Kentucky county buying airport land for park, animal shelter

BURLINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky’s Boone County recently approved a $1.18 million deal to purchase about 300-acres owned by the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. The Cincinnati Enquirer reports the airport acquired the land in the 1990s as part of a runway extension project that is no longer needed. Since then Boone County has developed the property into England–Idlewild Park. The 296-acre purchase will ensure the park’s continuance and also provide space for a much-needed new animal shelter. The county has raised $2 million in private funds for the new shelter. It has also appropriated public funds for the project in its 2023 budget.