The Christian County Chamber of Commerce held an eye-opener breakfast Thursday morning, and attendees got to hear first hand from city and county officials and take part in an interactive panel.
The bulk of the presentation was a panel type setting, where Hopkinsville Mayor J.R. Knight, Oak Grove Mayor Jackie Oliver, Christian County Judge-Executive Jerry Gilliam and Magistrates Phillip Peterson and John Bruce fielded questions from moderator Amanda Brunt and from the audience itself, via a website made available that morning.
Growth and how to keep growth going in their communities was a big topic, and Mayor Oliver says Oak Grove is flourishing, with water projects underway that will benefit both residents and potential new industries, and housing developments going up.
Judge Gilliam says there’s plenty of room in the county for housing developments to settle in, but there’s a lot that goes into that process that people may not know about that tends to slow things down. Magistrate Peterson emphasized the widening of KY 115 as an example of this—he says it took a long time to get underway, but soon it will be better for everyone that travels that road between Pembroke and Oak Grove.
Gilliam says a vital resource for Christian County is Jennie Stuart Health, not just for residents but for industries looking to settle into the area, available healthcare is a priority.
Mayor Knight took the time to brag on the excellent ambulatory services offered by Hopkinsville Fire and EMS, but did acknowledge that better coverage needs to be extended into the county, particularly northward.
Mayor Oliver says one thing that would be of great benefit to Oak Grove is its own elementary school—a point that’s been sought by Oak Grove officials for many years.
The City of Hopkinsville is set to turn this eye-opener breakfast into an official podcast, where residents who were unable to attend can listen back and hear from their elected officials on the state of the community.