and a lot of the history, especially when it comes to our African-American communities and our African-American churches, neighborhoods, and everything involved. And I believe this segment is crucially important in providing information and preserving the history of the historic St. Paul AME, but also informing folks in Lexington of this important gem that we have in our city, in the heart of the First District. So we'll dive right into it. So let's talk about a little bit about, as we talk about that history, let's talk a little bit about just a brief timeline of the historic St. Paul AME, how it started, key milestones, how it become a spiritual and historical landmark in Lexington. Okay. First off, historic St. Paul was established when the members of Hill Street Methodist Church left and formed their own church, okay? It was in 1820, they were able to purchase the land for $280. They built the building in 1826. We've had members here, Henry Tandy, Ferdinand Tandy, his son, the Brittons, Henry Britton, his children was raised here, Dr. Susan Britton, Julia Martin Britton, Bell Jackson, Jordan Carlisle Jacksons. They were very political. We held three, after Reconstruction, three of the state colored conventions here. One was for separation of the, against separation of coach and on the trains, riding in the back of the train. They wrote resolutions protesting that. We had another one on education, wrote resolution. So in this community, from pre-Civil War all the way through today, our church has been very involved in education, social justice, and that's basically what is founding up the African Methodist Episcopal Church. What can you tell us about the role the church played during the time of the Underground Railroad? Are there any specific stories passed down from that era that you know of? It is, I believe, that their strategic location of where they placed it, that they were, its purpose not only for a place of worship, but also a place where they can help the enslaved. The building itself has an enclosed, hidden area above the ceiling. And that's where they were able to hide the enslaved. This was a well-kept secret, okay? This area, the hidden room, was not known to the community, I believe, until 1978. We believe that we were probably instrumental with the escape of Louis Hayden and his family. Louis Gerard Clark, who is the character George Harris in the Harriet Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom's Cabin, he came here, I believe, twice, I do know, twice in his riding, one to get one of his brothers who had already escaped, and he did find his younger brother. And in his writings, he came to Lexington. Now when his wife passed after the Civil War, he came back here and lived. And when he passed, he was buried, his funeral was held here. He became the first man of color to be able to lie in state in the state of Kentucky. And so those associations that we can clearly say that we were in the business of saving those who were enslaved. So you know, I know that right in front of LTMS on 4th and Limestone, they just put the marker of Louis Hayden, and I think that that is a beautiful marker, but it goes to tell that we're here preserving and talking about the history, that not only is that marker that they come through there, but they had to come past here to make it to wherever they went to, huh? To make it to freedom, not just where they went to make the big freedom. They had to come to the historic St. Paul A&E to get the freedom as well. Yeah, and it's more highly likely because of the way our history goes, is that whenever they left, they would go through the pen. Now at that time, it was 1844, so we didn't have the pen, but the majority of the time they left here through horse and carriage. And you talked about, we talked a little bit about how it was one of the best kept secrets. So now that means it's more important now more than ever to preserve the history so that it's no longer that secret. Yes it is. Yes it is, because majority of the person who were first and second witnesses and was around when they have all gone. So basically in my generation is what we were told during the, in the church. This has been told in our denomination in this state ever since I came in, ever since I really was born and has always been of high praise that we were the first church and that we held the Underground Railroad as a beacon because there were other churches here. There are other churches, but I think we were the center because first of all, we were the first. The others came around in 1838. So let's talk a little bit about just some artifacts and some historic preservation. So I know that we're sitting right in front of several different artifacts and there's many different artifacts throughout the church, but can you talk about this a little bit about what kind of historical artifacts or documents the church has been able to collect or preserve over the years? Well, majority of them come from the denomination itself of the African Methodist Episcopal Church where a lot of the bishops themselves wrote and documented the history because then you can trace who the clergy, because the most important part of a church is their members. And so when you start looking at their members, then you begin to see the mission, the missionary work that they were doing. Some of the artifacts we have, we