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The Parklands

In with the New: Parklands Construction

From hiking trails in Turkey Run Park to pavilions for celebrations in Beckley Creek Park, each park brings a unique characteristic to The Parklands of Floyds Fork. 2017 was a particularly busy year for the parks, which brought over 3 million visits. With this abundance of park visits comes strategic planning, analyzing growth and improving the visitor experience. The Parklands most recent planned project reflects on this growing visitation with construction in two popular park locations – The Strand and the Brown-Forman Silo Center. 

The Strand is unexplored by many visitors, being you can only access this section of The Parklands on foot, on bike or by paddling. However, this stretch is one of the most scenic and serene spots in The Parklands. With the Louisville Loop running through the entirety of The Strand, it connects both Pope Lick Park and Broad Run Park, allowing for 19 miles of continuous paved path through our entire parks system. Since The Strand is a particularly beautiful area in The Parklands, we want to make it more accessible to all. For this reason, a trailhead is being constructed in The Strand, thanks to generous support from donors such as Gheens Foundation and the Paul Ogle Foundation. 

Construction of The Strand trailhead, built by Kelley Construction Inc., will begin in July and is planned to open in early 2019. The new amenity will be located on the southern end of the High Bridge and just alongside the Louisville Loop for easy accessibility. Visitors will be able to reach The Strand trailhead from Echo Trail, where they can park and start their journey along the scenic Louisville Loop. This new amenity will make for a great pit stop along your run or bike ride through The Parklands, or even a new starting point to take your family for an outdoor adventure exploring the Palisades, Mussel Bend or Walnut Grove. 

Mapping of The Strand trailhead construction, pictured above. 

 

Another popular area of The Parklands is the Brown-Forman Silo Center in Turkey Run Park. With weddings at Hockensmith Barn being at an all-time high and the Silo Center Bike Park gaining momentum in the mountain biking community, parking has become a hot commodity at this location. Built by Flynn Brothers Construction, a new parking lot will break ground in August and finish in late summer/early fall. This new amenity will allow more visitors to park and enjoy the multitude of activities that Turkey Run Park has to offer on these busy weekends. 

Mapping of the additonal Brown-Forman Silo Center parking lots, pictured above. 

 

The Louisville Loop will still be accessible to visitors during this time, but please respect all signage in these construction zones. Because of generous donations and Memberships, we are able to build these amenities for our visitors to enhance their outdoor park experience for generations to come. For more information on how you can help support The Parklands, visit TheParklands.org/donate.



About the Author


Picture of Taylor Freimund

Taylor Freimund

As the Parklands Fund Coordinator, Taylor Freimund works with the Development team to coordinate annual fundraising and development events and activities, as well as overseeing fundraising marketing and donor communications. Prior to joining The Parklands team in the summer of 2017 as a Communications Specialist, she worked as an Administrative Assistant at UPS throughout college while receiving a Bachelor of Science in Communication. She focused her marketing and strategic communication efforts on non-profit work at Fund for the Arts, The KY Humane Society and The Cincinnati Art Museum. In her free time, she enjoys drinking coffee and hanging out with her dogs.