Chickasaw Park unveils new nature play area in Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Chickasaw Park has a new nature play area, unveiled by city officials on Monday.

The nature play area was funded by the MSD Community Benefits program. It gives families a space to enjoy outdoor activities and connect with nature. The play area overlooks the Ohio River, features a climbing wall, a dry creek bed and is ADA-accessible.

"Thank you to the various organizations who stepped up, worked together, and dedicated their time and talent to create this new space," Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said in a news release. "We know that our parks help to create a safer, stronger, and healthier city and I’m looking forward to more ribbon cuttings at Chickasaw Park in the weeks and months ahead."

The Sankofa Sanctuary was a cooperative effort between Play Cousins Collective, Metro United Way, Louisville Parks and Recreation and other organizations.

"We believe in the power of play as a form of healing and a developmental right and need of children," Kristen Williams, executive director of Play Cousins Collective, said in a news release. "By embracing Sankofa and ancestral methods of healing, we create spaces where our children can live, play, and prosper, connecting with their heritage while thriving in a supportive community."

The park at 1200 Southwestern Parkway is undergoing numerous renovations.

Louisville Parks & Recreation drained the pond at Chickasaw Park in west Louisville, aiming to improve water quality and fishing opportunities as well as add canoe and kayak access to visitors. There will be limestone seatwalls, columns and pavers that crews are building by hand.

LG&E will also install updated walking path lights at the park, and Olmsted is coordinating with Louisville Parks & Recreation to install and "butterfly and bee" pollinator meadow in honor of Muhammad Ali.

The project was funded by $2.5 million from the American Rescue Plan.

A recent thunderstorm on July 4 resulted in a tree falling on the Chickasaw Park Lodge. According to a news release, the lodge remains a part of the ongoing improvements.

"Due to the July 4 storm, Mother Nature has given us a jump start on the planned Chickasaw Park Lodge restoration," Layla George, president and CEO of Olmsted Parks Conservancy, said in a news release. "Olmsted Parks Conservancy has raised $250,000 for renovations and as we work with our partners at Louisville Parks and Recreation to address storm damage, we will begin work on the lodge. This landmark of Chickasaw Park will shine again as a vital piece of the overall park restoration."

For more information on Olmsted's projects, click here.

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