have the bagel of Bell Jackson, who was a part in establishing the orphan home, which is now the Robert H. William Cultural Center. Robert H. William Cultural Center, right. We do have a skeleton key that we found in the bell tower, but it's a skeleton key and we found that. Well, with the historical artifacts, we do need help, and correctly, because now we started as you see the project that we have, this is just a beginning of it. We have a pile that's in the back that we do need the expertise so that some things need to be restored. And so, yes, we do need help with that. But the biggest thing is the room and the rafters above the ceiling all the way to the door to the bell tower. What has the restoration process looked like, both physically and financially, and what still needs to be ensured, what needs to be ensured for the church's legacy to be protected for future generations to come? The main thing what we are undertaking this summer is the Mason Foundation repair, whereas you have to lift the building. That is the biggest and major undertaking, because once we do that, once we've completed that job, then we're able to come in and restore flooring and reinforce some of the wood, because there's a lot of mahogany wood that has been here over the years that needs to be reinforced. And then you've got your electrical, your plumbing. Well, the importance of preserving the church is that this is a part of history of Lexington that's still not known. And I think there are great lessons here, because you're looking at resilience. You're looking at a force that was together, not only just in Lexington, but in the state of Kentucky. Kentucky, if you look at the history during that time, we produced a lot of people that left here, but became famous, but they originated in Kentucky. And when you start looking at Kentucky's history and the history that we play in the abolition of slavery is that we may have started here, but we were connected always, even after they had left, because those who had escaped Priscilla Baltimore, William Wells Brown, all of these folks had a hand back into Kentucky, due to communication efforts that we all had set up with the network. Well, that's amazing. So what I hear is, you know, there's many untold stories that need to be told, and that history should not just be his story, it should be the real story, the real history. And that's also the importance of this interview, making sure that we're putting out the real history and telling those untold stories. Yes, and I can say this as a person who was born and raised in Lexington, that in the last 10 years, I learned more than I've learned. Yes. And that's the beauty of technology right now. We can type a couple words in there, and as you said, if it's digitalized, it's possible. Makes it very, very easy. It's a little bit harder, because the different stories fluctuate. So that was one of the biggest hurdles that we had, is that we had to start from scratch. Now the lucky thing, we had names to go with, and deed records. But to get to where we are now, we really had to dive deep. Dive deep. Well, well. And that's the beauty of it. Sometimes some hard work is what's needed to get to the end goal, and that's always a good thing. Hey Michelle, I'm so excited to be here with you at our Phoenix Park Reimagined project. It's really exciting. We're right on the edge of the opening. September 18th is a big day. Yes. So tell me a little bit about yourself and your role with this project. Thanks council member. Yeah, so my name is Michelle Kosiniak, and I'm the superintendent of planning and design. And I've worked at parks for over 28 years, and my role is working with a great team of individuals to help design and plan our park system. Well, excellent. And you had a big role to play here with Phoenix Park. So tell me a little bit about your vision for this park, and what you wanted to make happen here. Sure. So the park was originally built, or the park that most people will know or remember, was built quite some time ago, and all of the infrastructure was coming to the end of life. So the fountain, we had difficulty running. The electricity was, the wires were failing. The lights were failing. And so we knew that it was time to replace everything in the park. And so we sat down with a consultant, and we scheduled a plan to really reach out to all the community members that live around Phoenix Park. The business partners, the nonprofit partners, lots of people who, in our community, who are vested in downtown. And we listened to what they said. And then we ourselves at Parks, of course, you know, our mission is to improve life or enrich life through Parks program and play. And so that play, we really wanted this to be a fun space. And so we had key words in our reimagining, such as vibrant and fun. Well, that leads us to what's right behind us here. We have our playground. It is huge. It looks fun. Tell us about how you incorporated safety into this. Sure. We talked about the families and some of the elements of the playground. Just tell us a little bit more about it. Right. So we want playgrounds to be welcoming, and we want them to be safe. Safe doesn't necessarily mean, though, that it's not, it's boring. And so as you'll see behind us, we do have a very high structure for ages 5 to 12. We also have a smaller structure for ages 2 to 5. So age