LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Oct. 30, 2017) — Spalding University will hold a public gathering Nov. 3 to celebrate the official unveiling of 2.2-acre Trager Park, a grassy recreational space at the corner of South Second and West Kentucky streets. The park is a major component of Spalding’s greening initiative and the product of the philanthropy of Louisville Gas and Electric Company and the Trager Family Foundation.
Media are invited to attend the unveiling, which will feature remarks from Spalding President Tori Murden McClure, LG&E President and Chief Operating Officer Paul W. Thompson and Trager Family Foundation representative Andrew Trager-Kusman, vice president of Republic Bank and a Spalding trustee.
Trager Park will be a 2.2-acre grassy recreational space at the corner of South Second and West Kentucky streets that has been repurposed from an unused pad of concrete and asphalt. The park is a major component of Spalding’s greening initiative and the product of the philanthropy of Louisville Gas and Electric Company and the Trager Family Foundation.
Trager Park will offer students and neighbors space for intramural sports and recreation while beautifying the South of Broadway (SoBro) neighborhood and providing a signature entrance for the southeast corner of Spalding’s campus. It will also create a green anchor that diminishes the urban heat island effect in the area. Construction, which began in early summer, included the removal of about 150 asphalt parking spaces. Approximately 100 trees will be planted at Trager Park next spring. Sodding is slated to be completed in the coming days.
The park is named in honor of Bernard Trager, the founder of Republic Bank, and his wife, Jean, thanks to a gift from their family in support of Spalding’s greening efforts.
The creation of Trager Park has multiple environmental benefits, according to the Louisville Metro Office of Sustainability. By decreasing some of the 9 million square feet of impervious surface in SoBro taken up by parking lots and other infrastructure, the park will contribute to reducing surface temperatures and the amount of water that enters the stormwater system when it rains. It will also increase the neighborhood’s tree canopy.
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