By MELINDA J. OVERSTREET
for Glasgow News 1
A few dozen individuals showed up at Glasgow City Hall on Tuesday evening to see conceptual drawings for how the city’s newly purchased land tract of nearly 162 acres could be used.
While quite a few of those present for the open-house-type event were city employees, elected officials and their family members, several were other members of the community who were curious about the city’s acquisition and potential development plans for it.
The engineering firm QK4, which is based in Louisville but has four employees who work full-time out of Barren County, had performed the due-diligence work for the city – checking for and on all types of issues ranging from survey boundaries to topography – and developed visual renderings of a couple of options for how the primary uses for the land could be arranged within the property. The main difference in the plans was whether the retail area would be along all of the Cleveland Avenue frontage, with the majority of recreational uses “behind” or north of that, or that Cleveland Avenue frontage would have some recreational and some retail activity. In both, the residential areas would be farther “back,” in the central and northeastern segments of the land, and the northernmost area could have some green space with walking trails and other activity options.
A few minutes into the two-hour event, Mayor Henry Royse gathered the crowd around him and explained again how he came to know about the property’s availability and some of the processes that had been followed to this point; discussed the reasoning behind the proposed primary uses of residential, retail and recreational; and introduced the two representatives from QK4 who were present and key city personnel who were on hand to answer questions. Rob Campbell, vice president of the engineering firm, briefly explained what attendees would see on the various boards that were displayed on easels, as well as the drone-footage video of the property projected onto two of the Council Chambers’ walls. From there, everyone was invited to peruse the displays and ask questions at their leisure. Feedback forms were also provided for those who wished to put their thoughts into writing.
As the event was winding down after the first 60 to 75 minutes, Glasgow News 1 asked Royse what the main question or concern was that he heard from those attending, and he said it was the process used to purchase the property. Some did not understand why some of the initial steps were done in the secrecy of closed sessions – which the Kentucky Open Meetings Act allows when discussions in public could affect the purchase price – and otherwise behind closed doors. Royse said that, in addition to the price issue and not wanting anyone else to step in and get the property from underneath them, so to speak, at least some of the initial due diligence to check out the property to make sure the city would want it needed to be done. That work then continued in detail after the majority of the council voted Sept. 9 to pursue the purchase. He said he believed those individuals had a better understanding by the time they left, but he acknowledged that some may want to give it further thought.
Notice had been provided of a special-called meeting, in case a majority of the nine council members was present, and it was. Five current members who are returning next year — Freddie Norris, Marna Kirkpatrick, James “Happy” Neal, Chasity Lowery and Terry Bunnell — and one newly elected one who won’t begin his term until January — Tommy Burris — were present.
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