appropriateness is important. But we also wanted the kids to feel there was a little risk. And so inside enclosed connections, you'll find rope course challenges. But then on the ground, as you can also see, we don't have our traditional mulch here. We wanted the important place surface, which has a cushioning effect. So that's really the safest surface on the market right now. Yeah. It's very springy. And what about these mounts? Tell us a little bit about these. Are they part of the playground structure? Well, sure. I mean, who doesn't like to be king of the hill, right? So that's kind of what this is about. It's just creating a fun, vibrant atmosphere, just different challenges, different learning, different balance. Yeah. Great. And we know that there are a lot of kids who come down to the downtown library who are going to be playing here, but there are a lot of households that are really close to this park. And it's part of a kind of larger park system. So there are about, what, 1,400 households within a 10-minute walk? At least. At least. 1,400 and 2,000, we think, as of the last statistics. And so it's really important to us. Our goal and Mayor Gorton's goal is to have a green space or park within a 10-minute walk of everybody's home. And so we have to remember that while this is downtown, where a lot of people just visit every once in a while, there are people that live downtown and they need parks as much as we do out in the suburbs. Yeah. And speaking of parks and some of the features of this one, the dog park over here, that's the only dog park, aside from Gatton Park on the town branch, within New Circles. So I know that we did a lot to enhance that dog park. Can you tell us a little bit about the features of that area of the park? Absolutely. So that was, and we didn't know Gatton was going to have a dog park when we started our planning in this park. Actually, it was a pilot project even predating that. And so being a pilot project, it wasn't built to the highest, you know, we were temporarily testing out and we tried not to, we had people that helped donate to make it happen. And we were testing out if it would be used and my gosh, was it ever used. So clearly those residents we talked about that live downtown love their dogs. And so the park saw very high use. So when we were reimagining the park, we absolutely wanted to upgrade the dog park. And so this is our first artificial turf dog park and it's got shade and it's got nicer fencing. And so I think everybody will be really pleased with the experience. Well, excellent. I know that when we were getting input about what people wanted to see in the park, they talked about the dog park and how important it was, especially if people are visiting downtown, if they're living downtown, you know, dogs are a place to run and play. Absolutely. This one's going to get a lot of use. And you know, thinking about some of our other features, I want to talk to you about the stage area. We had a special donor to help us with that part of the project. Anything you want to share about that and what you all are thinking for what this stage could have happened? Yeah. So the stage is a donation specifically from the Knight Foundation through Bluegrass Community Foundation. And we're already programming events. We're already lining up a queue of events for the remainder of this year and looking ahead to next spring. Lots of different cultural events from Lunch with the Arts to some weekend events for the families that want to come down. So look for all of that on the park's website. That's so fun. And we know that all of these different elements help to bring the park to life. But a big important part of it would be the people who come here and can connect with each other and all the activity that we're going to see here. And speaking of people, we added an amenity that we think is really important and it's special in its own way. Tell us about the bathroom. This was a big point of conversation with council and it's been a big need for downtown. So this one is a pretty nice one. What do you want to share about it? So this is the first of its kind in our park system. We do know that when families come downtown, it's difficult to find a place to use the restroom if you have a toddler, you know, or a child that needs to go to the restroom. And for that matter, if you're an older adult, you need to use the restroom for all people. So we wanted it to be a good experience. And so we have implemented a self-cleaning restroom. So after every use, it cleans itself. It does a limited cleaning and then after so many uses, it does a full cleaning and washes down every one of the surfaces. There's also safety features for those that might be uncomfortable with that idea. After 20 minutes, the door unlocks and opens and you have to exit. It has a sensor and you have to exit and stay gone for quite a while until the door closes again, but it will not relock immediately. So we're fairly sure that that's going to be a good safety feature. Yeah, that's pretty high tech. Yes. And we're hopeful it works and that it gets a lot of use just like the rest of the park. And you know, one other feature that people have asked me about are these swings over here. Absolutely. Are those for adults? Are they for kids? I mean, we talked about how fun this park is. I'll say they're for kids of all ages. Of