University of Louisville holds listening sessions on how best to use a park that's not for sale

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — The park located right in the middle of the University of Louisville campus is not for sale, but getting a lot of attention.

The university has shown interest in Stansbury Park, which is part of the Olmstead Park System owned by the city. UofL is holding meetings on the best use for the park.

“It is a park that has been underutilized and needs renovation so it is time to see what folks would really like to see," said Tony Hardin, legislative assistant for Louisville Metro Councilman Phillp Baker.

On a sunny afternoon, Stansbury Park is a short cut across campus. If the 'no parking' signs didn't exist, it would be hard to tell this is a city-owned park. But it is and always will be, “it can not be sold,” said Hardin.

UofL held a listening session Wednesday night to gather community input on the creation of a new master plan for the park, located at 3rd Street and Eastern Parkway, but the session quickly turned into a 'leave my park alone' meeting.

“It is not their property, they are acting like they are being good partners and trying to be involved clearly, they are near care about it but they should respect it is a city park,” said John Stites, a neighbor of the park.

The listening session came with some pre-dated mistrust between the university, neighbors, and the city. The city found a way to sell a portion of the park to make room for student housing, and in exchange, the university was supposed to make improvements to the park valued up to $5 million.

“And so that investment was never made," said Sarah Wolff, Director of Outreach for Olmstead Conservancy.

Olmstead Parks were designed as simple green space open to anyone. The parks are maintained by the city and the Olmstead Conservancy. Stansbury and other parks are protected from being sold or converted into sports fields.