will be held during the weeks of August 2 and 9, with additional opportunities for public input as the decision-making process moves forward.
Interested in a Public Safety career?
The Department of Public Safety hosts a Job Fair on Wednesday, August 4, from 3 – 6 pm at the Police Training Academy located at Bluegrass Community & Technical College Newtown campus. Prospective employees will have the opportunity to meet with hiring representatives from the Lexington Police Dept., the Lexington Fire Dept., Community Corrections, E-911, and Code Enforcement.
Appointments
Chris Ford is the new Commissioner of General Services, and Kacy Allen-Bryant is the new Commissioner of Social Services.
NEIGHBORHOODS
Improvements to Kenwick’s Neighborhood Park
Kenwick Neighborhood Association has partnered with LFUCG to add more park amenities, including swings, picnic tables, native plantings, and trees. Construction is underway to renovate the basketball courts at the park. The neighborhood received a matching NAMP (Neighborhood Action Matching Program) grant from LFUCG to provide funding for these improvements.
Lexington Creek Sweep
Help protect our creeks by cleaning up your neighborhood, backyard, or park. Free Creek Sweep kits are available for pick up from partner locations on August 7-15. Find out more at LexingtonKY.gov/CreekSweep.
Make a Splash!
A $900,000 grant from the Blue Grass Community Foundation will go towards a new interactive water feature, Splash!, in Lexington’s East End. Groundbreaking is scheduled for the spring of 2022.
STREETS & ROADS
Clays Mill Road Widening Project Update
Clays Mill Road between Pasadena and Stratford is planned to reopen for traffic in August — in time for back to school. The diversion between Waco and Cecil Way was recently milled and paved to improve the conditions. Work will continue on that area in mid-August, after Clays Mill reopens, to complete the work that began earlier this year.
Versailles Road
Crews have begun milling and paving a section of Versailles Road between Oxford Circle and Angliana Avenue. State transportation officials said one lane of traffic will remain open during the repaving, which will continue over the next several months.
Legacy Trail
A portion of Legacy Trail between Nandino Boulevard and Citation Boulevard is closed through August 30 to allow for two utility relocations. A safe detour for the trail is not available due to the size and location of the area, and pedestrians and cyclists are advised to avoid the area. This temporary closure was determined as the best way to complete the work as quickly and safely as possible.
Transportation Improvement Program
The Lexington Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is conducting a 15-day public review period for Amendment 1 to the MPO’s FY 2021 – FY 2024 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). This amendment commits $1 million in state funding to advance the design phase of the Nicholasville Road project, which spans from Man o’ War Boulevard to 1,000 ft. south of Brannon Road in Jessamine County. Public comment on Amendment 1 to the TIP is accepted through August 7. The design phase, which occurs at a later time, will include opportunities for the public to review project details and to comment on various design aspects of the project. The amendment and full TIP document are available at the Lexington Area Metropolitan Planning Organization website.
WILDCATS TAKE THE GOLD
UK celebrated 22 current and former students head to Tokyo to compete in the delayed 2020 Olympics, beginning on July 23.
Lee Kiefer, a Lexington native, Dunbar alumna, and current UK College of Medicine student, competed in her third Olympics in the discipline of foil fencing. She captured the gold and became the first American woman to win an Olympic medal in individual foil.Will Shaner, a current UK senior, took gold in the men’s 10-meter air rifle and became the first Wildcat to medal in Tokyo. UK sophomore Mary Tucker competed in the women’s 10-meter air rifle, women’s 50-meter smallbore and mixed team shooting 10m air rifle — making her the only UK athlete to qualify for the Olympics in both air rifle and smallbore.
Three other UK students, along with a coach, competed in softball and track and field. Alexia Lacatena is an incoming freshman and UK softball player; Megan Moss is a UK junior competing in track and field; Dwight St. Hillaire is a Graduate student and UK track and field runner; and Devynne Charlton, a volunteer assistant coach for UK’s track and field team, also competes in track and field. 14 UK alumni also headed to Tokyo.
The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 began in late July and continue through August 8, 2021.
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This also appears on page 8 & 9 of the August 2021 print edition of ace magazine.
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