Gatton Park on the Town Branch

All aboard! We're excited to announce our partnership with R. J. Corman Railroad Group, LLC to transform one of their vintage boxcars into our cafe for food and beverage offerings! Thanks to the team at R. J. Corman Railroad Group, LLC for donating the boxcar and bringing it our site. A special thanks to Wilhite Limited Inc. for helping us set the boxcar in place!

We enjoyed having Mary Kate Gray, Manager of Corporate Responsibility & Community Affairs with LG&E and KU Energy LLC, on site today to see the construction progress firsthand. We are thankful for the LG&E and KU Foundation's support of this historic community project.

We are excited to announce our wonderful partnership with Windstream that will provide free WiFi throughout the entirety of Gatton Park on the Town Branch to enhance the park experience for all park visitors. A special thanks to Stephanie Bell and others at Windstream for their vision, leadership and dedication towards this amazing and invaluable service to the park and all who visit.

Dear Friends and Supporters, I am excited to share news of a transformational $14,500,000 donation to our organization from The Bill Gatton Foundation. In recognition of the gift and as elected by the Board of Directors, the park will be named “Gatton Park on the Town Branch.” The new logo reflecting the new name is featured below. While we suspect most people will reference the park as “Gatton Park,” we intentionally kept Town Branch in the name to pay homage to its history and location as well as to reflect what we have affectionally called this space for many years -- back when it was just a dream. It is through the generosity of The Bill Gatton Foundation and so many others that we are one step closer to making the park a reality. This donation, which is pledged over several years starting in 2025, will help our organization complete Phase I and Phase II of our capital campaign, including supporting an operational reserve and the seeding of the park’s endowment. The remainder of the funds will go towards planned capital improvements and the park’s future office space, to be located on or near the park site. This gift will allow us to focus our future fundraising efforts on an annual sustainability campaign to support park programming and operations and growing the park’s endowment, which will ensure the park is maintained and sustained to the highest standards for decades to come. Here is what The Bill Gatton Foundation trustee, Danny L. Dunn had to say about the donation: “I have made dozens of trips to Lexington with Mr. Gatton over the past 36 years. It did not matter whether the trip was for business, charity or to go to a University of Kentucky basketball game, he always looked forward to visiting Lexington. He had a great love and appreciation for the city. If Mr. Gatton were here today, he would tell you that Lexington has been good to him, and he is pleased that he can help fund the cost of this new park. He would be honored and humbled that the park officials would want to name the park ‘Gatton Park on the Town Branch.’ This park will be a tremendous asset for the city and the people of Lexington. The Bill Gatton Foundation is grateful to be a part of what will be a beautiful place where people of all ages can spend time that will be peaceful, quiet, fun and full of special activities.” It is hard to believe that in just a little over a year, Gatton Park on the Town Branch will be open for all to enjoy. We look forward to sharing additional progress on our construction and fundraising in the coming weeks and months. On behalf of everyone involved with this historic project, I thank you for your interest, advocacy, feedback, and support. Sincerely, Allison Lankford Executive Director, Gatton Park on the Town Branch

We are so thankful for Kentucky American Water's charitable investment in Town Branch Park! They understand that water brings people together. From the restored portion of Town Branch that flows through the park site to the Water Play Area for kids, Town Branch Park will celebrate water in a number of ways and bring people from all across Central Kentucky together once it's open in 2025. We are excited to celebrate and commemorate Kentucky American Water's support through the dedication of the Water Play Area Nature Plantings. Susan Lancho