LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Several million dollars in funding is coming to Louisville. It's part of a move by Congress to fund more community projects.
Equal access to neighborhood parks is receiving lots of attention.
Visiting and working out at Chickasaw Park in West Louisville is something Corey Bradley tries to do weekly.
"It's convenient and everybody comes down here to chill out and relax," Bradley said.
As Bradley recounts childhood memories, accelerating erosion coupled with increasing water levels has limited the 51-year-old access to the Ohio River.
"I haven't been down on the shoreline in forever. We used to go down there and walk when we were younger though just to swim," Bradley said.
This week, Congressman John Yarmuth successfully secured $5 million in funding for ten community projects to help address pressing needs around Louisville.
The funding passed the House as part of an omnibus bill to keep the federal government funded and open.
Bennett Knox, the executive director for Wilderness Louisville, says parks are essential pieces of community infrastructure.
The nonprofit was recently awarded $50,000 to conduct a feasibility study concerning the ongoing riverbank erosion issues along the Ohio River.
"The type of soil that's in the location, it changes in the way the river has been managed over the years with the lock and dam system, the way it fluctuates," Knox said.
Parts of Chickasaw Park have been punished by the effects of erosion—causing some closures in certain areas.
"From an equity standpoint, it is important to put this investment in Chickasaw Park so that folks in West Louisville have similar access to the river, at least view-wise, that others have in the community," Knox said.
Advocates for the park are thrilled that the money will be used in part to fund a study which will help determine the best course of action to preserve the shoreline. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will support the study.
"Depending on the results of the feasibility study, it puts it in line for further planning and construction documentation development, that's the second phase, which requires some matching from Metro Louisville or other sources," Knox said.
Overall, Knox and the community view this funding as a critical step in the right direction to address the issues.
For a list of funding for local projects secured by Congressman Yarmuth, click here.