With high temperatures here again, the City of Lexington activated Phase 1 of its Heat Plan Monday, which includes free LexTran rides to four community centers serving as cooling stations. Adrienne Thakur, the city’s deputy director of Recreation, said employees welcome the chance to help.
“It is always wonderful to see, and to provide the service to our community, to have a place for people to come, be comfortable, relax, have a sense of community and belonging with others.”
Thakur said many who visit the cooling stations are unsheltered, and one of their recent success stories is that of a homeless veteran in a wheelchair.
“Of course, our buildings are accessible and our staff is friendly, but what was most impactful about that is that we were also able to connect him with additional resources that he needed, related to housing and food security and medical services.”
During Phase 1, emergency shelters that require residents to leave during daytime hours are asked to suspend that rule and let people stay indoors. Lexington Parks and Recreation is a supporter of WEKU.
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