course, they're not playground equipment. They don't have surfacing under them. So they are intended to kind of bring that front porch swing feel to the park. So we've got three of them. We don't have these particular ones in any other park. One of the cool features is they do have lighting integrated, as does we have we have some shade structures that also have LED lighting integrated. Really it's it's throughout the park and that's to increase security and safety at night so people feel comfortable. Yeah. So not only do we bring the park up in elevation, we added these elements so that we can activate the park in different ways. We added lighting. Those are all things that we heard from people who are stakeholders in this project who care about the potential of Phoenix Park and what we've built here today. And it's really exciting to see it all come together. And I appreciate your role in this process. I know so many people have been involved. I think we're all excited to see kids, families and people of all different backgrounds coming down here to this park. Well, we appreciate we appreciate your support on the project and we appreciate the support of all the council and the mayor on this. It was really time that this park needed to be reimagined. And we're looking forward to opening it. So there's there's one feature you're not going to see when it opens, if I could mention that. Of course. So I wanted to this is our first fog feature. Oh, yeah. And so we have LED lights that are integrated into a fog system. I think you'll probably note it. I'm excited to see it the night we do Thriller downtown. I think that will showcase it really, really well. But for other times, you know, it's a it's a way to refresh in the hot temperatures without actually you don't need a bathing suit. You don't need anything. You're not going to get that wet, but it will have a cooling effect. So that was this our first first time using one of those in a park. So it's one of the first. And then we have another first in this park, besides the bathroom and the fog and the state of the art dog park and the tallest playground, I think we have in the place and the big swings. We also have a play feature for kind of kids of all ages. It is accessible, physically accessible, but it's also anyone from ages two up can play it. We have our first electronic playground game. It's called the Neos. And it's for those of you that are old enough, you might remember the game Simon, where you follow. Well, this has Simon says, yes, I'm well, Simon. It's actually like an electronic game that the lights blink and you try to push them. Well, this has a game similar, but has seven other games that you can play by yourself or with friends. And we're really excited to introduce that. We think that it's a multigenerational, right? So it's designed for kids, but I encourage adults to use it, too. Yeah, well, when we were having a little sneak peek of the park the other day, I saw some council members already playing around. So I think it'll get a lot of views. And we're just really excited about this park and the way that it's along Town Branch Commons, that it's part of a whole family of parks, and that it can really be a destination for people downtown. So thank you. And Phoenix Park Reimagined. We hope to see you all here. This is a really special place. Hey, y'all, this is your vice mayor Dan Wu. If you're watching this video, you may have received a letter in the mail from Undue Medical Debt saying your unpaid medical debt has been acquired and canceled. That letter is indeed real, as is the relief of your debt. In 2024, I proposed a million dollars towards medical debt relief in Fayette County, and the Urban County Council approved it unanimously. We are now working with Undue Medical Debt, a national nonprofit, to eliminate tens of millions of dollars of unpaid medical debt in our community. We launched this initiative because Kentucky is one of the sickest, poorest states in the nation, and more than one in 12 residents carries the burden of medical debt. This means folks suffer financial strain, mental and emotional stress, and don't seek regular medical care, further worsening their physical health. While we may not be able to impact our healthcare and insurance systems on a national scale, we in city government can help on the local level. I am passionate about putting money back into the pockets of Lexington families and relieving the burdens of medical debt. So file away your letter as evidence that you have received this medical debt relief. We will also continue to work to connect impacted families with resources and education to break the cycle of unpaid medical debt. Congratulations to all those who have received this relief, and know that we are not done yet. This work continues, and there may be more relief to come. Take care. that road made me sad to think it was dead. You see I've been through the desert on a horse with no name. It felt good to be out of the rain. In the desert you can't remember your name cause there ain't no one born to give you no pain. After nine days I let the horse run free cause the desert had turned to sea. There were plants and birds and rocks and things. There was sand and hills and rains. The ocean is a desert with its life underground and a perfect disguise above. Under the cities lies a heart made of brown