LEXINGTON, Ky. — Fayette County is one of many counties along the 100-mile Kentucky River Palisades but does not have a point of access for residents to enjoy the river, until now.

Lexington city leaders broke ground on a 30-acre park off Old Richmond Road near the I-75 bridge into Madison County. As soon as this fall, Lexingtonians can throw their kayaks and canoes in the Kentucky River and travel some 12 miles downstream. Kelley’s Landing will be the first public river access point in Fayette County.

For Debra Kelley and her family, the land is more than just an access point to the river. Her husband John’s grandparents purchased the land in the 1920s and for years ran a general store and lived nearby.

“This is where he grew up. He would get coal in a bucket for his family’s needs. There was a house at the entrance,” Kelley said.

In the 1960s, John Kelley opened a boat dock on the property. He ran the dock regularly until marrying Debra and shifting his focus to the family farm and starting a family.

“I think his favorite part was just being here and just being on the land. He would boat some,” Kelley said.

The land eventually went unused, with buildings falling into disrepair. In 2022, John Kelley sold the land to the City of Lexington and now there will be a park named in his honor.

The Kelley family attended the groundbreaking of a 30-acre park named in their ancestors’ honor. (Spectrum News 1/Austin Schick)

“Kelley’s Landing will provide new opportunities for recreation in Lexington,” said Mayor Linda Gorton.

Gorton said the city began negotiating for sale of the land in 2019, her first year in office. She described Wednesday as one of the most exciting in her tenure as mayor.

“Our progress was slowed by the pandemic, but we announced the sale in the spring of 2022 and since then we’ve been working on site preparation,” Gorton said.

Besides being Fayette County’s first public river access space, the park will also feature walking trails and offers views of the Kentucky River Palisades. Unfortunately, John passed away last month, but Debra said he was there in spirit.

“He would love it, he would actually love it. He loved to water-ski; he didn’t care about swimming at all but he could water-ski,” Kelley said.

Bringing new life while honoring John Kelley’s former childhood home. Debra and John Kelley were married 47 years.

“I will miss him terribly,” Kelley said.

The site of Kelley’s Landing is also known to be one of the oldest settlements in Fayette County being settled in the mid-1700s.