The late Dr. Zirl A. Palmer, a pharmacist who owned the only African-American-owned drug store in Lexington in the 1960s, will be the namesake of a new road and a new Head Start Center planned for the East End neighborhood.
“These are more big steps forward for the East End neighborhood,” Mayor Linda Gorton said. “A new road, and new educational opportunities will move this neighborhood forward.”
Congressman Andy Barr announced a $3 million federal grant to build a new Head Start center that will feature five early childhood classrooms. “We need to move quickly to make up for learning loss as a result of the pandemic,” said Congressman Barr. “That’s why I advocated so strongly for these funds to enhance early childhood education for three-year old children in William Wells Brown neighborhood. By constructing a new prep school facility for these students, they can hit the ground running in their education before they reach Kindergarten. I want to thank Councilmember Brown for his leadership in this project and the Community Action Council for their commitment to carrying this initiative out. I also appreciate the work by Mayor Gorton, the Lexington Housing Authority, and all other community partners who worked with our office on this project.”
Community Action Council will run the Head Start Center, with room for 52 students, prioritizing the enrollment of three-year-olds who miss the age cut-off for preschool at nearby William Wells Brown Elementary. “Two years ago, this was just a dream. Councilmember Brown connected us with Mr. (Austin) Simms for the land purchase and Congressman Barr for the funding to build this state-of-the-art facility. This was a team effort, and we are excited about the opportunity to serve the families in this historic neighborhood,” said Sharon Price, Executive Director of the Community Action Council.
Brown said, “I’m truly excited about the project! This project is collaborative, recognizing all the parties involved and all the partners that will benefit. This project is focused on our future, with positive economic impacts for families and improving children’s academic achievement. This project is stabilizing in that it creates more affordable housing opportunities in downtown Lexington.”
The Head Start Center and the new road are being built near the corner of Shropshire Avenue and Fifth Street.
The Lexington Housing Authority asked the City for $750,000 to fund the road, which will serve 10 single-family affordable homes and a five-unit apartment building the agency plans to build. “We are excited about the completion of the transformation of this neighborhood and the partnerships that have forged the opportunity to complete this last tract of the HOPE VI development,” said Austin Simms, Executive Director of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Housing Authority.
The road was funded by the City through the federal American Rescue Plan.
The 9,000-square-foot Head Start Center will have solar panels and green engineering to minimize its carbon footprint. There will be a dedicated playground, a garden and fruit trees on the site. Community Action Council has operated Head Start programs since 1965 and served 2,212 children in 13 Kentucky counties last year.
