LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A group of neighbors took matters into their own hands by mowing Emerson Park last week.
What You Need To Know
- Neighbors banded together to mow the overgrown grass at a Louisville park last week
- Volunteers even took time to trim the trees
- Louisville Metro cited a shifting schedule and job vacancies as reasons why parks aren't getting attention they normally would
The park, located in the Schnitzelburg neighborhood, was plagued with overgrown grass and tall weeds.
“When you look at it, it doesn’t look that big, but it’s a large area to mow with a push mower,” said Barlow Chappell.
Chappell was one of three who volunteered to clean everything up. They even trimmed the trees.
“I didn’t do that for [recognition] but I did it for the community, especially for the kids here where the playground is and everything, and they’ve got Shakespeare in the Park tonight,” Chappell said.
His hard work to make this place more welcoming was also appreciated by those working in the park’s community garden.
“It’s great if people have the ability to help out, it sure makes the parks look nice, well cared for,” said Roy Burns, who has used the garden for the last six years.
The two men don’t have any ill will towards the city’s parks department, and say they understand why Emerson Park didn’t get mowed.
“Just the time and the effort it takes to just do one of the larger parks, so I can understand why some of these smaller parks don’t get neglected, but they don’t get the care that they need,” Chappell said.
Below is a statement provided to Spectrum News by the City of Louisville Parks and Recreation Department:
“We know the grass is high in many of our parks and we’re working as quickly as we can to catch up. We don’t believe it’s acceptable and have heard concern about the conditions from park users across the city.
“Louisville Parks and Recreation had to pause mowing operations for multiple weeks this Spring as questions were raised by OSHA about the safety of mowing in wet conditions. That has been cleared up. But that, combined with our commitment to providing support for Derby season activities and a high vacancy rate in operations, has resulted in our current situation. This time of year is always challenging, but those issues have made this year more challenging than most.
“Our team is working diligently to get caught up.
“Our typical mowing schedule is 14 days at each park’s property. What we need help with right now is filling vacant positions in the field. Those who are interested in working for us should visit our website here."
While it may not be the case for all the parks in town, for Emerson, its got a neighborhood full of people wanting their park to looks its best.