Council approves six-month MOU allowing University of Kentucky Army ROTC limited training at Hysel Farm Park

Lexington City Council approved a six-month memorandum of understanding (MOU) on July 3, 2025, authorizing the University of Kentucky Army ROTC to use Hysel Farm (also referred to in the record as Bridal Farm/Bridal Park) for limited training, by a roll-call vote of 8 in favor, 5 opposed and 1 recusal.

The vote followed public comment from residents and gun-violence survivors who urged the council to bar weapons-related exercises from public parks and a lengthy council discussion about balancing a long-standing relationship with UK ROTC against community trauma and park uses.

Councilmember Vice Mayor Wu moved to amend the proposed MOU down from a one-year term to a six-month agreement expiring December 31, 2025; Councilmember Morton seconded that amendment. Parks staff and the Parks and Recreation commissioner described the negotiated terms: access would be limited to once per week for up to four hours (anticipated to be Wednesday mornings), and the agreement specifically prohibits anything capable of discharging projectiles, allowing only non‑functional training aids such as rubber rifles. Commissioner Ford summarized the weapons restriction in the draft MOU: “UK Army ROTC will use training aids to include rubber rifles that do not have the ability to discharge any kind of ammunition or projectile.”

The decision came after four residents who identified themselves as survivors or volunteers working on gun-violence reduction described the emotional impact of seeing rifle stances or simulated weapons in shared green spaces. Dina Mullins, who said she is a parent and a survivor of gun violence, told the council she spoke “not from doctrine or strategy, but from lived experiences, shaped by fear and the sound of gunfire,” and asked whether training in parks is “worth the cost of fractured trust, heightened anxiety, and potential trauma endured by passersby.” Chuck Eddy, identifying himself as a volunteer with gun‑violence reduction efforts, said the ROTC should find a different facility and noted Bluegrass Station had expressed interest in hosting the program.

Supporters of the limited MOU cited a long-running relationship between UK ROTC and city parks dating to 2016 and emphasized the compressed timeline before the fall semester. Parks staff said negotiations on a renewal began in August 2024, that the previously executed formal agreement expired on Jan. 1, 2025, and that UK ROTC had not been on-site since the spring semester. Commissioner Ford said the one-year proposal under negotiation would have run through July 1, 2026, but the council adopted the six-month amendment to give UK ROTC time to identify a new location while not extending training in a public park beyond the end of the calendar year.

Council debate included expressions of concern about retraumatizing park users and about the appropriate use of public parks for military-style exercises. Councilmember Savigny and Councilmember Curtis both said they could not support the MOU in its current form; Councilmember Sheehan recused herself from the vote because of her affiliation with the University of Kentucky. Vice Mayor Wu explained the rationale for the six‑month compromise: “The reason that I'm bringing forth this 6 month amendment… is in consideration of that long standing tradition and relationship that we've had with UK ROTC, [and] the fact that the timeline is so compressed.”

After an initial failed vote earlier in the evening, the council reconsidered the matter and ultimately approved the amended resolution. The final roll call recorded these reported votes: Yes — Ellinger, Hale, LaGree, Reynolds, Vice Mayor Wu, Beasley, Boone, Brown (8); No — Curtis, Elliot Baxter, Gray, Morton, Savigny (5); Recused — Sheehan (1).

The council's action is for a six-month, non‑renewing agreement (as amended) that staff said would be reviewed annually and would not automatically renew. Parks staff also said UK ROTC had already begun preliminary discussions with Bluegrass Station and other potential partners to relocate training off public parkland. The MOU requires that UK ROTC use only nonfunctional training aids and prohibits weapons or projectiles on park property.

Council members who voted in favor said the compromise provided time for UK ROTC to find an alternative venue before the start of the academic year; council members who opposed said even simulated drill displays in public parks risked retraumatizing residents and that parks should remain family‑friendly spaces.

The council did not adopt any additional policy changes at the meeting (for example, a formal ban on training in parks). Staff said they will communicate the council decision to UK ROTC and work with them and potential alternative sites. The council discussion included an explicit staff statement that, without an approved agreement, UK ROTC would not have authorized access to the park.

The council’s action leaves open follow-up questions, including whether UK ROTC will secure a new permanent training site and whether the Parks Department will return to council in late 2025 with recommendations or updates on the transition.

Ending: The approved six‑month MOU allows UK ROTC limited weekly training in Hysel Farm Park through Dec. 31, 2025, while the unit and city staff pursue alternative locations and transition plans.