Lexington, KY - 2009: This year started with tumult and scandal at Blue Grass Airport, where four top officials, including Executive Director Michael Gobb, were forced to resign and then indicted on theft charges. (The four have pleaded not guilty.) As the expense account scandal unfolded, the airport board appointed a new director, Eric Frankl, and construction started on a $27 million general aviation runway and a renovation of the terminal.
Elsewhere in Lexington, streets were torn up in preparation for the Games. The city shut down Limestone from Avenue of Champions to Vine, blocking off a major traffic corridor to make improvements and beautify the streetscape. The closing caused consternation among business owners, who said the construction hurt sales during already tough economic times. Progress was made on the Newtown Pike Extension, which connects Newtown Pike and Main Street to Versailles Road, and the connector between Midland Avenue and Third Street, which will open the formerly blighted Bluegrass-Aspendale Housing Project, now being transformed into a neighborhood of townhouses and single-family homes, to the city.
2010: Beginning in January, beautification will begin on Vine and Main streets, from Broadway to Limestone. Both the Vine and Main projects and the Limestone project should be completed by July. Other projects that are scheduled for completion before the Games include the Newtown Pike Extension and the Legacy Trail, which starts at Third and Midland and ends at the Kentucky Horse Park. Completion of the bike and pedestrian trail will depend in part on the weather, said Mike Webb, public works commissioner. A wet year could mean delays.
Meanwhile, at the airport, AirTran, a low-cost carrier, will start direct flights to two Florida cities in February, most likely reducing the fares for Florida on all airlines, and in April, American Eagle will start direct flights to Chicago.