Some neighbors push back on plans to expand West End School in Louisville's Chickasaw neighborhood

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Some neighbors are pushing back on plans to expand the West End School's campus.

The private school in Louisville's Chickasaw neighborhood is an all-boys school for pre-K through eighth grade.

School leaders want to add a girls program by 2025. That would mean building a girls' dorm, a new educational wing, and some athletic fields near South 36th Street and Virginia Avenue.

But some neighbors voiced concerns during a meeting Tuesday evening about the demolition, design and build of the expansion.

"The design that they put forth doesn't benefit the immediate community, and they're not necessarily showing that they're open to finding ways to compliment or be open to the community," said Ameerah Granger, with the Chickasaw Neighborhood Federation. "Whether that's opening the gym or making this park that they're building be open for certain hours to the public."

School leaders, however, said they're trying to ensure their students have educational opportunities.

"We're trying to make sure that our kids in the west end have the greatest educational opportunities possible," said Greg Ross, president and head of school. "We've been able to see a lot of growth and a lot of positive things happening for our young men, and want to see the same things happen for the women in our community."

The West End School was founded in 2005 and currently has about 140 students.

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