By MELINDA J. OVERSTREET
for Glasgow News 1
With a unanimous vote on Monday evening, the Glasgow Common Council agreed to the city’s purchase of 19.5 acres along Veterans Outer Loop and, to a much lesser extent, New Bowling Green Road (U.S. 68-Ky. 80), with access points already established to both.
The property has belonged since 1997 to Farmers Rural Electric Cooperative Corp., which announced in June that it was accepting sealed bids for the mostly tree-covered land.
Councilman Terry Bunnell, who chairs the council’s finance committee, said prior to the vote that that panel, after discussion during its June 18 meeting, had authorized the mayor to formulate and submit a bid within a particular dollar-amount cap.
He said part of the property is within the city limits and some is not, but utility access is there, along with close access to the parkway and New Bowling Green Road, and it’s near industrial parks.
“We felt that it would assist the city in developing that part of the outer loop, so we’re very positive on this purchase,” Bunnell said. “The price that we were able to acquire it with – property in that area is going for much more than what our bid was.”
He and Mayor Henry Royse named some examples of how nearby properties are priced, and Councilman Patrick Gaunce asked exactly where the property is.
This graphic posted on the Farmers RECC Facebook page in early June announced the sale of property and shows the location southwest of the Veterans Outer Loop and New Bowling Green Road intersection within the black lines.
Bunnell said another business is right at that southwest corner of the loop and New Bowling Green Road and this land starts several hundred feet from the corner. Royse said that, heading south on the loop toward the parkway, it’s the last parcel that’s in the city limits. In that description, it would be on the right side of the loop.
The resolution approving the purchase, which was approved 8-1, with Councilwoman Chasity Lowery, who is also a member of the finance committee, voting against it, authorizes the mayor and the city attorney to take all of the appropriate next steps toward the transfer of the property. The contract calls for an immediate payment of $5,000, with the balance of the $751,501 purchase price payable upon conveyance of deed with a free and clear title. A maximum closing time of 120 days is set forth.
In other business, an attempt to resurrect a discussion about a refugee program failed when only three of the nine council members – Max Marion, who requested it, Marna Kirkpatrick and Terry Bunnell – voted to add it to the agenda; the council voted down a proposal to set a limit on the number of terms they could serve, which has been reported separately; annual reports were provided by the heads of the emergency communications, fire and police departments; a series of appointments were approved as was a series of five resolutions requested by the Barren River Area Development District because they set forth regulations that must be in place for the city to act as “a conduit,” as the mayor put it, for grant funds the Barren County Family YMCA is seeking; and two other resolutions were approved.
With all members present, including Lowery, who attended via Zoom with advance notice provided, all votes were unanimous other than the ones related to the addition to the agenda, the term-limit ordinance and the property purchase.
Specifically:
– Justin Richardson was reappointed to the Glasgow Municipal Airport Board; Jeff Crump, Matt Mutter and Darrell Pickett were reappointed to the Veterans Wall of Honor Standing Committee; and Kirsten Haynes was appointed to the Glasgow-Barren County Tourist and Convention Commission.
– A resolution was approved that adopted a revised interlocal agreement with the Barren County Fiscal Court to provide animal control services through the city.
– A grant application to the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security for funds to be used for the purchase of ammunition to be used by the Glasgow Police Department was authorized via a resolution.
The resolutions requested by BRADD related to the YMCA grant application are mostly not applicable in this case but were necessary for the application to be considered, City Attorney Rich Alexander said. The grant funds would be used to construct an addition to be used for senior citizen services. The resolutions dealt with items such as how any payment or fee receipts are to be handled, the procurement processes to be used for purchases, relocation of residents displaced by the project, of which there will be none, and fair housing practices.
The next regular council meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Aug. 12 in Council Chambers on Floor 2 of Glasgow City Hall, 126 E. Public Square.
