After recognizing Juneteenth with a proclamation, the Hopkinsville City Council and citizens discussed domestic fowl in the city, zoning recommendations and approved applying for a grant to expand Hopkinsville’s Greenway System at their Tuesday meeting.
Hopkinsville Mayor, J.R. Knight and Judge Executive Jerry Gilliam read a proclamation locally recognizing Juneteenth. Juneteenth National Independence Day is a federal holiday on June 19 commemorating African Americans’ fight for freedom and the end of slavery in the U.S. as well as recognizing the steps that still need to be made to achieve equality and justice.
To recognize Juneteenth, Gilliam read that he encourages members of the community to reflect on African American’s journey to freedom.
Once the meeting got underway, two citizens, Allegre Pace and Debbie Powell, shared their stance against allowing chickens in the city. An ordinance currently stands that prohibits fowl in the city.
Pace says one of her neighbors has an illegal chicken coop and says that allowing chickens in city limits will not be appealing to prospective residents or visitors and nor would it support the cleanup Hopkinsville campaign.
Powell says chickens could be a danger to public health because they carry harmful bacteria which could infect people and cause illness.
Tom Britton, the executive director of Community and Development Services shared what steps the council would need to take to possibly amend city zoning to allow chickens in the city.
Britton says the council would have to adopt a resolution to initiate a zoning amendment and forward it to the Hopkinsville Planning Commission who would then host public hearings and make a recommendation.
The council will discuss making a resolution to allow fowl in city limits at a future Committee of the Whole meeting.
Britton also brought a zoning recommendation to the council for Shadowood Estates which sits off of Old Major Lane. Britton recommended that the area be zoned as a single-family residential district which the council accepted and will vote on at a future meeting.
The council also discussed and approved applying for a match grant through the Kentucky Transportation Alternatives Program to partly fund the construction of phase three of Hopkinsville’s Greenway System.
Knight says the expansion would be a bridge over Eagle Way Bypass near Tie Breaker Park. Knight says their original plan with the state was to place a crosswalk across the bypass near Lafayette Road, but does not believe it would be safe.
The council approved applying for the grant. The project costs around $3.8 million and if Hopkinsville is selected to receive the grant, the city would have to pay 20% of the total costs.
The meeting ended with the council going into closed session to discuss economic development proposals with South Western Kentucky Economic Development Council Executive Director, Carter Hendricks. No action was taken following the session.
Photo courtesy of the City of Hopkinsville Local Government on Facebook