Location: The Pat & Jim Brockenborough Rotary Health Park is located at 421 North 13th Street in the historic Fountain Avenue Neighborhood and adjacent to the neighborhood known as Frenchtown. The park is bordered by Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, 13th Street, Madison Street, and 14th Street.
Amenities:
Vision: The park (see image) is an outdoor health park that promotes healthy living. It provides a venue for local schools, the Parks and Recreation Department, and other agencies to educate the public, especially youth, about proper diet and exercise. For this park, the City of Paducah has partnered with United Way of Paducah-McCracken County, Lourdes Hospital, Baptist Health Paducah, Rotary Club of Paducah, Purchase District Health Department, Healthy Paducah Chapter of the Purchase Connections for Health Coalition, and Paducah Independent Schools. Mrs. Pat Brockenborough has donated $500,000 for the park's second phase
Phase I: A ribbon cutting ceremony for the Health Park's first phase was held August 1, 2017. In November 2016, the Paducah Board of Commissioners approved a 180-calendar-day contract with Wilkins Construction Company for the approximately $620,000 Phase I project which included the rubberized safety surface at the Rotary Playground, the installation of a 1/3 mile walking trail, a fitness area, the grading and resurfacing of the grassy lawn, lighting, landscaping, water fountains, and an expansion of the Community Garden. The Paducah Rotary Playground was installed and opened in June 2016. Grants through the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, Land & Water Conservation Fund, and Recreation Trail in addition to donations provided more than $668,000 for this project. Prior to the Phase I Project, this park consisted only of a large open area, a smaller version of the Community Garden, and the Paducah Rotary Playground.
Phase II: At the August 1, 2017, ribbon cutting celebration for the completion of Phase I, it was announced that Mrs. Pat Brockenborough is donating $500,000 toward the construction of a restroom facility and splash pad for Phase II. On that date, it was also announced that the Health Park would be renamed the Pat & Jim Brockenborough Rotary Health Park. A ribbon cutting for the Challenge Course, a fitness area with equipment that challenge agility, balance, and strength was held December 21, 2018. On August 15, 2019, the splash pad and the restroom facility opened to the public.
Future: A future Future enhancement would be a performance plaza. Plus, the end of the park facing Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive could include housing or a mixed-use development.
In September 2018, Patrick McHaney finished his Eagle Scout project which provides a book repository at three City of Paducah parks. The Little Free Libraries offer people a chance to choose a book to read, return it, and hopefully bring another book to share with the community. When McHaney began planning his Eagle Scout project, he had a special person in mind, his grandmother who passed away in 2006. McHaney said, “My grandmother, Marion Fillmer, was a librarian in Marshfield, Missouri. She had a love for reading and how books can change, encourage, and open up the world to readers. I wanted to honor her with these little libraries." McHaney and his father along with the help of other Scouts designed, built, and installed Little Free Libraries at the Pat & Jim Brockenborough Rotary Health Park, Robert Coleman Park, and Keiler Park in Paducah.
Little Free Library, a nonprofit organization, inspires a love of reading, builds community, and sparks creativity by fostering neighborhood book exchanges around the world. Through Little Free Libraries, millions of books are exchanged each year, increasing access to books for readers of all ages and backgrounds.
August 1, 2017 Phase I Ribbon Cutting Celebration and Renaming of Park |
June 2017 Phase I Project Completion: |
March 2017 Construction Update:
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Groundbreaking Ceremony on December 7, 2016 for Phase I: |