Millennium Park

The pretty weather Monday brought people out to Millennium Park to skateboard, walk their dogs, exercise or just relax.

Walkers and bikers in Danville will soon enjoy an improved trail at Millennium Park as a result of a $25,000 grant Boyle County received Tuesday from the Recreational Trails Program, administered by the Governor's Office for Local Development. Mercer and Garrard counties also received funds. The grant will be used to help complete three or four small sections of the main trail that were left undone and to resurface the entire trail. "We're trying to keep the trail safe for our users," said Duane Campbell, Boyle County engineer.

Danville-Boyle County Parks and Recreation Department wants area residents to give the gift of a tree, to be planted in Millennium Park, this holiday season. "Sponsoring a tree in our park is a great way to honor or pay tribute to an individual," said John Drake, director of the department. "And with the holidays in full swing, a tree could be just the gift you've been looking for. " Blue spruces, honey locusts and red buds are available for $75 -$125. Each tree will have a name plaque, and be planted in Millennium Park, a 125-acre park with natural landscaping.

Dear Editor: Oct. 19, 2004, 6:30 p.m. Millennium Park two weeks before election day - As I roller blade through the park I see at least four youth soccer games in progress, a youth football game and two more teams in preparation for the next game. There is activity at the main playground and at the skateboard park and, as per usual, there are many other users of the trail, runners and walkers alike. As I contemplate the closeness and bitterness of many of our political races and the differences among the voters, this experience in Millennium Park is a reminder of what makes up our United States.

Visitors to Millennium Park may soon be greeted by an M41 Walker Bulldog. Danville City Commission approved acceptance of the tank Monday from the Army. Local veterans hope to install the tank as a tribute to veterans and have already secured donations of money and time to place it at the entrance of Millennium Park. Jack Hendricks, a local veteran who has spearheaded the project, said, "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. " Hendricks will seek approval of the Boyle County Fiscal Court today and the Danville-Boyle County Parks and Recreation Board on Wednesday.

An Easter Egg Hunt will be Saturday at Millennium park baseball complex. Pre-hunt activities will begin at 10:30 a.m. and will include pictures with the Easter Bunny, face-painting, a sidewalk art contest and jelly bean contest. The egg hunt will begin at 11:10 a.m. and will include hunts for four age groups: 3 and under; 4 and 5; 6 and 7; and 8 and 9. Prize eggs will be included in each age group hunt. Centre College students will help supervise activities.

Dear Editor: Danville-Boyle County is very fortunate to have the Millennium Park! I want to express appreciation to all who were responsible for making this facility a reality. Also, Tom McGirr and his fine assistants do a great job in keeping the park in an excellent and inviting condition. It is regrettable that recent acts of vandalism have required the installation of security cameras. It seems there are always some in our society that do not appreciate the value of what others make possible.

It's all about the compromise. Danville's skatepark site might be moved 2,000 feet west, from Jackson Park to Millennium Park, and be ready to roll about mid-July. But how? Didn't the city need another $40,000 for a concrete pad? It is a feat that in this budget year is like getting blood from a turnip. The park planning committee and Commissioner Jamey Gay put their heads together. Here's their plan: Take the $20,000 to be spent on improvements to Jackson Park this year and use it on concrete.

Dear Editor, My family and I use both Millennium and Cowan Street parks. I would like to see Cowan Street Park renovated because my friends and I just used the park for the Labor Day weekend and had a great time. It was a very successful gathering, but the park needs a lot of work to be regarded as a quality park. West Danville is full of young kids with nothing to do - especially with a 32-unit apartment complex in this neighborhood. The kids have no place designated for their recreation without Cowan Street Park.

Danville Christian made the most of three hits and 11 walks Tuesday to defeat Trinity Christian 6-2 at Millennium Park. DCA (8-0) scored in four of its six at-bats, taking a 6-0 lead before visiting Trinity (4-4) got on the board in the sixth inning. Shayla Smith earned the win for the Warriors, holding Trinity to two runs on six hits and one walk. DCA scored two runs with two outs in both the third and fifth innings. Raines drove in Katie Huffman with an RBI single in the third, and Huffman scored on a wild pitch and Smith stole home in the fifth.

Springtime has come to central Kentucky, filling our parks, playing fields, sidewalks and streets with people of all ages seeking exercise, fresh air and fun.  Millennium Park is in its 13th year as the centerpiece for this activity. And wow has it grown in popularity, with so much to offer and such well maintained grounds. We can thank the Danville-Boyle County Recreation Department, the governments that support the park and, of course, the numerous volunteers that help run programs for this credit to our community.

When Erin and Jeremy Goldberg of Vinson Road took their 10- and 12-year-olds to Danville's Henry Jackson Park on March 30, they were disappointed by what they found. Erin Goldberg said there was a hole in a slide, a broken merry-go-round, a beer can and trash, and a large hole in the pavilion, along with various other issues. “Honestly, a lot of it didn't look safe,” she said. “The longer we stayed, the more we were disappointed.” The Goldbergs moved to Danville about a year ago to Erin's grandparents' former home.

Signs of spring have been fleeting so far, but you can tell the season by our annual rush to patch Boyle County's aging and leaky public swimming pool. Danville City Commission signed off on another temporary solution during its meeting last week. That's why it's no surprise there is stirring from something called the Aquatics and Recreation Center (ARC) concept team, a private-public partnership that includes local schools, governments, health care providers and economic development organizations.

Last weekend our school was in Danville to compete in the KCAA cross country state championship at Millennium Park. One of our 6-year-old runners ran off course and into a subdivision.  I happened to be about 100 yards from where he ran off course and chased after him. When I came into the subdivision from the park, I didn't see him, and I ran up the block to see if I could find him there. Once I realized I didn't see him and that I didn't have a phone, I started to head back to the park so that I could get my phone and call the police.  Just before I entered back into the park a woman driving a white SUV pulled up and delivered our little runner.

Alex Bunch is still getting up to speed, and there might be no better place to do that than at Millennium Park. Bunch feels right at home has enjoyed considerable success on the Boyle County cross country course at the park, and she got in one more good run there Thursday night in the Boyle County Invitational. The Lincoln County senior won the girls race at Boyle for the third consecutive year, getting her first win of the season in only her second race even as she continues to work on her conditioning.

Millennium Park electrical outage   There will be no electricity available in Millennium Park from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday, according to a spokeswoman with Danville-Boyle County Parks and Recreation.   Danville native named UK trustee Gov. Steve Beshear has appointed Kelly Sullivan Holland of Lexington as the alumni representative to the University of Kentucky board of trustees. Her term will expire June 30, 2018. Holland is a native of Danville. For 10 years, she has been employed by Merck & Co. Inc. and currently serves as a lead executive customer representative.  She is a member of the UK Alumni Association board of directors.

Boyle County's annual Relay for Life event will take place Friday at Millennium Park. Relay for Life is an annual event done around the globe, and events can last up to 24 hours because “cancer never sleeps,” according to the official website for the event. Money goes to research for international cancer research groups, including the American Cancer Society for the United States.  The local fundraising event will be a 12-hour one, with an opening ceremony at 5 p.m., followed by a cancer survivors' dinner, and lasting until 5 a.m. Other events include a luminary ceremony at 7 p.m., a live auction, inflatables for children and food.

The   Danville -Boyle County Parks and Recreation Board Meeting will be held on 4 p.m. Wednesday, June 6 at the Millennium Park   Rotary-Kroger shelter.