|
1934 |
The National Parks Service selects 3,000 acres of
beautiful land in Meade County, Ky., to serve as a recreational area for
residents of Louisville and neighboring towns. (Today, the park’s
acreage is 2,600, after land swaps with Ft. Knox.) |
|
1937 |
Otter Creek Park opens to the public.
|
|
1938 |
The first camp at Otter Creek Park is built and
leased by the YMCA to become Camp Piomingo. |
|
1947 |
In recognition of the city's service during World
War II, the Federal Government endows Otter Creek Park to the City of
Louisville. |
|
1975 |
President Ford transfers 197 acres of surplus land
from Fort Knox military reservation to the City of Louisville to be
added to Otter Creek Park. |
|
1986 |
Otter Creek Park builds a disc golf course |
|
1995 |
Otter Creek Park becomes a Division of Louisville
Metro Parks. |
|
2001 |
A new master plan is adopted for Otter Creek
Park. The plan was developed by a task force chaired by former
Louisville Mayor Frank Burke. |
|
Dec. 2008 |
The city of Louisville announced that the park,
which loses $500,000 annually, would close to the public on December 14,
2008 due to budget cuts. This closing date was amended to January 1. |
|
June 2010 |
Gov. Steve Beshear and Louisville Mayor Jerry
Abramson announced that
Otter Creek Park will be reopened in 2011 as an outdoor
recreational area operated by the Kentucky Department of Fish and
Wildlife Resources, an agency of the Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet. |
|
Winter 2010 |
The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife
Resources initiated the process of transferring and converting Otter
Creek Park into The Otter Creek Outdoor Recreation Area. Titles, deeds,
surveys and boundaries assessments were part of this process. |
|
Late Winter 2010 |
Physical inspections and assessments were initiated
as to the condition of all facilities including buildings, signs,
electricity, water, gates, roadways, parking areas, trails and access
points to Otter Creek and the Ohio River. Since the 2008 closure, there
has been minimal maintenance at the facility that also experienced
severe damage from the 2009 ice storm. |
|
Fall 2010 |
KDFWR meets with various user groups and conducts
the Otter Creek Outdoor Recreation Area web-based survey. Over 4000
surveys were completed representing over 13,000 household members. |
|
March 2011 |
Area use regulations and fee structures are
established. First opening weekend of May 14th determined. |
|
April 2011 |
Annual passes available for purchase and first
annual pass sold on KDFWR web site
http://fw.ky.gov |
