After input from the community at Tuesday’s Hopkinsville City Council meeting, council approved the partial closure of South Kentucky Avenue on first reading.
The partial closure would be where the road meets West Seventh Street, running by the current campus of Second Baptist Church, and comes at the request of the church as they look to renovate and expand their facility.
Speaking in support of the closure, church member Sherry Burke says they don’t make the request lightly, but they intend to move their main entrance to the South Kentucky side and worry for the safety of their members walking there.
Tamika Byars spoke against it, saying although she appreciates what Second Baptist does for the community, the closure would negatively impact those who live on South Kentucky and create a safety issue.
Councilmember Darvin Adams encouraged the church to hear the concerns of those in the community, react accordingly, and take them seriously.
The council approved the partial closure unanimously upon first-reading. In other action, council also approved rezoning an area off of Foston Chapel Road, changing it from a residential district to a business district, with the hope of future development.
Councilmember Wendell Lynch told the council that the first meeting of the Pension Future Funding Committee will be Monday at 5 p.m. The committee will discuss what options are available to the city to meet the rising pension burden they could face.
Recently promoted Fire Captain Marty Bangart and Lieutenant Chad Taylor were recognized and sworn-in at the meeting.
