It’s a quiet Tuesday afternoon at Ecton Park, but as temperatures increase, the beloved Big Band & Jazz series returns, and the crowds start to gather, there’ll be a new addition to Ecton — a multipurpose building with a covered area that can be used as a concession stand with restrooms around back. It’s only the most recent parks improvement that’s come online thanks to federal dollars.
"The American Rescue Plan Funds provide an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment o our neighborhood parks, investing nearly $6 million of the $10 million toward neighborhood park infrastructure, such as the building we see here at Ecton Park and at fields and parks across the city," Parks and Recreation Director Monica Conrad explained.
While the speed of the news and financial cycle might make the American Rescue Plan – meant to provide pandemic relief and a boost to the economy – seem like old news, Mayor Linda Gorton says its effects are still being felt in ways big and small.
"The impact will be for years and years to come," Gorton said.
In all, the city of Lexington received just over $121 million in ARPA funds, which have been allocated to a number of areas ranging from public health to essential worker pay to revenue replacement for the Urban County Government.
As for Tuesday’s parks ribbon cutting, it certainly won’t be the last.
