The Town Branch Fund has partnered with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on a $350,000 environmental study and site survey of the proposed Town Branch Park in downtown Lexington.
The Phase II Environmental Site Assessment, Geotechnical Survey, Boundary Survey and Topographic Survey on the Town Branch Park site will be conducted by the Army Corps, which will provide $175,000 in technical assistance for the study. The Downtown Lexington Partnership will contribute $92,000 toward the project, with remaining funds to be provided by the Town Branch Fund.
“We are fortunate to have the expertise of the federal government’s largest water resources development and management agency as we take this crucial next step in designing the park,” said Allison Lankford, executive director of Town Branch Fund, in a release announcing the study. “We also appreciate the Downtown Lexington Partnership’s investment in this important step. The information gathered from these studies will be invaluable as we take the design from the conceptual phase to schematic design and, ultimately, construction. We will learn where and how to expose the Town Branch Creek, which will serve as a central water feature and a connection to Lexington’s founding. Other data will help shape the specific locations of other design and programming elements.”
Under the partnership, the study will monitor water flow to offer guidance on stream expansion and optimal locations for day lighting and restoration. The Army Corps will also gather topographical and geotechnical data to be used for the next phase of design. The survey project is expected to be completed within the next year.
“Providing technical assistance in the planning stages for Town Branch Park is an excellent example of our partnership with the Town Branch Fund and the City of Lexington. As water resource managers, we are enthusiastic for the opportunity to help reclaim Town Branch Creek’s historic value to the Lexington community,” said Andrew Reed, project manager at the Louisville District, USACE.
“The Town Branch is everything – it’s the central social and ecological feature of the park design,” said Gena Wirth, the design principal of SCAPE. “To transform a buried and straightened stream into a living system that hosts aquatic life and is pleasant to be around, we need a better understanding of the site’s subsurface conditions and hydrology. The data collection and analysis provided by the Corps will provide critical information that will help us determine the best pathway for the new creek alignment, its ideal restored width and the slopes of its edges. These studies will reveal critical information about the hidden hydrological asset of Town Branch and will shape the detailed design of the Park.”
In addition to the work of the US Army Corps of Engineers, an analysis of the water flow of Town Branch Creek at the site is being conducted currently by Third Rock Consultants. The analysis, which started in mid-October, will gather initial data for six months and will be used to further inform the plan for the stream’s restoration and expansion.