$1.3 million upgrade planned for reimagined Ballard Park in Louisville's Smoketown community

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- After two decades without investment, there are plans in the works to give some much needed attention to Ballard Park in Louisville's Smoketown neighborhood.

The Parks Alliance of Louisville, in partnership with Smoketown residents, Louisville Parks & Recreation and Councilman Jecorey Arthur, announced the final concept design Tuesday for a reimagined Ballard Park, which includes a $1.3 million upgrade scheduled to be complete next year.

The park was founded in 1919 as one of the first public parks for Black residents. Now, thanks to the Parks For All Equitable Investment Action Plan, it will soon include amenities the Smoketown community has requested.

"As revealed during the Parks For All Initiative, Ballard Park has seen no capital investment in more than twenty years," Brooke Pardue, president and CEO of the Parks Alliance of Louisville, said in a written statement. "When we invest equitably in our public parks, we improve the mental, physical, and emotional health of our community."

Updating the park became a priority after 17-year-old DeJuan Coward was fatally shot there in 2021. The Smoketown Anti-Violence Coalition was then formed through the Office of Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods. The priority was to focus on improvements. A design concept created by landscape architecture firm Gresham Smith offers many of the amenities Smoketown residents have requested: structures for play, shaded seating areas, a picnic pavilion and more.

"Parks For All is our roadmap to ensure quality parks and recreational facilities are accessible for the entire community," Michelle King, executive director of Louisville Parks & Recreation, said in a news release. "The reimagining of Ballard Park is a huge step forward, but it’s also just the beginning of our work alongside the Parks Alliance to ensure every park in our system is exceptional."

The park currently has three basketball courts and one small playset on a site measuring less than an acre. Now the Parks Alliance is actively fundraising for the $1.3 million project.

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Groundbreaking for the updated park is scheduled for early 2025, with a completion date of summer 2025.

"Smoketown deserves a world-class park," Arthur said. "I'm excited to see one finally coming to life for current and future families."

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