We need your help advocating for much needed improvements to the Iroquois Playground, Central Park sidewalks and the Gaulbert Pavilion in the Big Rock area of Cherokee Park!
Mayor Craig Greenberg has included funding for these projects in his proposed FY26 budget for the Louisville Parks & Recreation Department, and we need your help contacting Metro Council to ensure that funding for these projects remains in the budget. Whether you would like to see more city funding go to parks, better transit and pedestrian access to neighborhood parks, or more community access and free programming in parks—we appreciate your help advocating for Louisville’s Olmsted Parks and the communities they serve.
Find all the resources you need in our Advocacy Toolkit
You can find the Mayor’s proposed budget, a schedule of Metro Council meetings related to the proposed budget, and a link to submit comments here. You may submit comments via the form until June 9, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. Metro Council will be voting on a budget at their meeting scheduled for June 26 at 6:00 p.m.
What’s at stake:
Iroquois Park Playground – $675,000 in Louisville Parks & Recreation budget for restoration of inclusive playground
This playground is in the most diverse neighborhood in the city, highly used, completely ADA accessible, and one of the most popular and heavily used playgrounds in Louisville. The playground has reached life expectancy and needs new equipment and new surface material.
Olmsted Parks Conservancy will raise $75,000 for this project. The total cost will be $750,000. The Conservancy has also committed another $25,000 towards a new nature play area to be built adjacent to the playground. This project also has the support of the State Representative Rachel Roarx, Metro Council Representative Betsy Ruhe, Friends of Iroquois Park, Beechmont Neighborhood Association, and Southwest Dream Team.
Central Park – Request $200,000 for sidewalk improvements
Central Park is a destination park for out-of-town guests of the St. James Art Show, as well as the successful Kentucky Shakespeare theatre. Additionally, the Old Louisville Neighborhood Council hosts regular concerts there. The new fully accessible playground and spray pad attract families from the entire community. Investing in safe and accessible sidewalks is a critical need for this urban oasis. This is our third year requesting funding for sidewalk repairs in Central Park and we anticipate making a fourth and final request next year. This will allow all the sidewalks to be replaced in Central Park that are currently damaged and inaccessible.
This project has the support of the Friends of Central Park, Kentucky Shakespeare Festival, St. James Art Show, Old Louisville Neighborhood Council, and Metro Council Representative JP Lyninger.
Big Rock at Cherokee Park – Request $375,000 for restoration of historic Gaulbert Pavilion
The iconic and historic Gaulbert Pavilion in Cherokee Park has been loved to death and is in desperate need of repair. The plaster is badly damaged, and the poor condition only encourages graffiti and vandalism. By enclosing the interior space, we will provide a rentable space and remove the threat of continued vandalism. By adding a kitchenette and new bathrooms, we ensure this pavilion will continue to meet the needs of the community for years to come. A storage room for Olmsted Park Stewards will increase positive activity in the area, further mitigating vandalism and other negative park behavior. The last investment in the Gaulbert Pavilion was in 2009 when OPC invested $75,000 towards a new roof and gutters.
Olmsted Parks Conservancy has already raised $600,000 for this project and Metro Parks has $375,000 earmarked for this project. Total restoration cost is $1.45 million.
This project has the support of the Highlands Douglass Neighborhood Association and Metro Council Representative Ben Reno-Weber.
Find something similar: News Projects Central Park Cherokee Park Iroquois Park
