Homeowners push back as FCPS pursues eminent domain near RISE STEM Academy

LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW) – Concerns continue to escalate in the Cardinal Hill neighborhood as Fayette County Public Schools moves forward with a bid for eminent domain tied to construction near the entrance of the new RISE STEM Academy for Girls.

Homeowners say the district’s efforts to secure right-of-way space for school buses are encroaching too closely on private property, prompting frustration, fear, and criticism over what residents describe as a lack of communication.

Signs reading “Stop the Fayette County Public School Land Grab” have appeared throughout the area, representing growing pushback.

Homeowner Theresa Leito told ABC 36 she believes the project poses a risk to her safety and quality of life.

“Y’all are 21 feet from my front door. This is carbon monoxide, this is noise pollution,” Leito said.

Residents say FCPS moved forward without properly notifying nearby property owners. Leito says she reached out months ago seeking answers.

“He didn’t get back to me and that was September of 2024. Two days later they were already digging,” she said.

Property owner Jude Ritchie shared similar concerns.

“The exact issue is we’ve got no communication from Fayette County Schools. There’s a project going on here but I never knew it was affecting my property, and only when some neighbors notified me about August 13 that my property was flooding due to construction did I know that this project was going on,” Ritchie said.

Ritchie told ABC 36 he contacted the district and sent videos, but the response was insufficient.

“I contacted Fayette County Schools, sent them videos of the flooding and their response… I was like, hey, I’ve not been notified of this, and their response was like, ‘Oh, we went and knocked on some doors,’” he said.

Addressing these concerns, Fayette County Public Schools Chief Operating Officer Myron Thompson said the district has attempted to communicate with residents.

“Well, we’ve tried to communicate with the neighbors for some time, a lawyer was hired over a year ago, so we’ve had limited communication but we’ve had an on-site meeting with the neighbors to try to resolve some of the issues,” Thompson said. “We’ve been waiting for the offer to get back to us and that never arrived, so our attorney filed last week the eminent domain.”

Thompson said the district did not want to pursue eminent domain but determined it was necessary.

“If you look at the entrance off Versailles Road, there’s existing infrastructure that’s been in place for drainage and it would require us to work with the state to move all of that over,” Thompson said. “This was the least disruptive to the project.”

But for some homeowners, concerns continue.

“I’m sitting on the porch, the deck just shakes. There’s been things that fall off in my living room, there’s cracks in my ceiling and walls,” Leito said. “I can’t believe they’re going to do this, to be so close to where the buses will be idling – coming in and out 21 feet from my front door. It’s not my backyard, it’s my front door.”

Thompson said new infrastructure has been installed to reduce flooding moving forward and encouraged residents to contact the district with future concerns.