LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A plot of land between 11th and Rowan streets near downtown Louisville will soon house a 3,000-square-foot community center, the latest addition to the westward expansion of Waterfront Park.

Right now, the fourth phase of the waterfront development project is still in the permit phase. The first phase of the 22-acre expansion between 10th and 14th streets will include an outdoor experiential learning area designed in partnership with the Kentucky Science Center. PlayPort, as the area will be called, will contain interactive artifacts and activities that help tell the history of the area.

"We have raised $26 million to date so we definitely have enough to begin construction and really make some great progress on it," said Deborah Bilitski, executive director of Waterfront Park.

The $3 million community center will include meeting areas, bathrooms and can be rented out for parties and private events. It will be located right next to the outdoor experiential learning center in partnership with the Kentucky Science Center.

Waterfront Park will use the building for meetings, but it’s something the science center said is needed due to its proximity to the soon-to-be extended park.

"In the summer time, when you come here, you will see 1,500-2,000 kids. It's pretty crowded," said Mike Norman, CEO of the Kentucky Science Center. "We're pretty land-locked. We don't have a lot of space and we don't have a lot of outdoor space. So the ability to walk with our kids just a couple blocks over ... it is just going to be an amazing space."

In the state budget approved last summer, the legislature agreed to allocate $10 million for expansion. The state funds gave Waterfront officials $22 million of their $50 million goal, Bilitski said in March. The money raised thus far — more than half of the $50 million goal — includes Metro government and private funds.

Construction on the community center is scheduled to begin in the next couple months. 

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