Shepherdsville mayor unveils $30 million plan to revitalize city park in Bullitt County

SHEPHERDSVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Mayor of Shepherdsville has unveiled a multi-million dollar project to revitalize the city's main park.

Newly-elected Mayor Jose Cubero is pushing for a project to enliven Shepherdsville Park. Cubero believes the city's main park is underutilized, which is why he is bringing forward a $30 million vision to transform the park into an entertainment and sports center.

Shepherdsville resident Donna Richards used to plant her own flowers at the park in hopes of bringing color to the empty fields.

"For years I did plant flowers here," Richards said.

She is excited about a plan to transform the park.

SHEPHERDSVILLE PARK PLANS — Shepherdsville Mayor Jose Cubero speaks to WDRB News.

Cubero hopes to create an amphitheater along Salt River, along with adding a pavilion, town square and walking path.

"We've just seen this town grow in a way that's not family friendly," Cubero said.

He also wants to expand soccer, football and baseball fields to increase participation in youth sports.

The city just brought back youth t-ball, baseball, and softball this year.

"If your kids wanted to play sports, you would have to go to one of our sister cities to play and that's just really unacceptable to me," Cubero said. "our city deserves to have things for our kids here."

For the new mayor, the improvements aren't only about improving quality of life for families, it's also about keeping people's business in Shepherdsville.

City Park Masterplan (Courtesy: City of Shepherdsville)
Katrina Nickell

"Because we're about 15 to 20 years behind where we already should be here in Shepherdsville," Cubero said. "Some of the nice things Mt. Washington and E'town have done has taken years to do."

The $30 million plan was unveiled at a city council meeting on Jan. 23. Cubero said the city plans to secure donations from businesses and use bonds.

"We know that we can do it with the money we have currently, we're set up in a good situation to not only make this happen in the next three to four years, but we're going to see a better effect with the kind of money that stays in the city moving forward," Cubero said.

The plan also features a multi-million dollar aquatic center and improve the downtown area's aesthetic.

Richards believes the downtown improvements will create a "friendly competition" around Christmas time.

"Mt. Washington always out does us every Christmas, so yeah it would be nice," Richards said.

Cubero hopes to have shovels in the ground as early as this summer to begin bringing his vision to life. It will take three to four years to before the project reaches completion.

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