State-Journal.com - $150,000 to develop riverfront

Photo By State Journal/Hilly SchifferFirst lady Jane Beshear speaks during a Kentucky Riverfront Development conference at Lock 4 Monday afternoon. The Frankfort/Franklin County Tourist and Convention Commission’s request for funding to conduct a riverfront development study in Frankfort has been approved.

Photo By State Journal/Hilly SchifferMichael Bomford, Rodney Simpson and Bill Grier look at a map of the Kentucky River during a riverfront development conference Monday.

A state grant of up to $150,000 will help launch the effort to develop the Kentucky River into an asset for Frankfort and Franklin County, local officials say.

"I do not believe there is anything that could happen in this community that would bring more value to the community than the riverfront," said Joy Jeffries, executive director of the Frankfort/Franklin County Tourist Commission.

First lady Jane Beshear announced the grant on Monday at a press conference in Bellpoint at the Lock Master House near lock 4. The funds will come from the Land Acquisition Account, which is managed by the Finance and Administration Cabinet and has been used in the past decade to purchase several riverfront parcels in the Frankfort area.

Beshear said the grant will help fund a study to encourage development along a four-mile stretch of the Kentucky River between the Julian Carroll Bridge and Buffalo Trace Distillery that cuts through the heart of the city.

She said she hopes the plan will include hiking and biking trials as well as picnic areas.

"The Kentucky River provides a beautiful backdrop for hiking and biking trails throughout the heart of the capital city," she said.

Rodney Simpson, chair of the Riverfront Development Steering Committee, said there'll be public forums for input and comments. There will also soon be several announcements concerning participation by private enterprise, he said.

"It's going to be very exciting," Simpson said. "This will be something everyone can be very proud of."
CBA development consultants will conduct the study and the team will include, engineers, marketing experts and historic preservation specialists.

Jeffries said maintaining Frankfort's historic character during the development process is important.

"We are a historic city and that's what makes us who we are," she said. "To go any other direction would be very detrimental."

Simpson said the development plan will focus on improving access to the Kentucky River because it's now difficult to even find a boat to rent or lease for a trip.

"A lot of people who come to Frankfort don't even know the river is here," Simpson said. "We want to bring it out where it can be enjoyed by anyone who wants to."

Frankfort Mayor Bill May said the project will benefit both residents and visitors.

Harry "Gippy" Graham is a member of the steering committee and said a revitalized riverfront could be an anchor for Broadway and downtown shops.

"I think this is one of the most important things we have done in our community for a number of years," he said.

Steve Reeder, executive director of the Kentucky River Authority, said his organization is strongly committed to riverfront development.

However, it will also be important to use more than $17 million appropriated by the legislature to repair the locks and dams along the Kentucky River, including lock 4, which was built in 1841.

A number of other local officials were on hand Monday to show support, including Franklin County Judge-Executive Ted Collins, magistrates Phil Kring and Don Sturgeon, city commissioners Kathy Carter and Doug Howard and Rep. Derrick Graham, D-Frankfort.

8.	Posted by jr2581 July 11, 2008
	Most of you are obviously too young to remember Melody Park which was built by the late Louis Horowitz in honor of his daughter. It was on the west side of the river and ran from town to the banks underneath what is now the Capitol parking lots and just below the Governors Mansion. It was full of walkways, places to picnic and gorgeous plantings. As best I remember, Mr. Horowitz built it and maintained it for a number of years and then the city agreed to keep it up. The 1952 flood did a great deal of damage to the park--some renovations were undertaken to bring it back--but floods later in the 1950's and early '60's pretty much finished it off. There was a gorgeous cut stone rock wall at the foot of Todd Street in the bend where it turned into the Lawrenceburg Road. You've got to make sure provisions have been made for maintenance later on when undertaking projects on the river. I've been away from Frankfort for many years, but have been there in recent years when the FHS gym and areas in South and North Frankfort still flooded. The North bank may be a better spot to develop--the bluff is there and as I remember it, there's a shelf at the waters edge below the bluff that would be a great place to develop from just below the cemetery to the Frankfort Boat Club. Good luck with your project. I carry with me many fond memories of days on the river--I will cherish them always.