Garrard land sale could be for new state park
Source: kentucky.com, by Greg Kocher
January 09, 2007
A Lexington couple has sold 90 acres in northern Garrard County that might be used for a new state park.
State Parks Commissioner J.T. Miller and local officials are scheduled to attend a news conference Thursday afternoon at the Garrard County Courthouse to provide details about the land’s intended purpose.
“About all I can say is that we do plan to make an announcement Thursday,” said Gil Lawson, spokesman for the state Department of Parks.
A deed filed Dec. 27 in the Garrard County Clerk’s Office says the land was purchased “by and through the Finance Administration Cabinet, for the use and benefit of the Department of Parks.”
William O. and Marietta Howard of Lexington sold the land to the state for $405,329.85, the deed says. The Howards could not be reached for comment.
The land is just south of the Kentucky River, on the west side of U.S. 27. Natures Trace subdivision borders the property on the southwest. The land is also bordered by the Tom Dorman State Nature Preserve, an 818-acre preserve in Garrard and Jessamine counties that is named for the former director and chairman of the Kentucky River Authority.
State Rep. Lonnie Napier, R-Lancaster, said other properties near this area also might be acquired. “This is just the first step,” he said.
But Napier said he could not give any other details about Thursday’s announcement. “The state asked me to not reveal anything,” he said.
Napier has long supported creation of a state resort park as a means to boost the Garrard County economy. The 2006 Kentucky General Assembly approved $2.5 million toward a park.
Garrard County Judge-Executive John Wilson said he, too, could not comment on the land purchase before Thursday’s news conference.
“I’ve been given strict instructions not to talk about it until then,” Wilson said. “They told me not to say anything. This is a state project, so I’ve got no comment until then.”
Much of the attention before now focused on putting a state resort park near Herrington Lake, a popular spot for boating, fishing, camping and swimming on the edges of Garrard, Boyle and Mercer counties.
A 2001 report estimated that a state resort park on Herrington could attract 271,000 visitors a year and pump $5.7 million annually into the Garrard County economy.
The 90 acres purchased by the state does not touch Herrington, which is a couple of miles to the west.
Kentucky has 52 state parks plus an interstate park that it shares with Virginia. Kentucky operates 17 resort parks with lodges, more than any other state.
