A long-planned nature center in Louisville’s Shawnee Park is planned for 4501 West Broadway. The Shawnee Outdoor Learning Center is envisioned as a two-story hub for environmental education.
Louisville Parks and Recreation solicited bids for the center earlier this year, according to highergov.com, which lists RFP260232 as issued April 21, with proposals due by May 27.
A Two-Story Building Designed to Ride Out Floods
The design reflects the realities of building along the Ohio River. The two-story nature center extends over the floodplain on piers engineered to handle rising river levels. The site plan also calls for adjoining gardens, nature play areas and outdoor classrooms meant to serve both school groups and casual visitors.
Once complete, the building is intended to serve as a home base for Louisville is Engaging Children Outdoors, known as ECHO, as well as a shared gathering space for the surrounding community, according to Wilderness Louisville.
Funding Pieced Together From City, State and Private Sources
Getting to this point required stitching together money from multiple levels of government. The center was awarded $1 million in the city’s budget, Louisville Parks and Recreation has confirmed through WLKY’s reporting on the allocation. The finalized Kentucky state budget separately set aside $7 million for the project, as reported by WHAS11 in its coverage of state spending on Louisville projects…