but the humans would give no love. You see I've been through the desert on a horse with no name. It felt good to be out of the rain. In the desert you can't remember your name cause there ain't no one born to give you no pain. La la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la How lucky can one guy be I kissed her and she kissed me Like the fella once said Ain't that a kick in the head The room was completely black I hugged her and she hugged back Like the sailor said, quote Ain't that a hole in the boat My head keeps spinnin' I go to sleep and keep grinnin' If this is just a beginning My life is gonna be Beautiful I've sunshine enough to spread It's just like the fella said Tell me quick, ain't love a kick in the head Like the fella once said Ain't that a kick in the head Like the sailor said, quote Ain't that a hole in the boat My head keeps spinnin' I go to sleep and keep grinnin' If this is just a beginning My life is gonna be Beautiful She's tellin' me we'll be wed She's picked out a king-size bed I couldn't feel any better Or I'd be sad Tell me quick, boy, ain't love a kick Tell me quick, ain't love a kick in the head You made me cry When you said goodbye Ain't that a shame My chill felt like rain Ain't that a shame You're the one to blame You broke my heart When you said we're apart Ain't that a shame My chill felt like rain Ain't that a shame Ain't that a shame You're the one to blame Oh well, goodbye Although I'll cry Ain't that a shame My chill felt like rain Ain't that a shame Ain't that a shame guitar solo You made me cry When you said goodbye Ain't that a shame My chill felt like rain Ain't that a shame You're the one to blame Oh well, goodbye Although I'll cry Ain't that a shame My chill felt like rain Ain't that a shame You're the one to blame guitar solo Dream, dream, dream, dream Dream, dream, dream When I want you In my arms when I want you And all your charms Whenever I want you All I have to do is dream Dream, dream, dream When I feel blue In the night and I need you To hold me tight Whenever I want you All I have to do is dream I can make you mine Taste your lips of wine Anytime, night or day Only trouble is, gee whiz I'm dreamin' my life away I need you so That I could die I love you so And that is why Whenever I want you All I have to do is dream Dream, dream, dream, dream I can make you mine Taste your lips of wine Anytime, night or day Only trouble is, gee whiz I'm dreamin' my life away I need you so That I could die I love you so And that is why Whenever I want you All I have to do is dream Dream, dream, dream, dream Dream, dream, dream, dream, dream She leads a lonely life She leads a lonely life She leads a lonely life When she woke up late in the morning light And the day had just begun She opened up her eyes and thought Oh, what a morning It's not a day for work It's a day for catching time Just lying on the beach and having fun She's going to get you All that she wants is another baby She's gone tomorrow, boy All that she wants is another baby All that she wants is another baby She's gone tomorrow, boy All that she wants is another baby All that she wants All that she wants So if you are in sight And the day is right She's the hunter, you're the fox Her gentle voice that talks to you Won't talk forever It is the night for passion Where the morning means goodbye Be aware of what is flashing in her eyes She's going to get you All that she wants is another baby She's gone tomorrow, boy All that she wants is another baby All that she wants is another baby She's gone tomorrow, boy All that she wants is another baby Yeah All that she wants is another baby She's gone tomorrow, boy All that she wants is another baby Yeah All that she wants is another baby She's gone tomorrow, boy All that she wants is another baby Yeah All that she wants All that she wants Wait a little while from now If I'm not feeling any less sour I promise myself to treat myself And visit a nearby town And climbing to the top Will throw myself off In an effort to make clear to Everyone what it's like when you're shattered Left standing in the lurch At a church where people were saying My God, that stuff she stood him up No point in us remaining We may as well go on As I did on my own Alone again Naturally To think that only yesterday I was cheerful, bright and gay Looking forward to What I wouldn't do The role I was about to play But as if to knock me down Reality came around And without so much as a mere touch Cut me into little pieces Leaving me to doubt Talk about God in his mercy If he really does exist Why did he desert me In my hour of need I truly am indeed Alone again Naturally It seems to me that there are more hearts Broken in the world That can't be mended Left unattended What do we do? What do we do? What do we do? Alone again Naturally Looking back over the years Whatever else dies are fears I remember I cried when my father died Never wishing to hide the tears At sixty-five years old My mother, God rest her soul Couldn't understand why the only man Couldn't understand why the only man She had ever loved had been taken Leaving her to start With a heart so badly broken Despite encouragement from me No words were ever spoken When she passed away I cried and cried all day Alone again Naturally Alone again Naturally Naturally Instrumental Far We've been traveling far Without a home Not without a star