By GAGE WILSON
For Glasgow News 1
The Oct. 14 Cave City Council meeting navigated several paths the city could take in reshaping the safety of the Broadway St. business community. While multiple subjects were surveyed, the council spent a significant amount of time speaking with Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District 3 Chief Engineer Joe Plunk since the street is categorized as a state road.
“While the city has the ultimate decision on how this project manifests, I would advocate for, what’s called back-in parking,” Plunk said.
He went on to speak about the advantages this method would yield to pedestrians and motorists, citing the success of this layout in more metropolitan areas that commonly see high foot and vehicle traffic.
Local store owners were represented at the meeting with members of the Business Leaders Development Group speaking on the impact that changing the current parking plans of the road would have to their commerce, with all present favoring the change to angled spaces versus the current parallel parking layout.
Cave City Mayor Dwayne Hatcher endorsed the concept of the back-in parking, explaining that city officials around city hall have adopted the practice based on a suggestion from the Kentucky League of Cities, “years ago.”
Plunk pointed out that this method encourages safety by not only slowing motorists to park, but also giving drivers more visibility as they exit a spot. This visibility extends to pedestrians crossing the downtown road. This, combined with the heightened sense of caution among drivers, is reported to make the back-in method safer for high traffic locales, so much so, that, according to Hatcher, the KLC offers the city a discount on insurance specifically for this practice.
The transportation cabinet is slated to repave the road in 2026 at no cost to the city, however, Plunk posited that the city could always change its parking plan sooner with no contest from the state, but would “foot the bill” in doing so. Councilman Dennie Doyle raised the point that should the city decide to take charge of the change the state would overwrite their efforts by the ‘26 timeline. This question saw the council turn to the matter of cost, undoubtedly looking for an amount to balance against the benefits of the prospective change.
Plunk and the business leaders group also touted that the city would be able to fit more parking spots with an angled parking plan.
While no action was taken by council members at the Monday meeting, Plunk proposed that should the city want to expedite the change, he would distribute the details on the cost estimate to the city, as well as specifics on how the change would benefit the “walkability” of downtown.
The council also reviewed the revised interlocal agreement between Barren and Metcalfe County emergency services, which has bedeviled the ruling bodies for years.
The new agreement, split into eight sections, builds upon the original 1993 agreement with language being changed but maintaining the purpose of the original by creating a “unified system for managing public safety.”
According to the proposed agreement, each county will contribute financially based on its population. By this formula Barren County will be responsible for 81 percent of the total cost with Metcalfe County covering the remaining 19 percent.
The council reached a unanimous accord to accept the agreement draft.
Barren County County Clerk Helena Chase Birdwell spotlights voting locations around Cave City while also reminding residents that ballots will be front-and-back this season. (Gage Wilson/For Glasgow News 1)
The council also heard from Barren County Clerk Helena Chase Birdwell, who spoke to the council on the upcoming election season.
“If you live here in Cave City, but you work over in Glasgow and you want to go vote on your lunch hour, that’s perfectly fine,” she explained. “There’s no excuse not to go and vote, your ballot will be available no matter where you vote within the county.”
Birdwell went on to list the voting locations for Nov. 5, which will be open from 6a.m. to 6 p.m. The locations include:
* Barren County High School
* Cave Area Conference Center
* Austin Tracy Volunteer Fire Dept.
* Haywood Volunteer Fire Dept.
* Hiseville Elementary School
* Park City Lions Club
* Temple Hill Elementary School
* Beckton Community Center
* Glasgow Middle School
Before adjournment, Hatcher pointed out that the council’s November meeting would also fall on Veterans Day. He suggested the council may want to change the date. The council moved the meeting to Nov. 18.
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