The City of Lexington is a mid-sized university city (University of Kentucky) in the heart of the Bluegrass in Central Kentucky at the crossroads of I-75 and I-64. The City and County merged in 1972, and the Division of Parks and Recreation was created in the Charter. Since that time, the Division of Parks and Recreation and Lexington's park system have grown substantially. With 110 parks and community trails, 4,500 acres of green space, 90 miles of trails, 147 courts, 12 aquatics facilities, 5 golf courses, 5 community centers, 4 natural area parks, 2 arts centers, and much more, our Parks System is anything but mid-sized.

In its nearly 50 years of existence, the division has grown as well, with 150 civil service employees and often swelling over 800 employees in the Summer. In 2024, programming and camps included: 1,004 total programs, 12,007 Natural Area program participants, 61,036 Community Center visits, 33,568 patrons at Pam Miller Downtown Arts Center, 8,046 Golf Tournament participants, 3,927 Before and After School program participants, 2,583 volunteers activated, 1,897 Therapeutic Recreation participants, 892 swim lessons and team participants, and 300k+ served annually at 175+ days of Parks Events.

Parks Master Plans were created in 1996 and 2008. The latest Parks Master Plan was developed in 2018 with a tremendous amount of input from the community. Through this process as well as with the Strategic Plan update in 2024, Lexington Parks and Recreation's Vision, Mission and Values were developed.

• Vision – Inspire imagination and exploration
• Mission – Build community and enrich life through parks, programs, and play
• Values – Community, Stewardship, Inclusion, Collaboration, and Innovation

Lexington Parks and Recreation has been accredited by the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA) since 2007 and is one of only two agencies in Kentucky. In 2024, Lexington Parks and Recreation was a National Gold Medal Award finalist, top four in Class II (population 150,001 – 400,000). The award, governed by the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration (AAPRA) in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), honors public park and recreation agencies and state park systems throughout the United States that demonstrate excellence in long-range planning, resource management and innovative approaches.

In 2024, after 20 years of work by the Lexington Parks Advisory Board, a dream was realized of sustainable funding for parks, when 61% of the community voted in favor of the Park Fund ($8M a year of funding with no sunset). The Park Fund will be available to expense in January of 2026.

The goal of this Master Plan is to assist Lexington Parks and Recreation to develop a 10-year plan to continue providing dynamic, creative and responsive services and facilities, as well as provide recommendations for capital investment consistent with Park Fund Policy: Park Fund | City of Lexington, Kentucky (www.lexingtonky.gov/parks-administration/park-fund)