By James Brown
Glasgow News 1
The Glasgow-Barren County Soccer Cooperative has two grants — one a federal grant, and the other a matching state grant.
The cooperative received a land and water grant through the National Park Service for $250,000 it was announced last year.
Barren County Judge-Executive Jamie Bewley Byrd said that the federal grant has at least a 3-year window for it to be used.
That money will be used for new parking and a new entry way into the Glasgow-Barren County Soccer Complex that will be directly across from Donnelley Drive. The new parking and new entrance cannot be done until the widening project for Ky. 1297. Construction on Ky. 1297 (Cleveland Avenue) is in the state road budget for 2028.
Byrd suggested that once the contractor for the road project is chosen, perhaps she and Glasgow Mayor Henry Royse can talk to them about on which end to start the roadwork.
“I did ask [transportation cabinet] people that whoever the contractor selected for Ky. 1297, that I would like to talk to them because it’ll be up to them which end they start with,” Byrd said during the August cooperative board meeting. “So if we can get them to start with that end, it’ll just kind of help our project move a little bit.”
She added that the transportation cabinet would design the new entrance to the soccer complex.
In the meantime, the cooperative also has a matching grant from the state of Kentucky that must be used sooner.
The cooperative board voted to use that $250,000 to install lighting on the third soccer field, which is near the back of the soccer complex.
The board members hoped to get that project started this fall.
The board also approved two items related to repairs of the netting behind the Glasgow High School Field on the front, left of the complex.
The condition of the netting behind one of the fields at the Glasgow-Barren County Soccer Complex is pictured. The Soccer Cooperative Board of Directors has accepted a bid to rebuild and replace the netting. James Brown/Glasgow News 1
They approved $1,375 in tree and debris removal in the wooded area behind the net. They also approved $23,500 for the removal of the dilapidated net for it to be replaced with a new net system.
“I think that netting has been there since the complex was built in 2002,” said Glasgow Parks and Recreation Director Eddie Furlong.
Barren County Parks and Recreation Director Chris Jennings said the netting that had been there for 24 years was well beyond its expected lifespan.
He added the new system will be in three panels of netting, so if an issue arises, it can be more easily fixed.
