Louisville residents can soon look forward to new park space and some updates to the city's existing parks.
Louisville Metro Mayor Jerry Abramson has unveiled a $20 million "City of Parks" that will be the most comprehensive effort to grow and improve the park system since the launch of the Olmsted parks in the 1890s.
Abramson says the expansion includes the addition of at least two thousand acres of parkland in the Floyds Fork watershed, continued growth of Jefferson Memorial Forest and a 100 mile hiking trail around the Louisville Metro perimeter.
In addition, more than 100 expansion and improvement projects are currently under way or scheduled to begin this year at existing parks across the community.
The acquisition in the Floyds Fork corridor alone is expected to cost about $20 million.
The "City of Parks" will be financed through a public-private partnership; $9 million of private funds have already been committed to the project.
Abramson says the entire project could take up to 15 years to complete, depending on funding.
