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Community Workshop Two – Establishing a Legacy of Consensus
Participants in the October 23 workshop drew on the input from the September 18 workshop, an October 15 Legacy Initiative Steering Committee meeting, the guiding principles and criteria, and the peer review comments to conduct an evaluation of the 140-plus legacy projects that had been submitted. The workshop consisted of three principal components: Legacy Project Review, Defining Legacy Projects, and Blueprint Development.
Legacy Project Review
The opening legacy project review included a highlight of suggested legacy projects as well as legacy projects from other regions. One example was the Napa Valley area of California, which created a seamless tie between the landscape and what happens on that landscape and then leveraged those assets for the good of the broader community.
Defining Legacy Projects
Workshop participants defined a legacy project as one that creates or leaves something behind for the future, or as one participant noted, “Legacy projects involve serving as stewards for the future.” Examples of prior local legacies mentioned included Keeneland Race Course, the adoption in 1958 of the country’s first urban service boundary, the drywall rock fences, Transylvania University, and the region’s rich history. Potential future legacies included the Kentucky Horse Park and, of significance, the coming together of the community to identify future legacy projects enabled by the Knight Foundation’s Legacy Initiative.
Blueprint Development
Community workshop attendees broke into sub-groups focused on ten project themes:
• Parks and Recreation
• Community Branding/Community-Equestrian Industry Marketing
• Economic Development
• Connectivity and Corridor Improvements
• Downtown Arts Area
• Public Spaces and Gathering Places
• Arts and Culture
• Downtown Development
• Neighborhood and Community Building
• Trails, Drywall Fences, and Green Initiatives
The sub-groups:
• Evaluated the merits and implementation potential of each project (for example, the partnerships, leadership, resources, funding, and actions needed to move the project ahead) within its theme;
• Identified whether a project would create a true legacy and be sustainable beyond 2010;
• Prioritized the projects, both within each theme and across themes.
Results
The results of the rankings were available for review at the close of the meeting and were formally announced as part of plans for moving forward with legacy project implementation. The top two project ideas were the revitalization of the Third Street corridor, including the Isaac Murphy Memorial Art Garden and other enhancements, and a recreational trail from downtown Lexington to the Kentucky Horse Park, with possible public art and mini-gardens along the way. Project rankings also demonstrated strong support for further community investment in the arts, with an emphasis on public art. | 
