City Council Approves Agreement With CSX To Close 4 Crossings

Hopkinsville City Council authorized the mayor, to sign agreements with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and CSX Transportation, to make upgrades at six railroad crossings and permanently close four streets at the crossing.

As previously discussed at the Hopkinsville Committee of the Whole’s meeting on September 23, City Attorney Doug Willen said the memorandum of agreement with KYTC and CSX would allow the state to fund a portion of the safety project to close four railroad crossings at 5^th, 6^th, 11^th and 12^th streets. In addition, CSX will make safety upgrades to six crossings – 2^nd, 4^th, 7^th, 10^th, 13^th and 14^th streets.

Pursuant to the agreement, CXS will do all of the work required to close the crossings and pay the city a monetary donation for the closures of $400,000.

In other action at Tuesday night’s meeting, council approved the purchase of up to $30,000 for ten Flock cameras requested by the Hopkinsville Police Department to be set up at different locations around the city. As previously explained by Sergeant Seth Meek the cameras are an enhanced license plate reader that will be another investigative tool used by the police department to help fight crime in the city.

Councilman Chuck Crabtree, who previously voted against purchasing the Flock cameras at the Committee of the Whole meeting, wanted to know what specific laws are in place to keep someone from misusing this technology with Chief Clayton Sumner responding the 1^st and 14^th Amendments of the United States Constitution. Crabtree then wanted to know if there were any Kentucky laws in place, which Chief Sumner explained the cameras can’t be used for traffic enforcement in the commonwealth.

During reports, Community Development Services Director Steve Bourne said they have applied for a grant to complete the construction of Phase 2 of the Hopkinsville Greenway System.