NKY park to undergo improvements, growth in 2014

The A.J. Jolly Community Development Council is working with the National Park Service’s Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program to develop plans for improvements to A.J. Jolly Park in Northern Kentucky.
 
The council will apply for federal grants in August to help put the plans into action.
 
In the past year, the council has had the lake evaluated, which should help increase the natural vegetation on the perimeter, develop a lake kiosk by the boat docks and improve the fish habitat of the lake.
 
This year’s improvements include more team sports, including sand volleyball, dodge ball, youth co-ed softball and adult co-ed kickball. The stage, which is planned for this year, will be built near the former beach and boat ramp. It will be unveiled at Pack the Park on Aug. 16.
 
Money for the stage was donated by Alexandria resident Steve Stapleton from the Stapleton Family Trust.
 
Plans for the park include a stage for movie nights, concerts and potentially a theater, in order to promote a park where technology-immersed people can participate in a modern-day scavenger hunt with a GPS app.
 
A.J. Jolly is one of the largest county-owned parks in the state, and has a 200-acre fishing lake, the A.J. Jolly Stables, which were built in 2012, the A.J. Jolly Golf Course, baseball and soccer fields and sand volleyball.
 
By Caitlin Koenig
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