Friends and fans of Otter Creek Park have started a group on Facebook in hopes of coordinating efforts to save the park in light of the recent announcement that it will be closed on January 1, 2009 to help the city save money. They are having a meeting on Sunday December 7, 2008 at 2PM to brainstorm and discuss the issues facing Otter Creek Park.
I’m prompted to write about this because a reader of Consuming Louisville wrote me about how profoundly this place recently impacted her family.
“My 4-year old daughter and I just shared our first camping experience
there in October during all the Halloween festivities. We had such a
wonderful time with our family and were so grateful to have created
such timeless, priceless memories that weekend with the fun activities
planned at the park.”
I don’t know what the answer is for Otter Creek Park or our city’s budget shortfall. But a city owned park that can be so influential to our citizens certainly deserves some study and conversation around its fate.
December 5th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
I think the Louisville City Council needs to design a business plan on how to make Otter Creek Park pay for itself. “Developers” are salivating at the prospects of squeezing dollars out of what should be the birth-right of every citizen of Louisville and the surrounding communities. They seem to have forgotten that the purpose of a City or County government is to serve the citizens both current and future. They also have an ethical and moral obligation in preserving historical sights within the community. Otter Creek Park is to Louisville what Central Park is to New York City. It makes Louisville a place to both live and work in harmony. I pay $35.00 a year for the privilege to go to Bernheim Forest and I would gladly pay $35.00 a year for the priviliege to go to Otter Creek Park.
December 5th, 2008 at 5:15 pm
I remember camping there for the Halloween festivities every year with my family when I was growing up (I’m 24 now). My parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins would all make a trip down there during October. Those trips will always stay in my memories. It’s such a great place. This is the first I’ve heard of the plan on closing it, and it’s such a shame. Let’s hope they figure out some way of keeping the park open.
December 31st, 2008 at 4:26 pm
The City could have a 5 Star Resort at Otter Creek Park if they knew how to manage it!!!
It’s obvious they don’t know how to manage it/anything or they’d halt the arena project and save the $20 million for the budget in one cut!!
January 3rd, 2009 at 2:06 pm
My family and I have been going to Otter Creek for 30 years. My children and grandchildren have been going also. Otter Creek has so much beauty and is a wonderful place for families to get away and enjoy each other. We never tired of going there and some of our best and most productive conversations came around the campfire. We managed to work out a lot of our problems at Otter Creek. It is such a sad, sad thing to close one of our greatest assets. I sure hope we can come up with some idea to save Otter Creek.
The Bryants