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A Winchester woman has been named a “Hero Among Us” by Lexington TV station WLEX.

Deatra Newell recently filmed a segment honoring her work for helping bring the future Eugene Gay Splash Park to Community Park.

After the park’s swimming pool closed 18 years ago due to structural issues, Newell has been front and center in the effort to bring aquatic recreation back to the neighborhood.

She has worked with numerous local and state leaders to get funding for it, and the project recently broke ground a few weeks ago with a projected opening date of July 2024.

The groundbreaking and the segment have made recent weeks salad days for Newell.

“With dirt being moved. It is a very exciting time right now because we can finally see things happening with the splash park,” said Newell.

Even with all the progress, Newell will not slow down campaigning for the splash park anytime soon.

“This has truly been a fight, but it has been a vision I was given by the lord, and I wanted to make sure I carried it through. So, I am going to continue to advocate for and support the splash park until it is done, and hopefully, we can have a phase two with a box swimming pool for our community,” she said.

Newell has high hopes for what the splash park will mean for the community once it is done.

“It is the start of a new growth,” she said. “It is excitement; it is something to do. And I think that the splash park is a kick-off for other things to happen in Winchester. The need was there, and it is finally happening.”

The word hero is often thrown around liberally in 2023 and it is often hard to pin down exactly what makes one.

However, Newell offered her own definition.

“A hero to me is someone taking action to do something, not sitting back and talking about it or complaining about it, but actually doing something and supporting your community,” Newell said.

In her opinion, Winchester and Clark Couty would be a better place if more people were active in trying to make the area a better place to live.

“That’s all I want. For generations to come, I want things to be better and different for everyone,” Newell said.

Among Newell’s heroes are her older sister, Denise Reynolds, former Clark County Public School Superintendent Elaine Ferris and several friends who are like sisters to her.

“They helped to make me the person I am to do what I’m doing,” Newell said.

The segment starring Newell will air on a yet-to-be-determined future date.