Free Only want to be free We've had our close Hang on to a dream Instrumental Home to America Home Don't it seem so far away We're traveling light today In the eye of the storm In the eye of the storm Home To a new and a shiny place Make our bed and we'll say our prayers Freedom's light burning warm Freedom's light burning warm Instrumental Everywhere around the world They're coming to America Every time that flag's unfurled They're coming to America Got a dream to take them there They're coming to America Got a dream they've come to share They're coming to America They're coming to America They're coming to America They're coming to America They're coming to America Today Today Today Today Today Today My country, tis of thee Today Sweet land of liberty Today Of thee I sing Today Of thee I sing Today Today Today Today Today Today Today Today Today Walk the dark road With no fear Woke up today's gonna be a good day Wake up today's gonna be a good day Wake up today's gonna be a good day Wake up today's gonna be a good day Wake up today's gonna be a good day Wake up today's gonna be a good day Wake up today's gonna be a good day Wake up today's gonna be a good day Wake up today's gonna be a good day Well, it was kind of cold that night She stood alone on a fire condition She could hear the cars roll by at 0441 Like words crashing down her face And for one desperate moment there She crept back in her memory It's so painful for something that is so close You're still so far out of reach Oh yeah, alright Take it easy baby, make it last all night She was an American girl Take it easy baby, make it last all night She was an American girl Take it easy baby, make it last all night She was an American girl Take it easy baby, make it last all night She was an American girl Take it easy baby, make it last all night She was an American girl Take it easy baby, make it last all night She was an American girl She calls out to the man on the street Sir, can you help me? It's cold and I've nowhere to sleep Is there somewhere you can tell me? He walks on, doesn't look back He pretends he can't hear her Starts to whistle as he crosses the street Seems embarrassed to be there Oh, think twice Cause it's another day for you and me in paradise Oh, think twice Cause it's another day for you and me in paradise Think about it She calls out to the man on the street He can see she's been crying She's got blisters on the soles of her feet She can't walk but she's trying Oh, think twice Cause it's another day for you and me in paradise Oh, think twice Cause it's another day for you and me in paradise Oh, think twice Cause it's another day for you and me in paradise Oh, think twice Cause it's another day for you and me in paradise Oh Lord, is there nothing more anybody can do? Oh Lord, there must be something you can say You can tell from the lines on her face You can see that she's been there Probably been moved on from every place Cause she didn't fit in there Oh, think twice Cause it's another day for you and me in paradise Oh, think twice Cause it's another day for you and me in paradise Oh, think twice Cause it's another day for you and me in paradise Oh, think twice Cause it's another day for you and me in paradise Oh, think twice Cause it's another day for you and me in paradise Oh, think twice Cause it's another day for you and me in paradise In paradise In paradise In just another day in paradise You can rock it, you can roll it Do the stompin', even stroll it at the hop When the records stop spinnin' do trillets Or when you're chicken at the hop Do the dances, say some sadder sweet with a nation At the hop Let's go to the hop Let's go to the hop Oh, baby let's go to the hop Oh, baby let's go to the hop Pop Pop Let's go to the hop Well, you can swing it, you can groove it You can really start to move it at the hop Where the jockey is the smoothest And the music is the coolest at the hop All the cats and the chicks can get their kicks at the hop Let's go Let's go to the hop Let's go to the hop Oh, baby let's go to the hop Oh, baby let's go to the hop Come on, let's go to the hop Let's go Well, you can rock it, you can roll it Do the stompin', even stroll it at the hop When the racket stops spinning, do trillets Or when you're chicken at the hop Do the dances, say some sadder sweet with a nation At the hop You can swing it, you can groove it You can really start to move it at the hop Where the jockey is the smoothest And the music is the coolest at the hop All the cats and the chicks can get their kicks at the hop Let's go Let's go to the hop Let's go to the hop Oh, baby let's go to the hop Oh, baby let's go to the hop Come on, let's go to the hop Let's hop Let's hop Baby, hold on to me Whatever will be, will be Baby, hold on to me Whatever will be, will be I'm Neal Noah, and welcome to Lexington Now for the week of November 10th, 2025. Valley Park has a new place for neighbors to gather as the Renovated and Expanded Neighborhood Center opens. We are here today to officially reopen this always popular neighborhood center, which has been fully renovated and expanded. And I think we were here for the kickoff, if I recall. Neighborhood centers like to be open to the public. So we are here today to officially open the Renovated and Expanded Neighborhood Center. We are here today to officially open the Renovated and Expanded Neighborhood Center.