The push for voter registration continues in Oak Grove and southern Christian County.
During Tuesday’s realigned Christian County Fiscal Court meeting, Oak Grove Community Center Director Melissa Lynch alerted magistrates and Judge-Executive Steve Tribble of an upcoming political “Meet & Greet” — and urged any and all to attend.
Set for April 28, Lynch added that she’s pushing for voter registration within her community beginning this Friday — in what’s been a long-time campaign for the city while things have been under her tenure.
Magistrate Phillip Peterson, who helps represent Pembroke, Oak Grove and south Christian County, was one of many on the court to commend Lynch’s work.
The Community Center is located at 1705 Thompsonville Lane, and can be reached by phone at (270) 640-7575. Lynch said letters have already gone out to multiple local political figures, but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t be open forum.
In other court news:
— Two bids were heard for the ultimate completion of Mike Foster Way, which will connect the west end of Carantan Way and join into Lover’s Lane, creating a second entrance to the Bruce Convention Center and that general vicinity.
Smiley Excavating LLC came in with the low bid at $266,838, but according to Magistrate Darrell Gustafson, the business out of Madisonville hadn’t pre-qualified for the state project, and were thus ineligible.
A bid from Scott & Ritter came in at $278,838, and was unanimously accepted.
Magistrate Jerry Gilliam asked if there was any opportunity for Smiley Excavating, out of Madisonville, to gain state qualification in time for the project, and Gustafson noted that the company had spent 45 days on it with little to no success. Their previous qualification expired, Gustafson added, when they shifted to other types of work.
Gustafson also noted that the road will open up more than 60 acres of possible development west of the road, and that the project’s total cost has a shortage of nearly $50,000 — with the city of Hopkinsville and the fiscal court picking up those deficiencies.
Peterson added that the road will create another valve of road safety for the area.
— Fiscal court also unanimously approved the state’s long-developed project of restructuring KY 1007, better known as North Drive, near Ruff Park. Set to widen more than half an acre of North Drive, Tribble said there’s a plan for sidewalks and a better easement in this location.
According to a 2013 feasibility study from the Kentucky Department of Transportation, this section of KY 1007 (North Drive) is a two-lane roadway carrying 10,300 vehicles per day, serving a mostly industrial and commercial area.
