By MELINDA J. OVERSTREET
for Glasgow News 1
The Barren County Fiscal Court Building and Property Committee may have only had one item on its agenda Tuesday, but it had plenty to discuss related to that and more.
Because it was a regularly scheduled meeting, topics other than what’s on the agenda could legally be covered.
It was during this meeting that it was publicly disclosed that the property the county had been in the process of trying to procure – in multiple closed sessions and through the approval of a $55,000 payment of “earnest” money at a recent meeting – is that of the former U.S. Bank location at the southeast corner of the Glasgow Public Square.
Magistrate Tim Durham, who is not a committee member, reported to the Building and Property panel that a person who was looking for potential leaks subsequent to the installation of “basically a brand new roof” – necessary to do damage from the March 3 windstorm – hadn’t seen any yet but told him it hadn’t really “rained really hard enough” since the job had been done to know for sure there would be no leaks.
Durham added that he’s been told the heating and cooling system was not working correctly at this time, though, so they have called someone for service.
Judge-Executive Jamie Bewley Byrd said their inspector had said the primary intended use of the property would be the Barren County Health Department, as its current building along West Washington Street has ongoing maintenance issues.
Byrd said she wasn’t sure exactly when they would be able to close on the property, pending any issues, but a special meeting could be called if necessary. Later, in the full fiscal court meeting, she said that meeting would likely be the first week of August.
The item(s) that were on the agenda were proposals from an architectural firm – Sherman Carter Barnhart – for work on a feasibility study and master planning services for two separate projects: a regional agricultural arena in Cave City and a new Barren County sportsplex. Byrd said she had reached out to that firm because they were recommended by a local engineer.
She said the idea for the ag arena was broached in 2004, but didn’t get off the ground, and she was approached her first week in office by Cave City Mayor Dwayne Hatcher and others about exploring the possibility of moving it forward, and she has since met with some Cave City business leaders who are on board with it. Some preliminary design has already been started but it would need to be updated, she said, adding that a meeting has been scheduled for Friday with leaders from Hart and Edmonson counties to hopefully get them on board and make it a truly regional attraction.
She said that even though the local governments in Hart and Edmonson wouldn’t be asked to put in funds for the project, their support could be vital, because regional projects are favored more in funding requests, but it could also help draw visitors to their counties.
She’s already spoken with state Rep. Steve Riley, Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles and others as well, she said.
“It’s going to be called the Cave Area Expo Center, so everyone feels there a part of it,” Byrd said.
The county and Cave City governments would partner on this – starting with hopefully splitting the cost of the master-plan process – and any possible federal and state funding sources would be explored, but “some very serious private donors” have expressed interest in being involved as well. The judge-executive said she believes a public-private partnership is the best – if not the only – way for this project that could cost $20 million to $25 million to get done. The plan is for it to be behind the Cave Area Conference Center, formerly known as the Cave City Convention Center.
“We’re in the concept phase now because we’re really trying to sell it,” Byrd said. “The amount of people a place like this could bring in is unreal.”
Magistrate Jeff Botts, the committee chair, asked about whether the county has money in the budget to cover even this initial work, and Byrd said the funds for the master plan process for both this and the sportsplex would need to come from the general funds, but she noted that she plans to ask Cave City to help with this part of the cost of for ag center and likewise with Glasgow on the sportsplex, which she envisions as a city-county endeavor. The pricing Sherman Carter Barnhart has in its proposals total more than $62,000 for the two facilities.
Regarding the sportsplex, she’s met with Warren County parks-and-recreation officials, Eddie Furlong, the Glasgow Parks and Recreation Department, Glasgow Mayor Henry Royse, Glasgow Councilman Terry Bunnell, Riley, school officials and others to help determine what the needs are, she said.
At this point, she envisions the sports facility would contain four full basketball courts, three indoor tennis courts, four indoor pickleball courts and indoor baseball training facility. She later mentioned volleyball options as well and said she would even like to see, down the road, offices for both Glasgow and the county parks and recreation departments there.
“I get a call about an indoor-baseball training facility about every other day,” Byrd said, and she said a lot of people go to Bowling Green for that.
She said Bunnell is checking into grant possibilities with the U.S. Tennis Association and may also know of some private investors, and she told Furlong they could potentially put some outdoor tennis courts in the same area so they could have tournaments there.
Botts asked whether she had a location in mind for this, and she said she has two possible places but cannot disclose that information yet, because it could affect availability and/or pricing.
“If we get where this potential plan would go, it would be perfect for every person in Barren County …,” Byrd said. “I will bust my butt to sell stuff like this, because it’s for the kids – not just my kids – it’ll be huge for this area.”
Magistrate Tim Coomer said he wants them to bear in mind when planning projects like this that expenses go beyond getting them built, because they have to maintain them, too, and they need to plan for that as well.
Byrd said that she’s been told by Barren River Area Development District officials that there aren’t a lot of grant options to build these types of things, but funds are available for programs and running the facilities.
No action from the full fiscal court, which met a few minutes after the conclusion of the committee meeting, was requested on these two architectural firm proposals – for now.
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