Photos: New Lexington Park Taking Shape

The corner of East Main and South Lake Drive beside the county in downtown Lexington right now is a mess of dirt and earth-moving equipment behind a makeshift chain-link fence. 

But soon, town leaders hope, it will be a hub of activity that could help Lexington's sleepy and moribund downtown spring to commercial and civic life.

"Lexington Square," now under construction, should be ready for the public's use as soon as mid-May, The State reports. When done, it will the town's fifth park, and a linchpin in the town's goal to turn Main Street into a vital community and commercial hub.

"This is right in our mission," Jewitte Dooley, chairwoman of the Lexington Beautification Foundation, and one of the partners in the park's construction, told the newspaper. "It will be a tremendous asset for this area."

When completed, Mayor Randy Halfacre and other town leaders envision a town greenspace with a fountain, monuments, a performance space, and other amenities.